It often happens to come across animals run over. There are some times of the year when there are more risks of finding animals on the street,such as spring, mating season or at certain times such as twilight, the time of day when they begin to move to hunt for food. From a driver’s point of view, this implies greater attention and the local authorities themselves should actually sensitize citizens to proceed with caution, teaching respect for the small creatures with which we share the same habitat and to which – to tell the truth – man has stolen the living spaces. There are people who are more sensitive to animals and who, when the spotlight is off, actually operate individually, responding to their own conscience. It is the case of the run over animals. There are people with a kind soul who when they find an animal on the asphalt stop and move it from the middle of the road, respecting the death of that poor animal.
It is much more common to find injured cats along the roadway. Being predatory and independent animals, even the house cat tends to go on an exploration of the territory, they expose themselves to many risks: both when hunting and finding a prey, they enjoy torturing it even on the roadside, crossing madly to escape from a rival to whom he has invaded the territory or for fun. In fact, not infrequently, it happens that the cat seems to literally throw itself under the cars. This is a rather frequent behavior and it becomes almost impossible for the driver himself to avoid the impact with the animal.
In the event that a cat is injured or is the victim of a car accident, there are some rules to follow to rescue it. So here is a small list of tips to put into practice if you are intent on saving a small life.
PUT THE CAT SAFE
The first thing to do, whether it is your cat or an unknown specimen, is to secure the animal, manipulating it delicately, being careful of wounds.
Obviously, if the cat is not extremely injured and manages to stand up, the difficulty will be to catch it as for a matter of survival, the frightened animal will tend to run away to find a refuge or to defend itself from people and therefore could become aggressive.
If the cat is lying down or unable to move:
Wrap the animal in a towel or blanket, being careful not to move it too much. In fact, the injured or run over cat tends to go into hypothermia. It is a defense of his body whereby body temperatures drop to anesthetize the pain.
To move it, the ideal position is to keep the animal’s head slightly lower than the body by sliding a solid element under the body or moving the animal inside a box to be able to transport it. The key thing is to limit any movement that could aggravate the animal’s injuries.
BLOCKING BLOODING AND TRIP TO THE VETERINARY
In case the cat is bleeding, use a cold compress or tissue to swab the wound. If the bleeding is very severe, try to stop the bleeding by using a tourniquet or something to pinch over the wound. Of course, the tourniquet must be removed within an hour.
Take your cat to the vet immediately. On the way to the clinic it is important to watch over the animal: reassure it and keep it calm. Speak to the animal with a soft voice, communicate serenity to the cat without making him feel anguish or tension. Always keep your cat warm and avoid hypothermia.
WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN THE CAT IS INJURED
- Avoid sudden or unnecessary movements
- There is absolutely no need to scream or speak out loud
- Avoid taking care of the animals yourself
- do not feed the cat
- in case there are difficulties in taking the animal, contact a veterinarian
