dangling cord is seen as a perfect
plaything. Many incidents happen
around the holidays. “The combination of Christmas lights and kittens
as Christmas gifts increases the
chances of this emergency occurring”, says Dr. Steve Baker, an
associate veterinarian at the Pet
Care Clinic in Meridian, Idaho. “We
encourage our clients to kitten proof
their trees, nativity scenes, and
other holiday decorations. Nobody
wants to spend Christmas Eve in an
emergency clinic as a result of natural kitten curiosity”.
Biting through an electric cord can
cause, at the very least, a painful
electrical burn on the mouth and
tongue. These often become infected and require veterinary care.
Severely shocked cats may go into
cardiac arrest or develop pulmonary
edema (fluid accumulation in the
lungs). Kittens that chew through
electric cords should be taken to the
veterinarian immediately, even if it
only appears to have minor burns on
the tongue or mouth.
Choking
If your kitten gets something stuck
in its mouth or throat, it will cough
or gasp suddenly. Kittens become
frantic when scared, so wrap him in
a towel and have someone else hold
him while you try to look in the back
of the throat. If an object is detected, try to spot it with a flashlight,
then remove it with tweezers or a
spoon handle; your hands will probably be too big for a young kitten’s
mouth.
Bee stings
Kittens love chasing moving objects,
including stinging bugs such as bees.
“Bee stings or spider bites are often
suspected but definitive diagnosis is
uncommon unless the event is witnessed by the pet owner”, says Steve
Marks, Associate Professor and Head
of the University of Illinois College of
Veterinary Medicine’s small animal
medicine service. If bitten by a bee,
immediately put ice on the bite to
reduce pain and swelling. Try to find
the stinger using a magnifying glass,
as some bees leave their stinger in
the skin. Pull it out with tweezers if
possible. Clean the area and apply
an antibiotic ointment. After treating your kitten for the bee sting,
monitor very closely for an allergic
reaction (called anaphylaxis). Although uncommon, allergic reactions
can occur, and the kitten can go into
shock. The tissues of the throat may
swell and obstruct breathing, and
blood pressure may plunge. This is a
life-threatening complication. “
In most cases, symptomatic care is
appropriate. However, if the kitten
has difficulty breathing, vomiting,
diarrhea, the pet owner should seek
veterinary advice immediately”, Dr.
Marks says.
Kitty
Quote
“There is no more
intrepid explorer
than a kitten.”
- Jules Champfleury
Fractured limbs
Orthopedic injuries are common in
kittens because kittens love to jump.
When a kitten fractures a bone, the
initial clinical sign is limping, holding the injured leg up, or walking on
only three legs. Simple fractures
(both ends of the bone remain under
the skin) are not as bad as those in
which the bone breaks through the
skin (open fracture). The latter are
at high risk of becoming infected.
If you suspect a limb fracture, try to
apply a temporary splint to immobilize the leg. A pencil, tongue depressor, or piece of heavy cardboard
works well. To effectively immobilize
the leg, the splint must span the
joint above and below the fracture.
For example, for a forearm fracture,
the splint must immobilize the limb
from the elbow (the joint above) to
the wrist (the joint below). Wrap
strips of clean cloth or gauze around
the leg and the splint so that the leg
cannot bend. Do not try to manipulate the bones back into place, and
do not wash out open fractures. If
the kitten becomes too stressed during splint application, stop and take
it to the veterinarian immediately.
Poisonings
The average household contains
many items poisonous to kit ѕ