Resuscitation

Resuscitating animals is a similar process to resuscitating humans. Learn the simple steps to resuscitate your cat if necessary.

Artificial respiration

Artificial respiration maintains the essential supply of oxygen to the blood if your cat stops breathing. If you’ve ever performed resuscitation on a human, it’s very similar.

In most cases, artificial respiration will serve only as a means of keeping a cat alive until the arrival of medical professionals.

Follow these steps to resuscitate your cat.

1. Listen for your cat's heart beat by placing two fingers over the heart. This is located on the left side behind the front leg and shoulder.
2. Remove the collar and place your cat on her side. Tilt the head to allow blood to flow to the brain.
3. Clear any blood or vomit from the mouth.
4. Pull the tongue forwards to open up the throat. This could stimulate your cat to breathe and she may regain consciousness.
5. If your cat is still unconscious, press very gently down on the chest with thumbs and fingertips. Allow the lungs to refill with fresh air. Repeat every five seconds until your pet starts to breathe.
6. If there is no sign of life after 30 seconds, try mouth-to-nose respiration. Tilt back your cat's head, hold the mouth shut and blow short gentle breaths into both nostrils for three seconds to inflate the lungs. Be careful not to over inflate the lungs.
7. Pause for two seconds and repeat.
8. Continue until your cat starts breathing.
9. Never leave an unconscious cat lying on one side for more than 10 minutes. It’s important to keep turning the cat or her lungs could become congested, increasing the risk of pneumonia.
    

It’s important to talk to your vet as soon as your cat shows signs of heart problems or difficulty breathing.