How To Prepare Your Cat For A Medical Emergency

Cats are agile and graceful animals that can make impressive jumps. Unfortunately, this animal can miss a jump and break a bone. A medical emergency often occurs suddenly and without warning. Read on to find out how to prepare your cat to go to an emergency vet.

Contact Your 24 Hour Animal Hospital

You should assess the scene for any immediate threats. After determining the danger is over, it helps to call the veterinarian hospital. The hospital can give you first aid advice for sustaining the injury until getting medical attention.

Keep Movement To The Minimum

If your pet breaks a bone, then you want to keep him or her warm. You do not want your cat to go into shock. Wrapping a towel around the animal can maintain the warmth. It is also important to keep movement to a minimum with a broken bone. You have to be careful when transporting an injured pet. It helps to place your pet in the carrier while supporting his or her head and hips. You must lay your cat down while having the injured leg up. Your cat should be left in the carrier until you get in front of the veterinarian.

Put On A Muzzle

Most animals are disoriented and panicked after an injury. The stress of a medical emergency can make a friendly animal turn aggressive. A panicky animal responds to stroking and a calm and soothing voice. You want to stroke their shoulders and head. However, you should always use caution when approaching an injured animal.

A cat can scratch and bite, which can heighten with an injury. You may want to muzzle your pet to protect you and others. A muzzle is difficult to put on a cat because of the shape of its face. If you cannot get the muzzle on, then you may have to improvise. For example, you might be able to loop a pair of pantyhose around your pet's head to prevent biting. You want to prevent the jaw from opening. It is easy to do because cats' only have one jaw muscle for opening their jaw. Putting the pantyhose over the head provides you with some level of protection.

Some medical emergencies are not always obvious. However, it helps to look for signs and make sure your pet is moving without pain. As a pet owner, you should have an understanding of basic first aid. An incident may require you to perform feline CPR. To learn more, contact an animal hospital like Metzger Animal Hospital.