Cats are very curious creatures, meaning accidents can happen. If your cat gets burned, it’s important to act fast. Whether from hot surfaces, chemicals, or fire, burns can cause serious pain and health issues. Knowing how to treat a cat burn with proper first aid is crucial for their recovery.
Safety first
If your cat is burnt, the priority is still to ensure your own safety and ensure that everyone is safe from further danger. Avoid getting burnt yourself – turn off power, extinguish flames – Avoid getting bitten – muzzle your pet if necessary.
Treating the burn
For minor burns cool the burn as quickly as possible
- Run the burn under cool running water for at least 10 minutes (ideally for 20), draining from the nearest exit point so that water is not running unnecessarily over your pet.
- Call the vet
Further treatment and advice
- Keep your pet warm and do your best to avoid them going into shock
- Avoid touching the burn and wear sterile gloves if at all possible
- Do not apply any burns or creams Never apply ice to a burn Never burst blisters
This advice relates to First Aid for minor burns on animals; for more serious burns where the skin has become visibly blistered or damaged, you should get Veterinary advice immediately and do as instructed by them.
Size, Cause, Age, Location, Depth all affect how severely your pet is burned
Size
The larger the area involved, the more serious it is for your pet and the more likely they are to suffer from shock, due to the loss of fluid from the burn. Pain, stress and being cold will make shock worse, so it is important to try and remain calm and keep the rest of your pet warm, whilst cooling the burn. Get veterinary advice quickly.
Cause
A burn can be caused by many different things
- Scalds are common injuries to pets caused by spills from hot liquids, such as kettles, saucepans full of hot water, hot drinks
- In a house fire the flames will burn the fur and skin, but animals can also gain burns to their airways from the heat contained in the air which, when breathed in, damages the delicate linings within the lungs. Smoke inhalation is also a concern and if they have been involved in a house fire your pet must always be checked by a Vet to prevent serious breathing problems.
- Electrical Injuries occur most commonly in the home if your pet chews an electrical flex. Always turn off the mains electricity before touching your pet as otherwise you will be electrocuted too.
- Chemical burns are most commonly caused by household cleaners and garden chemicals. De-icing products and rock salt in winter can also burn a cat’s paws.
Age
Burns are more serious in kittens than in older cats.
Location
Burns to the; paws, face, genitals, airways, or a burn that extends all the way around a limb, are particularly serious. Keep the burnt area under cool running water and contact the nearest vet immediately.
Depth
Superficial, partial thickness or full thickness burns – The advice for First Aidtreatment for animal burnsrelates to superficial burns – Formore serious burns where theskin is visibly damaged, call theVet and adhere to their advice.Burns are serious.Often pets have different depths ofburn within a single injury.Determine the depth of the burn:•Superficial burnhas just
First Aid for Pets provides this information for guidance and it is not in any way a substitute for veterinary advice. The author does not accept any liability or responsibility for any inaccuracies or for any mistreatment or misdiagnosis of any person or animal, however caused. It is strongly advised that you attend a practical First Aid for Pets course or take our online course to understand what to do in a medical emergency.