Veterinarians use fish skin bandage to treat burned cat

OMAHA, Neb. — Veterinarians in Nebraska used an innovative technique to treat a cat that suffered burns on 50 percent of his body.

The cat, named King, was burned in a house fire a few days before Christmas, KPTM reported. In addition to the extensive burns on his back and legs, King’s tail had to be amputated, according to the KPTM report.

Pam Wiese with the Nebraska Humane Society told KETV that veterinarians at UC Davis in California have had good results using fish skins to form an “organic bandage” on animals. The technique was successfully used to treat animals burned in the California wildfires.

Nebraska Humane Society veterinarians sutured tilapia fish skin onto King’s back, tail stump and legs, KETV reported.

King faces a lengthy recovery and is not out of the woods yet, but it is hoped that the fish skin will provide “protection, pain relief and offers collagen protein that promotes healing,” Wiese told KETV.

Below is an image showing the fish skin after it was attached to the cat’s body. (Viewer discretion advised.)

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