After any surgery, it is very important to ensure that the healing process of the sutures and incisions is completed as quickly as possible. But animals in such situations manifest their natural reflex. Cats tend to lick their wounds. Thus, animals in most cases successfully cure minor abrasions on their body completely independently.
But in the case when it comes to the healing of postoperative sutures, such an intervention can provoke infection in them, which will significantly slow down the recovery of the animal.
What is it and why is it needed?
After sterilization or other operations, veterinarians order cats to wear so-called blankets. It is a fabric overlay on the lower body of the animal. The blanket covers the entire belly and chest of the cat, thereby preventing the animal from reaching the postoperative sutures, after all, cats often not only actively lick them, but also try to gnaw out medical threads on incisions.
In addition, a fabric bandage will help protect the animal from antiseptic poisoning. In most cases, surgical sutures need to be treated with medical devices several times a day, at least in the first days after surgery. And the ingestion of such drugs is extremely undesirable for animals.
The exceptions are those cases where after the operation subcutaneous sutures were used. For their healing it is necessary that the skin was open and had a constant access of air. Therefore, wearing blankets in the postoperative period is excluded.
The duration of the bandage depends on the complexity of the operation, the size of the stitches, the general condition of the pet and the characteristics of the healing process. Usually, after uncomplicated interventions, the cat should wear a blanket for 10-15 days. But these terms can vary both upwards and downwards. The decision on the final removal of the bandage takes veterinarian.
Sometimes immediately after surgery, a cat is put on a blanket at the veterinary clinic itself. There are cases when the doctor simply prescribes her wearing, and the owner has to guess for herself how to tie her correctly on the animal.
To this is added another problem - many cats and cats do not like to wear a bandage at all. The constant feeling of a small torso with a cloth is unnatural for animals. So be prepared that your pet will resist in some cases. Wearing the blanket once and not removing it during the entire postoperative period will fail, since in the first days the owner will need to treat the seams on the cat's body with prescribed antiseptic preparations.
But actually tying the bandage is not such a complicated procedure. Most pet owners learn it very quickly.
And better to adapt to this process will help you with our advice and instructions.
Wearing Instructions
Most often, the blanket is fixed on the body of the animal with the help of ordinary strings. On sale there are options on flypapers. It is much easier to dress a cat in such a bandage, but blankets with velcro are more expensive.
The first putting on the blankets occurs immediately after the operation. Most often at this time the animal is still under general anesthesia or only partially conscious. In this state, the cat does not resist, which greatly simplifies the process.It should be very careful and careful, do not make sudden movements, manipulating with the body of the animal: fresh seams can be easily damaged.
In the future, you will have to repeatedly treat the wounds and put on a bandage on an already active animal. It is important to act as calmly as possible. If a cat or a cat is nervous and resists, gently talk to your pet, stroke it. Spread the bandage on the table and lay the cat on top of him with his tummy down.
It will be better if someone helps you for the first time - it is much easier for two to carry out this process.
Let one person soothe and stroke the animal, and in the meantime you will be able carefully and without haste to tie up the braid laces according to the scheme.
How to tie?
First make sure that you correctly positioned the blanket. As a reference point serve symmetrical cuts for front paws. The head of the animal should be located slightly in front of them, and the notches themselves will be located in the area of the front axillary hollows of the animal.
A simple classic blanket has 14 laces for fixation, symmetrically located along its side edges. They will need to be tied up on the back of the cat. Given that you have to periodically remove the bandage, you should not make too tight knots. But it is dangerous to tie the laces too weakly: the animal can untie them with his teeth and subsequently get rid of the bandage.
- Tie a blanket on the cat need from the head. Take the very first two laces in front and connect them around the neck of the animal.
- The next two pairs of ribbons must be connected cross-wise around the cat's shoulder blades, that is, the left string of the second pair is connected with the right string of the third pair, the right ribbon of the second pair is connected with the ribbon of the third pair of strings located on the right side. Thus, you should have a crosshair of laces, which will be located above the withers.
- The following ribbons are tied in pairs on the back.
- The last two pairs of ties are fixed crosswise on the back of the cat's torso.
It is important to ensure that the postoperative dressing does not block the excretory openings of the animal: the anus and urinary tract. Otherwise, due to the inconvenience, the pet will actively try to remove the blanket. And you will have to face the fact that the bandage will soon be soiled.
The bandage should not squeeze the cat's body tightly. If you notice that the animal is moving stiffly, loosen the lacing.
It is best to have a second blanket in reserve.
Your pet may tear your postoperative dressing with your teeth or get dirty much, then you will need to replace it.
If the surgical suture is small, it is not necessary to remove the entire bandage to process it. - release only that part of the body where the wound is located. So you will save time and effort in the process of tying and fixing the bandage.
Do not leave the long ends of the laces. The cat can easily pull their teeth, loosen or untie the bundle.
It is allowed to take a blanket for 15–20 minutes 2–3 times a day, especially if the animal gets used to it badly. But the cat at this time should be under your strict supervision. When trying to lick the wounds and stitches, you should immediately gently prevent this: distract the animal with a game or caress.
See how to put a cat on a cat and cover it properly, see the following video.
