Your cat will undoubtedly come home with minor injuries from time to time – or show signs that it is not feeling entirely well. In such cases, it is good to have a suitable first aid kit at home.
With a small first aid kit for your feline friend, you'll be well equipped for minor incidents that can be quickly remedied but can become a problem if left unattended. Let's say your furry friend has a tick. You may have found it while petting or grooming your cat, and now you just need to remove it quickly and cleanly – and the tick is history. Of course, you have tick tweezers handy in your first-aid kit!
Below is a list of items you should have in a well-stocked first-aid kit for cats:
Tick tweezers or tweezers to remove ticks quickly and cleanly.
Worming medication to deworm your cat regularly in consultation with your veterinarian.
Wound ointment, which you can purchase from your vet and use for minor scratches and wounds.
Mild sedative for stressful moments. Loud noises and commotion can be stressful for our furry friends, for example on New Year's Eve. With a mild sedative, your cat can start the new year stress-free. It is best to ask your vet for a suitable medication.
Thermometer: The body temperature of a healthy cat is between 38 and 39°C. With a thermometer, you can quickly determine whether everything is okay.
Ear cleaner: Ear care is part of preventive care and hygiene if you want to take good care of your pet. Sometimes a cleaning agent is necessary. Please ask your veterinarian for the best product.
Cooling gel to reduce swelling: This can be used to reduce swelling caused by stings or minor burns.
Activated charcoal: If your cat has ingested something poisonous, feeding it activated charcoal can be a supportive measure.
Disinfectant: Fresh wounds and scratches can be cleaned with a disinfectant. Please purchase this from your vet to ensure that it does not contain any substances that your cat may be allergic to.
Disposable syringe without needle: A disposable syringe can be useful for cleaning smaller wounds.
Scissors: These can be used to cut gauze bandages and dressings to size or to quickly trim hair that is poking into your cat's eyes.
Bandaging materials such as cotton wool, gauze bandages, self-adhesive bandages, adhesive plasters, sterile gauze swabs, and disposable gloves should also be included in your first aid kit.
Baby socks: These can be used to "wrap up" your cat's paws if necessary and possible, and to prevent them from running away.
Contact number of your vet in case something happens to your cat while you are away and a cat sitter needs to seek veterinary assistance.
If you also have a dog living in your household, it is important to know that medication for dogs, especially worming tablets, should not be given to cats, as this can quickly lead to life-threatening situations for cats.
Dogs are pack animals. They need clear structures and consistent rules to feel comfortable. Your dog should know its place in your family from the very beginning. A dog that obeys well is socially acceptable. Your fellow human beings will appreciate this. And you will enjoy being out in public with your dog more. Loving but consistent training is the basis for peaceful and stress-free coexistence between dogs and humans.
As the name suggests, this is not a separate disease, but rather a complex of various manifestations of inflammatory changes in the mouth and skin of cats.
They're back again in late summer and fall – fall mites. They cause allergic reactions in animals and humans, with severe itching and skin inflammation. Find out how to recognize them, treat them, and, ideally, prevent an infestation here.
Tympany refers to the accumulation of gas in internal organs; accumulations of gas in the intestines are colloquially referred to as flatulence. Due to their special digestive system, guinea pigs are relatively prone to tympany, which can sometimes be life-threatening.
Rabies is a viral infection that has been known for thousands of years. Most mammals, including humans, are susceptible to it, and it can also be transmitted between animals and humans (zoonosis). The infection caused by the rabies virus almost always results in fatal brain inflammation. Rabies is a notifiable animal disease in Germany, which means that even suspected cases must be reported to the competent authorities. Germany has been recognized as free of rabies in non-flying animals since 2008. It continues to occur in bats.
Blood in the ear, which primarily occurs in dogs with drooping ears, refers to a specific type of hematoma in the outer ear. Affected dogs display a sudden swelling and warmth in the ear. In most cases, an underlying disease is the cause of a bloody ear. It is therefore extremely important to have your dog examined by a veterinarian in order to successfully treat the underlying disease and the hematoma itself.
Named after Swiss ophthalmologist Johann Friedrich Horner (1831–1886), Horner syndrome is not a separate disease, but rather a complex of various symptoms affecting the eyes of dogs and cats, all of which are caused by damage to the sympathetic nerve.
Fleas are small, blood-sucking parasites found worldwide. Their enormous jumping ability allows them to move quickly on and between their hosts. This can lead to veritable flea infestations. The most important measure is prevention.
Dirofilaria are long threadworms whose larvae are transmitted by various species of mosquitoes. Depending on the species, they colonize either the skin or the large blood vessels of the lungs, and in severe cases, the heart. This is why they are known as heartworms. Dirofilaria and the mosquitoes that transmit them are mainly found in the Mediterranean region, Eastern Europe, and North America. The disease is brought to Germany by travelers and through the importation of dogs from abroad. Due to the climate-related spread of mosquitoes to the north, it is becoming increasingly important.
This feverish infectious disease is one of the most common tick-borne diseases in dogs and is not always easy to diagnose. It causes fever, joint and muscle pain, and lameness. In Germany, the pathogen is primarily transmitted by the castor bean tick (Ixodes ricinus), with an average of one in three ticks infected.
The Maine Coon is an impressive cat breed: large, muscular, and with a friendly, people-oriented nature. Its powerful build and thick coat make it a real showstopper and an ideal companion for people who have plenty of space and even more affection to offer.
FORL stands for feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions and is a very painful dental disease in cats. Almost every second cat is affected from the age of five. Even for veterinarians, FORL can only be detected with the naked eye in its final stages. X-rays of the teeth provide clarity.
