CPR for Cats

Overview

CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) for cats is used specifically when a cat is unresponsive, not breathing, and has no detectable heartbeat — it is not appropriate for a cat who is breathing, even weakly, or who responds at all to stimulation. Feline CPR combines chest compressions with rescue breathing, and while survival rates for CPR performed at home are honestly lower than many owners hope for (reflecting how serious the underlying cause typically is by the time CPR becomes necessary), it remains the only intervention available in that specific moment while getting to emergency veterinary care, and has genuinely saved cats when started promptly.

First Aid Steps

1. Confirm true unresponsiveness first: no breathing, no response to a firm call or a gentle pinch of a paw pad — CPR is for cats with no signs of life, not simply cats who seem weak or dazed
2. Lay the cat on its right side on a firm, flat surface
3. Check for a heartbeat or pulse (place a hand flat against the left side of the chest just behind the front leg, or check the femoral pulse on the inner thigh) for no more than 10 seconds so you don't delay starting compressions if needed
4. If no heartbeat is detected: begin chest compressions — hand positioned over the widest part of the chest, compressing about 1/3 to 1/2 the width of the chest, at a rate of approximately 100-120 compressions per minute
5. After every 30 compressions, give 2 rescue breaths: close the cat's mouth, extend the neck slightly to straighten the airway, and breathe gently into the nose until you see the chest rise — gently, since a cat's lungs are small and can be over-inflated
6. Continue cycles of 30 compressions and 2 breaths, reassessing for a return of breathing or heartbeat every 2 minutes
7. If at all possible, have someone call ahead to an emergency veterinary hospital while CPR continues, so the team is prepared the moment you arrive, and continue CPR during transport if you have a second person available to drive

When to Seek Emergency Care

CPR is itself the emergency response to a cat already in cardiac/respiratory arrest — transport to an emergency veterinary hospital should happen as immediately as possible alongside CPR, not instead of it, since only a veterinary team has the equipment (oxygen, emergency medications, defibrillation if needed) to give a cat the best chance of a sustained recovery beyond the initial CPR effort.

Prevention

Cardiac and respiratory arrest are typically the end result of another underlying emergency (severe trauma, poisoning, choking, drowning, or advanced disease) rather than a standalone event — the most effective prevention is recognizing and responding promptly to those underlying emergencies before they progress this far, and keeping regular veterinary care current to catch conditions like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that can otherwise present with sudden, severe collapse.