First Aid Kit for Your Cat

Just as you have a handy first-aid kit for yourself to fix minor cuts and scrapes, so you might want to have a shelf with some first-aid items for your cat.  This list suggests some items that you might want to have available and that you can tell your vet that you have when you call to check how to handle minor emergencies.
 

	Antiseptic for cleaning cuts -- make sure it contains no phenols.  (A quick test is to add some to water, if the water turns cloudy, the product probably contains phenols and should not be used.)
	Polysporin antibiotic cream for minor cuts
	Polysporin cream for minor burns
	Bandages and an old sock with the toe cut off which can be used as a body bandage for smaller cats to prevent them from licking at body cuts and medications
	A soft ruffled collar that you can use to prevent your cat from licking cuts or its fur
	Cotton pads (for example, quilted eye makeup remover pads)
	Optrex -- a sterile eye wash
	Nail clippers
	Scissors
	Benadryl for Children in case your cat is stung by a bee or a wasp  (Contact a vet and ask for dosage)
	Deactivated charcoal to prevent absorption in case of poisoning
	Kaopectate to soothe an irritated intestinal tract
	Vaseline to help with furballs (about 1 teaspoon once a week)
	Thermometer -- if you are using a digital thermometer that goes in the ear, make sure you take several readings from your cat over a period of a month to establish a baseline reading which you should keep in your first aid kit to compare with.