Any injury to a cat should be treated at once by a good veterinary, but should you be located far from a doctor, the information given below may be of some assistance.

For home surgery a bottle of cocaine should be kept handy for use in case of a bad laceration caused by fighting or by a bite from a dog or another cat, or from a wound caused by a nail or ragged wire fence.

First bathe the wound with a good disinfectant, such as peroxide, then paint with cocaine the torn edges of the wound.

This has such a deadening effect that the edges of the wound can be easily sewn together. A properly shaped surgical needle is of course the best, and surgical silk to sew with.

Insert the needle, within an eighth of an inch of both edges of the wound, then tie tight together, each stitch about a distance of one inch apart; the number, of course, depending on the size of the tear or cut. I have seen this done without the cat even flinching, but without the previous use of cocaine it would be useless to try.

The stitches usually stay in a week, at the end of which time the cat manages to dislodge them by constant licking. If any inflammation or swelling should be noticed, bathe with disinfectant and grease with crude lanolin; this is very healing and stops the irritation when healing.

Only deep, long wounds need be sewn up, any surface wound only needs to be kept clean and lanolin applied daily to heal and grow the hair.

In case of a broken bone a veterinary surgeon should be called in at once, if impossible an amateur mend may be attempted, though it is a difficult operation to get the limb into its original position. This must be done by pulling into position; then hold the limb straight, use thin splints, then bind with a soft cotton bandage. The splints should project beyond the end of the foot, to prevent the cat putting it on the ground. The wood for making the splints can be cut from a very thin, light box, or from a peach basket.

Great care should be taken not to bind the limb too tightly or the circulation of the blood will be stopped and the limb will drop off; therefore in such cases a veterinary is almost indispensable.