First Aid for Cats: Road Traffic Accidents and Cat Run-Offs

Because of its curiosity, a furry pet often throws itself under the wheels and, consequently, gets hit by cars. If your cat is hit by a car, it is important to get it to the hospital in time. The consequences of the injury can range from mild to the death of the pet. Sometimes even minor damage can cause serious harm to a pet’s health, because much depends on the age of the animal and the initial health of the purr. According to clause 1.2 of the traffic rules, any event that occurs while driving along the road in a car and where there are casualties (including cats), or where the vehicle is damaged, is considered an accident.

First aid: what to do in different cases?

Animal unconscious

If a person hits a black cat, he may succumb to superstition and simply “run away” from the scene. But the animal, first of all, needs examination and treatment. To do this, it is important to assess the general condition of the animal for fractures and bruises. It is important to remember where the blow fell and how strong it was, this will allow you to make a more accurate diagnosis in the future. If the animal lies and does not move, you should try to shift it onto something solid. To do this, follow these steps:

• Take cardboard or something thin and relatively hard.
• From the side of the cat's back, slip it under the body.
• Place the animal in a solid box, if one is available; if not, leave it on cardboard.
• Deliver to the nearest veterinary clinic.

Veterinarians do not recommend forcefully fixing an injured pet on a hard surface if it is aggressive or active. Such actions can only cause harm, especially if the spine, paws, or tail are damaged.

While maintaining activity

An injured animal may hiss at people who want to help it.
If a cat was hit by a car, but the animal hisses and does not allow him to approach you, then you need to try to wrap it in a blanket, jacket or any other material. You can put a muzzle on your pet or bandage it tightly - this will not only help protect yourself from bites, but also prevent the animal from injury. If your pet is pinned down, you must tell your doctor about unusual behavior. Usually a knocked down cat shows with aggression exactly where it hurts.

With wounds and blood loss

If a person hits a cat and heavy bleeding is detected, it is difficult to help the pet, but you can try to stop it. First aid involves tying the injured bleeding parts with a rag or scarf. If there is no tissue, you can clamp it with your palm and take the animal to a veterinarian as soon as possible. Any other independent actions are fraught with serious consequences for the purr.

It is important to understand that you need to take a cat to a veterinary clinic, even if the furry one is knocked to death, that is, he is no longer breathing, his eyes are closed, because the animal may have an owner who will look for him. There is also the law of Art. 137 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, which states that if you hit a cat with a car, a number of property rules can be applied to the animals (in the absence of other acts), on the basis of which the owner of the dead cat receives compensation for damage caused.

What happens if you hit a black or white cat with a car?

There are no special signs associated with the color of a downed cat.

There are no signs that were in any way connected with the color of the deceased animal. However, you can come across the opinion that if a black cat was hit, most likely some sorcerer is casting a spell on you or trying to put the evil eye on you. There is no need to panic: visit the temple, pray and ask for protection from higher powers. They say that no witchcraft rituals will bring the slightest harm to true believers. Well, as for the downed white cat, there are no special signs about it.

When to call a doctor?

An injured animal, street or not, must be taken to a veterinarian.
If you accidentally run over a stray cat, you should not leave the animal to die on the road. After all, injuries inflicted that are not properly treated will torment the purr even after recovery. And if the damage is serious, the cat may not die immediately, but suffer for a long time. Therefore, in the event of an accident involving a collision with an animal, you need to call a veterinarian after the incident. However, according to statistics, specialists do not get to the scene of accidents with animals quickly. On the other hand, a suppressed purr may require urgent surgery and x-rays, which can only be done in a clinic. Therefore, in order not to waste time, it is better to take the cat yourself.

Where did the belief come from?

The roots of old signs originate in ancient times. Different nations valued the cat in their own way, but in any case it was associated with something mysterious, otherworldly.

Ancient people believed that it was these creatures that could cross the boundaries of parallel worlds without barriers, had connections with the other world and possessed special, supernatural powers. They were harbingers of misfortune, and if they wanted to, they brought good to a person.

Note! Thanks to its special qualities, the animal could both save and destroy a person. This is where the superstition came from that cats should not be harmed either deliberately or accidentally.

Necessary medical actions

The procedure for providing medical care is determined by the doctor. The general list is:

• Assessing the cat's condition and severity of injuries.
• Relieving stress and traumatic shock with an injection of painkiller.
• Ultrasound and X-ray to determine the specifics of damage and the presence of injuries to the musculoskeletal system.
• Assessing the volume of blood loss, testing a blood sample for clotting factor, making a decision on the need for transfusion.
• Treatment of superficial wounds.
• Carrying out symptomatic and/or surgical treatment.
• Hospitalization as necessary.
• Humane euthanasia under anesthesia if injuries are incompatible with life and the eyes do not react to light.

First aid for an animal injured by a vehicle

If your pet is injured by a car, he needs to urgently call a veterinary emergency room or take his mustachioed friend to the clinic yourself.

Before being examined by a doctor, you can provide quick and correct first aid:

• examine the cat and visually determine the nature of the damage (bleeding, open wounds, fractures, dislocations), check orientation in space, breathing rhythm, heartbeat;
• remember which part of the body was hit so you can tell the veterinarian;
• carefully transfer the injured pet to a blanket or hard surface and prepare for transportation to the clinic;
• provide assistance in case of bleeding, vomiting, aggression.

Danger of injury

Signs about a downed cat

To cause harm to health, and even more so to deprive someone of life, is punishable by itself. It’s not even a matter of whether it’s an animal or a person – the punishment will find its “hero”. This is exactly what our ancestors believed and there is no reason not to believe them, because life itself confirms this every time.

Observing such cases, people gradually “collected” a number of signs and tried to pass them on to their descendants, protecting them from harm. Considering that cases may be different, signs vary slightly. However, they all carry an exclusively negative interpretation.

They shot it down before our eyes. It’s scary to become a participant in such an accident, but it’s also not pleasant to see something like this from the outside. Seeing something like this is a bad omen. You need to be attentive to everyone around you, someone is up to something bad.

Treatment tactics

Various consequences of hitting a cat require the following actions:

To identify the location of internal bleeding, an ultrasound is performed on the animal.

• Post-traumatic shock. The condition is typical for all cats after an accident. The veterinarian will prescribe painkillers and sedatives for signs of aggression or agitation. Special solutions are administered intravenously at high speed to quickly raise blood pressure. Temperature, pulse and heart rate are simultaneously monitored.
• Pneumothorax, or accumulation of air between the lung tissue and the chest. A mild degree requires observation; in severe cases, a drainage device is connected to pump out air. Ventilation may be required.
• Internal bleeding. An ultrasound is performed to identify damaged organs or blood vessels. In all cases, surgery is indicated.
• Intoxication and peritonitis. It is observed when the urea is damaged with a spill of contents into the abdominal cavity, or when internal bleeding is not detected in time. Requires surgery.
• Traumatic brain injuries. They are dangerous because even with mild and moderate severity, hematomas can form, which will lead to brain swelling and respiratory arrest. In this case, the cat breaks, its hind and front legs move chaotically. To prevent these consequences, decongestant treatment is carried out with the administration of diuretics (Mannitol), and in case of hematomas, kittens are operated on.
• Spinal injuries. For mild injuries (some fractures, dislocations), rest and taking anti-inflammatory drugs are indicated; for severe injuries, surgery with a course of antibiotics is indicated.
• Spinal cord rupture. It is impossible to save the kitten in this case.
• Closed and open fractures of the limbs. The veterinarian makes a bandage and applies a plaster cast. If necessary, he performs surgery to restore the integrity of the bones.

The meaning of the color of a downed cat

The popular belief about a downed pet cannot be interpreted unambiguously without taking into account the color of the victim. Different colors of an animal's fur can lead to different consequences:

• white color - promises troubles at work and in family life. Gossip, quarrels and scandals will haunt the culprit of the event for a long time;
• gray color - a difficult situation may arise with children or relatives;
• black color - is most often interpreted as the influence of dark forces due to the magical spells of sorcerers and witches. This incident indirectly indicates that there are ill-wishers who seek to cause harm.

A folk sign promises that a cat, painted by nature in three colors, brings its owner good luck in financial matters. If such an animal is hit by a car, its owner will face business failure and other financial losses. This could be a domestic theft or a house fire.

How to prevent a collision with a purr?

There are cases where a cat climbed under the hood and was seriously injured when the car started moving.

The life of an animal depends on both the driver of the car and the owner. To avoid running over a cat, you need to drive carefully and carefully, especially in the suburbs, where purring cats often walk on the roadway. Owners are advised to walk cats on a leash or not let them out near the road. You should not allow your pet to sleep under cars, as you could accidentally crush the animal.

Interpretation depending on the state

Sometimes a car runs over an animal, and the cat jumps off as if nothing had happened and runs on, but there are cases with a fatal outcome. The signs also covered these two options...

• Died. A dead victim promises imminent trouble in the driver’s family, possibly death or illness of both loved ones and the culprit himself. If the kitten or adult cat is female, you can expect divorce, betrayal of a loved one.
• Remained alive. There is a possibility that there will be no death in the family, but problems cannot be avoided. Troubles will haunt you for a long time, literally torturing your soul. If at this moment you were traveling somewhere, going on a trip or a long journey for work, it is best to reschedule the trip, at least until the next day.

Important! A pregnant cat hit to death is a warning about significant losses! You need to immediately reconsider your lifestyle.