However healthy your cat is, it’s a good idea to keep a small first-aid kit ready at home. Some pet stores sell ready-made pet first-aid kits, but it’s easy to put one together yourself. A cat first-aid kit is for emergencies only: it helps you keep your cat safe and comfortable on the way to the vet, not treat it at home.
Use a clean box or plastic container with a secure lid, and keep it somewhere you can reach quickly but your cat can’t. Check it every few months and replace anything that’s used up or out of date.
What to Put in Your Cat’s First-Aid Kit
Essential Information
- Your vet’s phone number and address, and those of the nearest 24-hour emergency clinic.
- An animal poison hotline number: in the US, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888-426-4435) or the Pet Poison Helpline (855-764-7661); in the UK, the Animal PoisonLine (01202 509000).
- A copy of your cat’s vaccination and medical records, a list of any medications it takes, its microchip number and a recent photo.
Supplies
- Sterile gauze pads and rolls, and a self-adhesive bandage wrap (such as Vetrap). Don’t wrap bandages tightly, and never use a tourniquet.
- Medical tape.
- Sterile saline solution, for rinsing wounds and flushing eyes.
- Disposable gloves.
- Round-tipped scissors, for cutting gauze or trimming fur away from a wound.
- Tweezers, and a tick remover tool, if you live in an area with ticks.
- A digital thermometer and a lubricant such as petroleum jelly. Ask your vet to show you how to take your cat’s temperature: read more about normal temperature in cats.
- A few needle-free syringes or droppers, for giving liquid medicine your vet prescribes or small amounts of water.
- Styptic powder, for nail-trim bleeding.
- A soft cone (Elizabethan collar), to stop your cat licking a wound.
- A towel or small blanket, for safely wrapping and handling an injured or frightened cat.
- An instant cold pack (always wrap it in a cloth).
- A flashlight.
- A sturdy, secure cat carrier, kept somewhere easy to reach.
What not to include: human medicines, such as painkillers, antihistamines, antidiarrheal tablets or antiseptic creams. Many are toxic to cats, even in small doses. Avoid hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, iodine and essential oils as well. Only keep medicines your vet has prescribed for your cat, with clear instructions, and never use medicines prescribed for another pet.
Everyday Care Items
Many owners also keep their cat’s routine care products in the same place, so they’re easy to find:
- flea and worm treatments recommended by your vet (read more about fleas and deworming);
- a cat ear cleaner recommended by your vet (read more about cleaning your cat’s ears);
- cat nail clippers;
- a hairball remedy, if your vet recommends one.
We wish your cats good health, and we hope you only ever open the kit for routine care, never for an emergency! Read more about first aid for cats.
