Guide
Fact Check: do cats really always land on their feet?
by Darina Schweizer
First aid for pets: what you need to know
15/9/2025
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Every minute counts for pets in distress. Pet owners can provide crucial first aid. Vet and animal rights activist Enrico Clavadetscher explains how it’s done.
Imagine you find a heavily bleeding cat on the side of the road. What do you do? Take it to the vet as fast as you can? This might sound like the obvious thing to do, but it isn’t always the best idea. The animal could lose so much blood on the way that the vet can no longer help it.
Veterinarian and animal rights activist Enrico Clavadetscher has seen this happen time and time again. That’s why he started running first aid courses for dog and cat owners for animal welfare organisation NetAP.
«I want to encourage people. They can often do way more good than they might think, even before heading to the vet’s office. That can make the difference between life and death.»
These are his top tips.
Burns: cold, damp compresses
Fire, heat lamps, chemicals or electricity: there are potential burn hazards for pets. This can result in large blisters. «It’s very important to treat these kinds of wounds quickly,» says Enrico Clavadetscher. «Otherwise the inflammation might spread. If more than 40 per cent of the pet’s body surface is affected, it’ll die from the burns.»
Injuries: shear out and rinse out the wound
Vets often deal with bite wounds and paw injuries. They’re usually spotted in dogs, but often go unnoticed in cats, as they tend to withdraw when they’re in pain instead. «Working owners in particular often don’t notice when their pet has a fever. They might think their cat’s just sleeping a little more than usual, when, in fact, blood poisoning has already started,» he says.
It’s important to cut out injuries as quickly as possible using a razor or scissors and to rinse dirt out of the wound with water. «The animal should also be prevented from licking the wound,» the vet adds. «Saliva contains digestive enzymes and bacteria that can make the wound become infected.» It’s best to keep the wound dry, disinfected and bandaged.
First aid kit essentials
In most situations, dog and cat owners can already do a lot. To be prepared for an emergency, you should equip your first aid kit with the following items:
Enrico Clavadetscher is certain that pet owners with a little extra knowledge can provide animals with a better chance of survival. He’s looking forward to educating pet owners in his German-language courses.
«Obviously, I can’t turn pet owners into vets in four hours, but I can encourage them to apply a hands-on approach. I believe that things can go wrong if you try to help, but that they’ll definitely go wrong if you don’t.»
Check out the following links for more information in German on first aid measures for cats and first aid for dogs.
Header image: NetAP
Darina Schweizer
Senior Editor
Darina.Schweizer@digitecgalaxus.chI love anything with four legs or roots - especially my shelter cats Jasper and Joy and my collection of succulents. My favourite things to do are stalking around with police dogs and cat coiffeurs on reportages or letting sensitive stories flourish in garden brockis and Japanese gardens.
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