How to bandage your cat?

Following an illness, injury or surgery, the cat may need a bandage. In addition to retaining secretions, the dressing is necessary to limit the risk of contamination of a wound by bacteria. Always follow the advice of the veterinarian because in some cases, a bandage may be contraindicated. Anyway, if it is essential, its installation requires some precautions and it is better to know how to do it because it must be changed regularly. It is also necessary to think of protecting the bandage so that the cat does not tear it off. Let’s do a check in.

Choose A Bandage Adapted To The Cat

It is essential to choose a large enough dressing so that it is able to go around the cat’s body, its tail or even its paw, otherwise it will not hold. Similarly, if it must be placed on the animal’s head, it must absolutely surround its skull to stay in place. The small bandages that are used on humans are not suitable for animals, if only because these little companions are provided with hair. The dressing designed for the cat must therefore be perfectly adherent in order to be useful.

Clean And Disinfect The Cat’S Wound

First of all, in case of profuse bleeding it is essential to take your cat to the veterinary urgently.

Faced with a harmless sore that does not justify a particular consultation, we start by trimming hair all around the area that needs to be covered. With the greatest gentleness possible, it is also necessary remove the various particles stuck to the wound such as gravel, hair or others.

Then you have to use a antiseptic soap to wash the wound and rinse well then dry it by dabbing it with a clean, soft towel. We finally put a antiseptic if possible which does not sting in order to disinfect the wound without causing unnecessary pain to the little feline as this would increase its stress.

Placing A Band-Aid On Your Cat

The time has come to do the dressing. Even if this does not pose any particular difficulty, it is better to seek the help of a third party so that the operation goes smoothly. The calmest of kitties can not let go when his master has to touch his wound, and rebel. Once the animal well maintained it is advisable to proceed as follows: on the cleaned, dried and disinfected wound, a sterile compress which is covered with a strip to maintain the compress. Finally, we can glue an XXL plaster or an adhesive strip which must protrude from the bandage by 2 or 3 cm in all directions. You really have to make sure that the dressing fits perfectly.

It is very important that the cat’s dressing is not not overly tight because there is no question of giving him a tourniquet! Caution is advised with hook-and-loop strips which tend to tighten more than any other.

Protect Your Cat’S Bandage

If the dressing protects a wound, it must be protected against licking and against any risk of tearing. If the injury is on a leg, you can absolutely put a small sock on the kitty over the bandage, which you then just have to maintain properly with a strip of adhesive plaster that you don’t tighten too much. Obviously, the master has other solutions marketed by the veterinarian, by certain pharmacies or drugstores or even on specialized merchant sites. There are therefore several articles such as:

• • The cat collar: it is an accessory that comes in different shapes, materials, sizes and colors. Fix the collar around the neck of the little feline so that he cannot tear off his bandage. The average price of a cat collar is around 15 €.

• • The waterproof coat for cats: it is a protective garment against the cold but that some masters use for other purposes. It can be found in pet stores and on online sites for a dozen euros.

• • The cat medical vest : if you are looking for a model of clothing for cats more particularly suited to the protection of dressings, it is better to buy this type of accessory for therapeutic purposes, designed to protect wounds and dressings located on the animal’s body. The kitty retains great freedom of movement and its dressing benefits from optimal protection. This type of product, available in several sizes, is therefore suitable for both kittens and large adult cats, and it is offered in different colours. It costs between 20 and 30 €.

Coat and vest are rather recommended for cats that present a chest wound which does not prevent them from being fitted with more than one collar.

Applying a bandage is one thing, but you will have to think about change him as soon as it becomes damp or soiled with blood and other secretions. Placing a bandage on his cat therefore requires a certain amount of availablity and no doubt a lot of patience. But if we perceive the slightest abnormal odor coming from the wound, it is without delay that you must consult the veterinarian, because this leads to suspect an infection.