If a kitten has frostbite, first aid

Signs of frostbite in cats

First of all, the areas that are poorly covered with fur are affected by the effects of cold: ears, toes, tail, nipples and scrotum.

• The skin first becomes pale, as blood circulation is restored, the areas affected by frost turn red, swell, and then begin to peel off, sometimes blisters appear.
• The integument looks like a thermal burn; the boundaries between dead and living tissue are clearly visible.
• Hypothermia occurs, that is, a sharp drop in body temperature. Frostbitten areas are cold to the touch, and the animal does not respond to touch or other external stimuli.

If treatment is not started in time, irreversible processes begin in the animal’s body, which in the most severe cases lead to the death of the four-legged animal.

Sometimes even the most vigilant owner may not immediately notice that his beloved mustachioed pet has frostbitten ears, especially if she has long and thick hair, and the damage to the skin itself is superficial.

Frostbite can be detected by the presence of indirect signs in the animal’s behavior. When a cat comes in from the street, you may not even see signs of frostbite, since they do not appear immediately. In frostbitten areas, the cat will feel itching and pain after some time, when the frozen ears themselves warm up in the warmth of home. And only then will the owner be able to see the following signs of frostbite in the ears, which manifest themselves as follows:

• The cat begins to meow pitifully, experiencing pain,
• The animal begins to shake its ears intensely and rub its head against the furniture (thus the pet is trying to escape from the unbearable itching).

If the owner wants to do an initial examination at home, he should enlist the help of members of the household, since the animal may show obvious aggression towards the owner, or the mustachioed one will hasten to retreat and hide in a secluded place where no one can find and get it.

If the cat does have frostbite in her ears, then direct signs will indicate this fact:

1. When palpated, the skin on the animals' ears will appear icy and hardened (the first sign of frostbite).
2. The skin on the ears will become pale, it may acquire a bluish, gray or even yellowish tint, which after some time will turn into bright red, or (with very severe frostbite) into a purple color. A vigilant owner should not forget that the redder the skin on a pet’s ears looks, the more pain the cat will experience from the owner’s touch; the inspection must be carried out with the utmost care.
3. With a superficial form of frostbite, swelling may appear on the cat's ears.
4. With very severe frostbite, fluid-filled blisters of various sizes begin to appear on the cat’s ears, very reminiscent of blisters resulting from a burn of the epithelium.

Severe frostbite can cause a cat's ears to become completely insensitive. Frostbitten tissues tend to die, and the ears take on a semicircular shape.

The kitten was so cold that it jumped into the arms of a stranger, and come what may...

There are caring people in the world, such as our heroine. She was at work, but suddenly she saw a small cat through the window. The animal was shaking from the cold, it was clear how bad it was. She decided to go out to feed him, but he immediately jumped into her arms to warm up at least for a minute.

Caitlin recalls that this white-and-red baby was different from all the other cats, of which there are quite a lot near her work. She works in a sports store; there are a lot of wild cats in the area. The kittens always ran away as soon as one of the people approached. But a strong cold snap completely scattered the little ones into basements and other shelters; in the cold they could have died.

Only one kitten could not find a place to hide; he sat at the door of the store, trembling, crying and hoping to get inside.

The girl looked at the cat, and it seemed to her that he was looking through the glass directly into her soul, crying and trembling. She waited until it was time to go have lunch and went outside, but was sure that the little one would immediately run away. But the cat realized what needed to be done.

He stepped towards the saleswoman, then gathered the strength to jump - and ended up in her arms. Caitlin's heart immediately melted. She hugged the kitten's body with her warm palms, and he purred to her as much as he could.

Something had to be done with the little redhead, and Caitlin recalls:

• I decided to take him to the car. He suffered enough, was hungry and cold. So I was just happy to sit on my knees and warm myself.

In the car, he settled on Caitlin’s shoulder, and wasn’t even afraid until the girl brought him home.

At home, he ate some food from the dog’s bowl, drank some water, and finally relaxed. He realized that no one would drive him back onto the street.

During the first days, Caitlin fattened the baby and looked for good hands for him. But the cunning cat had already installed himself in this house and had no intention of leaving anywhere. He gobbled up everything they gave him, licked the bowl and spent every free minute cuddling and purring. I established a relationship with my owners’ dog and mastered the litter tray.

In general, he made the girl and her boyfriend fall in love with him, captivating them with his love of life and playfulness.

Tonks follows his new family with his tail and loves to sit on his shoulder or neck - this is what he likes most.

Caitlin says:

• He is simply obsessed with food, ready to eat more than his own body weight. I managed to get hungry and endure enough. In the cold it is very dangerous without food, and he only had to eat occasionally. Now he is always ready to eat, and demands a piece as soon as he sees any food on our plates. We don't know when he will calm down and understand that food will always be waiting for him. The main thing is that he understands: we love him and will not leave him.

Caitlin already has one cat, lazy old Rhys. The kitten doesn’t let him sleep all day long, bothers him and calls him to play. But so far only the dog plays with him, and he even sleeps next to her.

This is such a big and happy family!

First aid for frostbite

1. Warm frostbitten areas of the skin using a cotton swab soaked in warm water or saline. Process until the skin begins to acquire a natural color. Do not rub a frostbitten cat in an attempt to restore circulation. Mechanically acting on the affected areas only further injures the pet.

2. Apply a bandage impregnated with an antibiotic or antiseptic to areas of frostbite to prevent infection.

3. Warm up a cold cat. A sharp temperature change will worsen the pet's condition. Wrap the cat in warm water heating pads. Start gradually increasing the temperature of the water in the heating pads. Make sure that the heating pad does not burn the cat. Wrap the “heating element” with a towel to prevent heat stroke.

If the cat does not warm up, convulsions pass through the body, trembling of the limbs is observed, hypothermia is pronounced, blisters or scabs cover the frostbitten areas, rush to the veterinarian.

A sharp increase in the cat’s body temperature against the background of a depressed state indicates blood poisoning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NupIJxCWr68

At the veterinary clinic, the cat will be injected with antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and medications to improve blood circulation and block the development of tissue necrosis. Depending on the severity of frostbite in a cat, a course of drug treatment is recommended for the animal.

Remember that frostbitten areas remain highly sensitive to cold, are easily susceptible to re-frostbite, and need protection.

Frostbitten skin must be warmed with cotton swabs soaked in warm saline or water. This procedure is carried out until the skin begins to turn red. It is not recommended to rub injured areas, as mechanical impact can cause additional harm to the animal’s condition. To prevent infection from entering through the affected tissue, apply a bandage soaked in an antibiotic or antiseptic solution.

Subsequent treatment should be aimed at increasing body temperature. To do this, the cat is covered with heating pads with warm water.

• Your pet cannot warm up, his body is shaking, and his temperature is rapidly dropping.
• Scabs or blisters appear on frostbitten areas.
• The cat is depressed and its body temperature rises. These signs may mean that blood poisoning has begun.

Professional help for your pets

Contact us if your cat is injured, burned or frostbite. In our clinic, your mustachioed pet is guaranteed to receive qualified care. Competent veterinarians see you in well-equipped offices or visit your home. We will do everything to minimize the unpleasant consequences of the accident.

My mother’s cats spend most of their time in the courtyard of a private house, and in the cold one cat’s ear got frostbitten and everything shrank. We didn’t know what to do or how to help the cat recover his ear. And we also cannot understand why this happened, it seems that the frosts were not severe, and the cats did not spend more than 4 hours in the cold.

23.02.2013 01:32

motta Helpful answer? |

if the frostbite is very severe and you see that blood is leaking from the site of the injury, then you need to buy levomekol ointment, which speeds up the healing process of wounds, you can also apply brilliant green to your ears to prevent infection, you can also bandage the cat, it will not be pleasant, but where to go, you have to be patient .

13.03.2013 04:17

DenStrighoff Helpful answer? |

If your cat has frostbitten ears, then it is better to go to a veterinary clinic and you should not self-medicate because frostbitten ears should not be delayed. To treat frozen ears, there are special ointments that warm and promote rapid healing.

14.03.2013 01:47

Lizochka Helpful answer? |

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75KG7pW60BE

She should have her ears checked by a specialist, it may not be frostbite at all, maybe she has caught ear mites. In both cases, the ears will need to be treated. Wash them with a special solution. It’s better not to let the cats out into the cold right now, so as not to provoke the development of the disease.

16.03.2013 23:33

irishka82 Helpful answer? |

Frostbite in cats can be caused by a variety of circumstances. Even if the temperature outside is not completely low, this does not mean that the cat cannot be exposed to frostbite. For example, an animal may fall into the water, and then a warm skin will no longer save it. Or a cat can sit for a long time in the cold wind, and the ears, as you know, are a rather delicate place on the body.

If you notice that your cat’s ears have turned white or have lost sensitivity (completely or partially), sound the alarm. Under no circumstances should you start rubbing your ears with your fingers, a rag, alcohol or snow! It will bring nothing but harm. First, wrap the cat in a warm blanket and sit with it, holding it in your arms.

While you sit like this, warming up the animal, have someone sew headphones with ties from seven layers of gauze. This is necessary for the accumulation of heat and for the blood to begin to circulate normally. If the cat breaks out and wants to sit in the blanket with you, try giving it warm milk or warm water, warm it with your breath.

16.03.2013 18:37

lomova_masha

Helpful answer?

Absolutely all people know that cats by nature are intelligent, dexterous and agile animals, and also heat-loving animals. Even stray cats, or indoor cats that spend some part of the day on the street, always strive to find warmth by climbing into the entrance or basement. But there are also cases when pets freeze their ears.

I won’t give you to anyone... the freezing kitten cried

ishi1234567890

04/07/2020 03:16:27 Continued even better! ... Like a big black and white cat On soft rubber paws A huge Ford drove past, Exhaling the smell of gasoline... In soft chairs, in the comfort of warmth Two tired men sat quietly joking among themselves Through the window they looked at the snowdrifts - Wait, take a closer look - do you see there? Who is fussing in the cold snow? Come on up to him, we need to make sure that no one is in trouble. The snow is crunching under his boot. The man comes closer to them. And the lantern looks like the sun is burning. He leans lower to the ground - Wow! How did you end up here in such cold weather? Who drove you outside in this terrible frost so mercilessly? - Mom, mom - the kitten is screaming, Look, it’s him, I’m sure the cat God has come and is looking He will save us, because I believe in him The man leaned towards him - Oh, I’m afraid your skin is cold, Climb in and warm up, baby He took the fluffy lump under his jacket He took the cat in his arms - it’s alive Well now, be patient a little We will never leave you in trouble Even if you’re a stray cat - Look, partner, who’s here with us A person says to another God forbid you end up in the snow now, without clothes , without a home - Well, let me look at them But we ourselves can’t help them I’ll ask the central one Let the cat doctor help us Zero nine - the central one - we picked up a kitten and a cat They were very cold We need a cat emergency room The central one responded - now On the corner of Riverside and Thirtieth Doctor there is, they called - good luck on your journey is waiting for you, zero nine The iron cat growled menacingly, A loud howl echoed loudly He doesn’t care about the cold and ice, Sixty miles an hour is just a walk After trouble looked powerlessly after the lanterns running into the distance What could she do it when it turned out as the gods wanted? The cat is having a wonderful dream that she is on the green grass and the most beautiful cat is looking at her with a yellow eye in admiration. Suddenly his face changed. Is it a cat? Human? And the mustache... The cat closed her eyes again - Oh, and I have strange dreams... They are driving up - in the glass doors Already waiting, looking anxiously With a warm blanket in his hands Doctor in a jacket and white coat - Doctor, here are your patients Although they are frozen, they are still breathing Small seems to have warmed up, squeaks Well, the cat really feels bad Finally, here it is warm Stretched out under a hot lamp The cat dreams of a clearing and a house, The sun is shining brightly in the sky Again they don’t let her sleep They prick her leg with a painful needle There is no strength to protest And again the cat falls asleep. House. A bowl of food and water She feels comfortable on a soft rag And the kitten, having eaten, sleeps With its paws spread out carefree The cat sees that a man has stood up He approached her and bent down to the cat He stroked her on the back And looking at her, he smiled Your baby is doing well. You know what... It was he who called for help to you And from cold death, with himself Until the end, he protected you I will not give you up to anyone You will live here together, with me We will play together in the morning And be sad - if you get sad sometimes And then it’s all over again will bloom, the sun will shine over the earth, and you will forget forever what you had to endure in winter.

What to do

If a cat gets frostbite in its ears, it will need immediate first aid. Due to exposure to cold, the animal's blood vessels narrow, which in turn leads to a deterioration in the activity of the blood flow located in the affected area of ​​the cat's body. The liquid contained in the cells and intercellular space from extreme cold turns into crystals, which leads to the death of some cells and damage to the walls of blood vessels.

• Trituration.
• Immersion in water.
• Wiping the cat's ears with hot water, as well as alcohol and snow.

This is due to the fact that rapid warming in combination with friction can, in turn, lead to even greater tissue damage, and this process can also become a source of very severe pain or even lead to necrosis.

It would be most advisable to warm up the cat at room temperature, but you should not sit the animal near the radiator; the cat’s body must warm up on its own.

Some compassionate owners try to warm the cat by wrapping it upside down in a blanket or a blanket, but this is also not necessary.

The owner will have to give his pet some kind of meat broth, which must be warm.

How to help

After the initial examination, the owner must measure the animal’s body temperature, since hypothermia, accompanied by a temperature below normal, can be very dangerous for the cat’s health.

If the temperature is 37˚, or even lower, the animal should be immediately taken to the nearest veterinary clinic, carefully wrapped in a warm blanket.

Mild frostbite does not require any treatment, the redness will subside within a couple of hours, and sensitivity will return to the ears. In more severe cases, blistered ears should be smeared with Levomekol or Panthenol; these ointments have a healing effect.

You can apply lotions soaked in sage decoction to inflamed areas of the ears: the liquid must be at a temperature close to room temperature. In this case, it is necessary to put an Elizabethan collar on the animal’s neck so that it cannot scratch its frostbitten ears, otherwise the medicine may get into the cat’s stomach.

If blackness appears on the affected ears, then in all likelihood the pet has begun to develop necrosis, in which case you should contact a veterinarian, who will help get rid of this problem through surgical intervention.

Often, along with their ears, cats freeze other parts of their body. Areas of the body damaged by cold will be extremely sensitive to cold for a long time, so the cat's walking time should be limited.

In winter, when temperatures are very low, a cat with any hair coat runs the risk of frostbite.

The most vulnerable areas of a cat's body are the ears, tail, paws and toes. As a result of impaired blood circulation in the cold, tissue cells are also damaged.

Unusual "Valentine"

That year, February in Canada turned out to be especially frosty. It's amazing how this stray cat was able to survive on the street; his condition was very deplorable. The woman took the poor fellow home and immediately contacted her friend, a volunteer from the Un Chat à la Fois cat rescue service in Quebec. She sent a message with a photo of the cat and a request for help.

Marie Simard, an employee of the shelter, said: “I thought, because we don’t take adult cats, but I really wanted to help this poor creature! His photo broke my heart and I told my friend to bring him to our partner clinic so he could get tested.” The woman who found the animal admitted that she was surprised by the wild cat’s behavior: “He didn’t try to run away, he just stood there and knocked on the door with his paw, begging to be let in.”

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What are the stages of frostbite in cats?

In the first stage, frostbitten skin looks pale. When thawing occurs, the skin turns red. The frostbite area then swells and becomes hot to the touch.

After a few hours, the skin may begin to peel. In extremely severe cases (third degree frostbite), blisters or blisters may appear, similar to a burn.

With mild frostbite, the pain and redness of areas of the body in cats goes away after about a couple of hours.

The frostbitten area is also extremely painful, so a cat with frostbite should be handled as carefully as possible.