Fortunately, one rarely needs to bandage cat. In general, bandaging a cat by master himself is just a first aid to stop intensive bleeding, to close a penetrative wound of chest, to provide support or limit mobility in case of injured limbs or tail.
Most bandages, used by doctors and veterinary surgeons are made of stiff, loosely weaved cotton thread of a required length. However for those who have no skill in bandaging it is better to use an elastic analogue. It is easy for bandaging and is safe to be held on the certain place. The possibility, that the bandage will get loosen decreases; the bandage is fastened with a clasp pin. Bandage 5 cm wide is most appropriate for cats (at worst, any material - a handkerchief, a belt, a scarf, a tie or a stripe of cloth - comes in handy without doubt.)
If a cat is in consciousness, one should constrain its' movements - this could be done with the help of assistant to hold the cat by the back of its' neck, while you bandage it.
Before you start the procedure, unwind several cm of bandage; the rest keep wound. Start with the unwound part, bandaging it near to injured surface, then step by step, wind the bandage around the injured part of body, unwinding the bandage as you conduct the procedure. If the matter concerns the limb or tail, begin from the area most distant from the trunk of the body, and little by little bandage towards the body. The second wind should completely overlap the first; every following wind should overlap two thirds of the previous. It is necessary to bandage the chest or the belly; the hank should be passed around the whole body at each wind.
Usually the tension of the bandage should be moderate in order to prevent its' slackening. If the bandage is made to stop bleeding the necessity that the bandage should be tight may appear for it to have an effect. However watch it to be not too constringent. Otherwise it will act like a tourniquet and stop circulation of blood, and when situated around the neck may affect cat breathing. For safe bandaging turn its' inside surface out, and vise versa (at this keep the same tension of the bandage) after each two or three winds; this is called helical bandaging.
The direction of bandaging doesn't matter - clockwise or anticlockwise, this depends on habit and whether you are a lefthander or righthander. After you finish bandaging the injured region and the area outside it, cut the rest off and fasten the bandage. But if you need to keep the band undamaged, put another band around the first band and fasten it by a clasp-pin. Watch that it doesn't hurt the cat.
Inspect the tip of bandaged limb or tail from time to time; pay special attention to any signs of swelling which show that the bandage is too tight. In this case, it needs to be taken off and put another one, less tight. However usually one scarcely needs to bandage himself, and if the need to do this routinely appears it's better to get consultation of veterinary surgeon.
Translated by Tatiana Karpova (Moscow)
(MSU, Biology faculture, Dep. zoology and ecology).