Minor bleeding may stop as a result of natural constriction of the tip of injured blood vessel and formation of grume, which blocks bleeding efficiently. These grumes should not be moved away, because this will again cause bleeding.
However if a large vessel was injured the blood stream can be so strong that a forming grume is constantly washed out by this flow. In particular, this may take place when the artery is damaged, because there's a high pressure of blood inside - its' pulsation can be seen at each heartbeat.
The best way to stop intensive bleeding is a compressing bandage on the injured blood vessel. Put a big tampon made of clean, or even a sterile adsorbing material, such as cotton (a handkerchief, at worst) on the end of the injured blood vessel and fasten by bandage. This quickens the formation of grume.
While you look for a material to make a tourniquet and a tampon, your assistant may simply hold the blood vessel with fingers; it is desirable to turn fingers into clean handkerchief (or, if possible put on rubber gloves). One may adjoin borders of large wound tightly. Try to act so as not to allow the foreign body that has caused that injury to penetrate deeper in wound. All visible and palpable foreign bodies should be taken out quickly before tight bandaging. (in case of injured neck, one should rather clasp a tampon to the wound than to put a tourniquet, which may cause problems with respiration). If a tampon becomes quickly saturated with blood, one should quickly put in one more tampon (and one more tourniquet).
If the animal is in consciousness one should hold it - your assistant may do this. Beside this, if necessary, one should do all his best to take away shock.
One may try to clasp the artery that supplies the injured area with blood, but this is acceptable only if you understand that the tourniquet is unable to stop bleeding.
Considerable pressure is applied by means of fingers in certain points, called points of bleeding prevention, in areas where an artery passes under a bone - or by means of tight tourniquet.
Three main pressure points are situated as follows:
1. On the inner surface of hip, where the femoral artery crosses the bone (femur) - to stop bleeding from the lower part of hind limb.
2. On the inner surface of fore limb, right up the elbow joint, where the brachial artery crosses humerus - to stop bleeding from the lower part of fore limb.
3. On the inner surface of tail close to body, where the coccygeal artery crosses vertebrae - to stop bleeding from tail.
One may also press carotid artery in the cavity on the base of neck right in front of the fore limb - to stop bleeding from head and neck, though in practice it is quite difficult to find this point stop the bleeding for a person who has no experience.
In emergency one can make a tourniquet from a stripe of cloth, a handkerchief, a tie, or a belt and fasten it with lead or wide rubber stripe that is fixed tightly or pinned around the limb or tail. A tourniquet should be put rather close to the trunk of body than to a wound. One is able to make it more efficient by tying a short stick (or even a pen) up the fixing knot and than turning this stick rounds for several times until the bleeding stops.
However such an application of pressure on the artery (by means of tourniquet, in particular) is undesirable, for a total stop of blood supply may cause tissues mortifying. So, the pressure should not last more than fifteen minutes, and the tourniquet should not be applied to neck in no circumstances. Also one must not put the bandage over the tourniquet for one may just forget about it. A pressing bandage is usually more effective to stop bleeding, because it is more safe and quicker to apply. If one uses a tourniquet in case of snakebite, it should be so tight as to stop circulation of lymph - not the blood.
Bleeding from head is very dangerous. In this case one should firmly but very carefully lay the cat down so as to put the bleeding area up.
When you stop bleeding from eyeball take a tampon, wetted in clear cold water (not dry) and place it on the eye. Don't try to bandage or fasten it any other way, otherwise a cat may rub its' eye.
In case of bleeding from nose, apply such tampon, wetted in cold water, don't close nostrils or put something inside them.
In case of strong bleeding from auricle, first, put cotton tampons from each side of ear like a sandwich. After that place the ear so as to point its' tip to the top of head (to the crown, in analogy to human) and bandage it tightly by means of elastic bandage. The same should be done in case of bleeding from auricle duct, but, first put a piece of cotton wool inside the duct to further the grume formation. Don't allow the cat to rub the ear or shake its' head.
In case of bleeding from tongue, lips or mouth, turn the head of cat down right away to prevent grume formation in the back of the throat. If the cat losts consciousness one should wash grumes away from mouth and throat with water to improve breathing.
And certainly, it is very essential for an injured cat to get specialist help from veterinary surgeon as quick as possible.
Translated by Tatiana Karpova (Moscow)
(MSU, Biology faculture, Dep. zoology and ecology).