Kitty Heimlich Manuever

Hello.... Its me again ..... I have a story to share and a question to ask. A few minutes ago... My roomate calls me into her room and I notice that Tiger, the half-kid is hacking like she wants to let go of a hair ball, but can't. She did it a few more times then she stopped, and was normal again. Herein lies my question to the board..... Have You ever performed the Heimlich Manuever on your cat/cats and would someone teach me how to do it? Thanks for your help in this matter .

Never Heimliched a cat. Mine have always gotten their hairballs up OK. I have found that rubbing their backs seems to help, though. I would be hesitant to try the Heimlich maneuver on a cat, for fear of possibly causing internal injuries.

Sandra to be honest I have no idea how to go about that. That is something that I would like to learn also since I have so many furbabies and I might need to know how to do the Heimlich Manuever to save their lives. Enquiring minds want to know

This is from http://www.furr-angels.com/:

Heimlich Maneuver


Indications of choking:


pawing at the mouth and gasping for breath

no breathing

labored, loud and noisy breathing sounds

anxiousness

drooling

gums may be blue or white

loss of consciousness



First Aid:


Open the mouth and carefully sweep from side to side with your finger in a hooked position to see if you can feel and dislodge the object. Be careful not to push the object further into the throat or to get bit.

Pull the tongue forward, removing any object, vomit or foreign object present.
If the object does not come out by doing the above, perform the following:

*Place the animal on his side on a firm surface or allow him to continue standing.
*Place your arms around the animal's waist
*Close your hands together to make a fist and place the fist just behind the last rib.
*Compress the abdomen by pushing up with this fist five times in a quick and rapid manner. (This is similar to the Heimlich maneuver commonly performed on humans to dislodge material in the throat.)

If the object is not successfully dislodged with abdominal thrusts, perform the following:





*If the animal is small enough, place them stomach side down on your lap. Keep their head lower than their body and slap them forcefully on the back between the shoulder blades to dislodge the object.



*If the animal is too large to place on your lap, hold the animal's hind legs in the air (like a wheelbarrow) so the head hangs down. If their is another person present or if you can hold the back of the animal up with one arm (slip your arm under the groove where their back legs meet their body), and slap the animal forcefully on the back to dislodge the object.










Continue with alternating abdominal compressions and back blows until object is dislodged.



Once the object is dislodged, stop the thrusts, check for the ABC's (Airway, Breathing and Circulation), initiate CPR if needed and get the animal to a veterinary hospital at once.

Cindy ...... She wouldn't let me touch her anywhere else but her back so I just rubbed it and she stopped.

Kathi ..... I would like to know too . I just hope that I dont hurt her or
Patches in the process.



Thank You for the link and info Tania .... I am going to bookmark that site for future reference.

CPR instructions are here.

Tania, those look like the instructions, from my infant CPR class. Makes sense - some cats are the size of babies. Just WHERE is the cat's waist, though?

Wow! that's great thanks!!!! Been curious about that info myself!

Originally Posted by katl8e

Tania, those look like the instructions, from my infant CPR class. Makes sense - some cats are the size of babies. Just WHERE is the cat's waist, though?

Click to expand...

I was wondering that myself

Just in front of the hips, where you'd do a belly rub. The fist goes just behind the last rib though.

Now that she is past it you can get a plastic feeding syringe and give her some laxatone. It really is the best way to help a cat who has problems with hairballs. Take the plunger out of the syringe, and fill the bulb and then put the syringe back together and slowly feed the laxatone into the cat's mouth.

Thank you, Tania for this wonderful information! I hope none of us ever have to put it to use, but it's so important that we all be prepared! Stephanie

Thanks for posting that info Tania. It is good to know just in case of an emergency.

To also add, when the animal or person is coughing, you don't need to perform the maneuver. It's only when they aren't breathing, and it's evident they don't have long. I successfully used the Heimlich Maneuver on my Beagle dog. He immediately responded with renewed wagging of tail and generous licks to his life saving daddy.

Thanks for that Tania.. Handy to know.

Hope Tiger is OK now.