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Treatment

Your cat will be hospitalized for a minimum of 48 hours. The good news is that there is specific antivenom available. Do not try to treat your cat by yourself. If the bite is on a limb, you can tie a tourniquet around the limb above the bite, to slow the venom’s progress to the trunk of the body, but the most effective thing you can do is rapid transport to a veterinary facility (do not leave the tourniquet on the limb for a long period, as it will cut blood flow from the limb, resulting in further complications). If you know your cat has been bitten, do not wait for symptoms to initiate treatment. Once paralysis of the breathing muscles has taken place, your cat will be at risk of shock and even death. Snakebites are also at risk of infection, warranting antibiotics to prevent infection, and sterile dressings applied to the wound.