Heimlich Maneuver For Cats

If a cat owner sees a cat choking, the Heimlich maneuver can save the cat’s life. The cat owner needs to differentiate between choking and difficulty breathing due to illness. If the cat may have been playing with a small object or was eating and then begins acting frantically, has difficulty breathing, or pawing at its face, then the cat may be choking.

The cat owner should quickly check the cat’s mouth for any visible obstruction. If there is something blocking the cat’s airway that the cat owner can see or feel, they should carefully pull it out of the cat’s mouth. Cat owners should know that cats have bones at the base of their tongues. These small bones could be mistaken for a foreign object if the cat owner is feeling for an obstruction. A cat owner should not thrust a finger into the cat’s throat as this may lodge the object deeper into the airway.

Holding a cat upside down with the head towards the floor may help the object be dispelled from the airway. The cat owner may hit the cat’s back over its shoulders in an attempt to dislodge the foreign object. After this, the cat owner should check the cat’s mouth for the object.

If the cat continues to be distressed and those actions have failed to bring up the object, the cat owner may want to try the Heimlich maneuver for cats. The cat owner should position themselves behind the cat. After reaching around the cat’s abdomen, the cat owner should hold one fist with the other hand. Placing the fist at the upper part of the abdomen about an inch below the center of the ribcage, the cat owner should deliver three quick thrusts inward and upward.

The cat owner should then check to see if the object has been expelled or is in the cat’s mouth. If the Heimlich maneuver for cats fails to dislodge the foreign object, the cat owner may want to try it again. If the second attempt fails, the cat owner should rush the cat to the local veterinary hospital. If the object is expelled, the cat owner should take the cat to the veterinarian so that the veterinarian can examine the cat for injuries.