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It’s a pet owner’s worst nightmare. Your cat isn’t breathing. You start to panic and instantly think it’s dead. But panicking is the worst thing you can do. The facts are that it is possible for you to resuscitate your cat. But you need to know how to do it.
Artificial respiration can be conducted on your cat if your cat is not breathing and yet its heart is still beating. There is still hope of resuscitating your cat as long as its heart continues to beat. The process of resuscitating your cat can take five minutes or it can take an hour or more. You need to keep trying.
Resuscitation is necessary if your cat has drowned, has experienced electrical shock, or if it is in shock from a venomous bite from an animal or in a reaction from a vaccine. If you find that your cat is a victim of one of these issues, you need to act immediately. Within 15 minutes your cat may be in danger of experiencing permanent damage from not getting oxygen to its brain.
When you need to resuscitate your ca, you need to lie your cat on its right side and make sure its head and neck are fully extended. Pull its tongue outside of its mouth so it won’t block its nasal passages, if you can get it to start breathing. Put both your hands on your cat’s chest on its ribs. Push down on your cat firmly, so you are squeezing its lungs together. The goal is to empty the lungs from any air or other items that may be blocking breathing. You want to then release the pressure of your hands on its chest and press down again. You want to then continue squeezing up and down on your cat’s chest in a steady rhythm. The rhythm should match your cat’s normal breathing cycle, which is one breath every two or three seconds.
You need to continue this action until your cat starts breathing. Whatever you do, don’t give up. You need to work on your cat’s chest until it starts breathing. This could take a long time. Be prepared. It’s worth it. There is still a good chance you can get your cat breathing again as long as it has a heartbeat.
When your cat starts breathing, put some ammonia next to its nose so it can smell it. Then wrap it in a blanket to keep it warm. You should then take your cat to see its vet to make sure there’s no permanent damage and to get further instructions.
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