What to put in your cat first-aid kit and why

When your cat suffers an illness, injury, or poisoning, knowing what first aid to do (and not do) can have a big impact on their recovery, safety, and comfort. It can also help your emotional stress, because you'll have a plan of action to follow whenever a problem arises. For these, and many other reasons, I always recommend that cat owners take a pet first-aid class. But that's not the end of the story.

Regardless of whether you've taken (or are planning to take) a first-aid class, you still need to have the supplies and gear to be able to administer first aid to your cat. And that's where having a good pet first-aid kit (or two) comes in.

Make Your Own Cat First-Aid Kit

To make it easy for you to put together (or check) your pet first-aid kit, we have a shopping list (for mobile or printable) for you to take to your nearest pharmacy to grab your cat's first-aid supplies.

Each item on this list has been vetted to ensure that you're getting the right products and brands that will be most effective, practical, and safe for your cat's first-aid kit.

Have a dog? Check out this first-aid shopping list for dogs.

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Topics: Cat Health, Cat Safety, pet safety tips, pet safety, First Aid, Pet First Aid Kits, cat first aid, Pet First Aid, Pet First Aid Supplies, Pet First Aid Kit

Like with any holiday, you can be sure of two things when it comes to your cat and Halloween: 

#1. Your cat does not appreciate your noisy, candy-fueled celebrations
#2. Refer back to #1

Besides further confirming your cat’s belief that holidays are annoying and not focused enough on their needs, Halloween can be a real problem if you’re not careful. Here are the Top 10 Halloween dangers for cats you need to watch out for.

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Topics: Cat Health, Cat Safety, chocolate toxicity, Halloween, Cats outdoors at night, Cat Tips, Digestive obstruction

Only one-fifth of the 15,000+ animals stranded by Hurricane Katrina were ever reunited with their owners. That means that more than 12,000 pets never found their way back home following this devastating storm! This is the sad reality of natural disasters, but hopefully this article will inspire you to first develop a plan for your family and do a few important things to make sure your pets are taken care of as well.

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Topics: Dog Safety, Cat Safety, Storms, Hurricanes, Disasters, Emergency, Tornadoes, Emergency Preparedness for Pets

In one week alone, eight cats were injured after falling from high rises when warming weather in 2015 resulted in more people leaving their windows open. In fact, cats fall from windows so often that veterinarians have given it a name: “High-Rise Syndrome.” 

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Topics: Cat Safety, pet safety tips, Summer Pet Safety Tips, Cats Falling, High Rise Syndrome, Feline High Rise Syndrome, Falling Cats, High Rise Syndrome in Cats, Cats Falling from Heights, Cats, Blog

Do you have carved pumpkins you want to light up?

When it comes time to lighting up your (beautifully) carved creations, it’s best if you opt for an alternative to traditional or tea light candles.

Not only will options like a powered flameless candle likely last longer than a regular candle, but you’ll also avoid the potential for your pet to burn themselves or the house while walking past or investigating your pumpkins. Carved pumpkins do smell good!!

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Topics: Dog Safety, Cat Safety, pet safety, holiday pet safety tips, Dog, Blog, Burns, Cat

Avoiding potential "hang-ups"

Many people don’t put collars on their cats, especially if those cats are exclusively indoors. Unfortunately as this story demonstrates, even “indoor-only” cats will occasionally get out.

There’s little debate that identifying your cat — ideally with both a collar/tag and a microchip — is your best bet for getting your cat back should they ever become lost. (A possibility that’s sadly even more likely to happen with the upcoming fireworks on and around the 4th of July!) Read More

Topics: Cat Safety, Microchip, 4th of July, Blog, Outdoor cats, Indoor cats, Cat Collars

Yard work. Some of you love doing it and some get others to do it for them. Whichever it is, it's a good idea to keep your pets inside.

Power tool culprits: lawn mowers, weed whackers, hedge trimmers. AND the projectiles they fling about, like rocks, sticks and other debris.

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Topics: Dog Safety, Cat Safety, pet safety tips, Summer Pet Safety Tips, Garden

Giving a cat a bath...

Though you likely wouldn’t put the words “cat” and “bath” together in the same sentence (unless it also included the word “never!”), bathing a cat can be done — some actually like it, and sometimes it's a necessity.

Why might you have to bathe a cat?

Since most cats, in most situations, are quite fastidious in their grooming practices there aren’t many reasons why you’d need to bathe your cat. However, there are a few scenarios where you might find yourself needing to do so.

Ringworm — This is actually a fungus, rather than a worm. Depending on the severity of your cat’s case, and some other factors, your vet may prescribe medicated baths.

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Topics: Cat Safety, Flea Allergies, flea shampoo, Cats, Obesity, Blog, Arthritis in cats, Cat Tips, Giving a cat a bath, Ringworm, How to bathe a cat

It’s likely not “news” to you that cats like warm places. However, what you may not realize — or think about on a regular basis this time of year — is that for cats that spend any amount of time outdoors, those warm places involve your and your neighbor’s cars and trucks.

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Topics: Cat Safety, Cats, Cat Emergency, Blog, Winter pet hazards, DIY cat shelter

DAY 11: Cyclamen

I suspect this is a pet toxicity that many of you were unaware of. In fact, I suspect many of you have never even heard of a cyclamen before – right? However, you've likely seen them around and may have even had them on your holiday table – these plants are common in supermarket floral departments and home & garden centers.

Although not nearly as popular as the poinsettia around the holidays, the cyclamen is often found in homes this time of year. And not many people know about the dangers of the cyclamen.
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Topics: Cat Health, Dog Safety, Dog Health, Cat Safety, pet safety tips, pet safety, Plants Poisonous for Cats, holiday pet safety tips, Poison control, Christmas pet hazards, Poinsettias, Plants Poisonous for Dogs, Cyclamen