How to Save a Choking Cat

Just found this on StumbleUpon and thought I would share. I didn't know these steps and now I am glad I do. I hope this saves a few kitties out there.

animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/how-to-save-a-choking-cat.htm/

 

I have, sadly, had to do this before. One of my cats coughed up a hairball that got lodged in her throat. I was standing ready with pets and the cleaning products to handle the deal while she was in the middle of it and noticed she was in distress. The thing was luckily (luckily?) caught in her throat but also protruding a bit. I did what these instruction describe and pinched my fingers at the back of her mouth to get her to open up. Obviously she was panicked and also didn't want people messing with her mouth so she did resist and I had to restrain her. I was able to clear her throat and she sucked in this huge breath. Lots of extra cuddles that night. This is necessary information for any cat owner. Know how to handle common emergencies for your loved ones. I can tell you from first hand experience that it can mean the difference.

 

Thank you for sharing this helpful info. I hope I'm never in a situation where I have to perform CPR on my cat or remove a blockage from her airway, but at least now I have an idea how to do it.

 

Reading this will help me if I am ever in this situation! I'll probably still panic but, hey, at least I'll actually know what to do! Much better than me guessing. I just hope I never have to worry about it. Maybe, if I'm lucky.

And, wow, BTC, that's terrifying! I wouldn't expect a cat to choke on it's own hairball, but it makes sense that it would happen. I'm glad you reacted in such a brilliant way.

 

Never had to worry about this but this really helpful information that I can use if I do need it! Thank you for sharing.
I'll study up in case I ever need to help ours or tell someone else how to help their cat.

 

The bit about needles made me a bit uncomfortable. I know all too often than cats get into sewing baskets and I can't even imagine how many probably get needles into their mouths. So dangerous.

 

Heh, I don't know if it was brilliant so much as terrified but we got it handled. She has a problem with hairballs we cant get a handle on. She sheds more than any other cat I've ever seen. I really cannot over exaggerate how much fur this creature lets lying around. I brush her twice a day or more, trying to get it off but it's never enough. SO when she cleans, she ingests a good deal of hair, which makes for over sized hairballs.

 

Thanks for sharing, that's good to know. Thankfully I've never had that happen. But that just made me think. People with cats, dogs and any animals for that matter should have some kind of first aid book and keep it handy in case of an emergency. I know you can always call the vet for something serious, but sometimes, especially if it's late at night, every second counts and you may need to do something right away if it's a matter of life and death.

 

I've actually wondered about this for a while now. Very informative article.

My cat Kittles has always been fond of eating bizarre things. When I first got her, she somehow got into a bag of gnocchi while I was asleep. I woke up and found that she had been eating the raw gnocchi and luckily had thrown it back up. So after that I made sure every room was baby proofed. Haven't had a problem since.

But I am glad to know what to do if this situation ever does arise.

 

Wow, thanks a lot for sharing! Do you think this same technique can be used with dogs? I sure hope so! I'd not like to find out anytime soon. Gosh, I hope this never happens to Bob, I can imagine he'd not like it if I stick my fingers in his mouth. I'll be more careful now on, I need to prevent this kind of thing from happening, because I doubt Bob would allow me to help him.

 

My cat would occasionally cough from time to time I just realized that she could probably be choking on some hairball ? I didn't know this could probably be a potentially dangerous situation ... Thanks for the link!