Medicine Cat Herb & Injury Guide

All cats, regardless of whether they are a medicine cat or not, are able to pick up some herb information however we ask that you not play them as more skilled or as skilled as the medicine cat so that our medicine cats are able to maintain the unique importance of their job. This isn't to say you can't pick up some information, but we want this rank to still hold the specialty of healing that no other rank can. We ask you be respectful of this when giving your cat knowledge on herbs and injuries!

Things your character is welcome to know:

• Cobwebs stop bleeding.
• Mousebile for ticks.
• Poppy seeds are good for pain, but generally bad for pregnant queens.
• Some herbs, such as catmint, are exceptionally rare.
• You are allowed to recognize herbs when taught what they look like to assist the medicine cats.
• You are allowed basic knowledge on how to avoid making injuries worse (such as moving cats with broken bones, head injuries etc....)

Cats may also be familiar with general herb care in order to further assist medicine cats when also helping to gather them:

• If herbs are wet, leave them out in the sun to dry.
• Gather fresh herbs when stock is low.
• Leave enough of the herb on its plant so it can reproduce when in season
• Check herb stores often, throw out old or weak herbs.
• Wrap honey in dock leaves with rhubarb to keep fresh.
• Use bark strips to finish the leaf wrap, or keep the herbs together so they can be fresh.
• Twine can be made from stinging nettle stems to bundle herbs.

Pregnancy can be a time of happiness for new lives will soon join and grow to strengthen the clan; The downside is that pregnancy is strenuous on the body and can have many complications and side effects. That is why many caregivers capable of having kits, once pregnant, will retire to the nursery in the later stages of pregnancy, and until the kits are born and old enough to fend for themselves. Caregivers will likely experience nausea, hip pain, back pain, and lethargy. . . Being a parent is strenuous work!
However, there are things a medicine-cat can do to make this process easier.

Before the birth, caregivers should be on strict bed rest. High protein is recommended, so extra-prey would be good for any expecting parent. Burnet can be used to give an expecting caregiver strength. Other herbs like dandelion, willow bark, and in much moderation, poppyseed (but not during birth or while nursing), can be used to ease pains. Pain specifically in the hips can be treated with fennel; Fennel stalks are broken and the juice to be squeezed into the caregiver's mouth.

Other forms of pain management include:
For bleeding specifically, raspberry leaves can be given to both ease pain and stop bleeding.
A stick to bite on to distract from the pain.
Chervil to ease belly pain
Ragwort leaves to keep their strength up and also help with pain.
Poppyseeds should NOT be given under any circumstances. The caregiver could become drowsy and stop pushing and could further be detrimental to the kits.
Tansy should NOT be given to a pregnant caregiver. It can be extremely dangerous and could result in the termination of the pregnancy.
In addition to the above, it is best to be cautious about what herbs are given to caregivers because there is a high risk of birth defects or other problems, depending on what is administered and how much is given; Herbs that have antibiotic properties for treating infections should be used sparingly. Other herbs that might potentially be dangerous are comfrey, aloe, feverfew, goldenseal, and juniper. The same is to be said for nursing caregivers.

Other techniques and signs to look for:
Ensure that the parent is tending to the kittens, licking and suckling them.
Use moss soaked with water to clean the parent and keep them hydrated and cool.
Paleness and drowsiness while kitting. This could indicate blood loss or other complications.
Deformed or stillborn kittens. If kittens are not breathing attempt to stimulate them by licking against the flow of the fur.
Prolonged labor for an extended amount of time without any kittens.

After a successful birth:
Fennel can be given to increase milk production.
Leave the parent to rest but frequently check up on both caregiver and kits to ensure they are healthy!
After plenty of rest and fresh-kill the parent should recover. However, keep an eye out for unusual behavior, signs of distress, etc...
When the kits are old enough and don't need milk anymore, give them parsley to stop the production of milk.

After a not-so-successful birth:
Worst-case scenario, both the caregiver and kits were lost. Better but not great is the caregiver is alive but lost several or all of their kits. In this case, herbs should be given to calm and ease their grief. Goatweed to help with grief or thyme to help with shock. Poppyseeds or juniper to be given to calm and help their sleep. Also, give parsley to stop a caregiver from producing milk if all their kits have died.
Please remember to tag instances of kit death, miscarriage, stillbirth etc, as potentially sensitive content depending on severity.