Kitten with urine/fecal incontinence

[carrotnkahlo]

A little over three weeks ago, Sabzi, the kitten I had picked up off the street in Kazakhstan, fell out of my 4th floor apartment window. A little over a week ago, I found her (rather, she found me!) as I was walking home one evening. I could tell immediately that something was a bit off with her - she couldn't move her tail and her backside was quite dirty. I tried my best to clean her up and left her in the bathroom for the evening after a first failed vet visit. When I woke up the next day, it was obvious that she did not have any control over bladder or bowel function. I took Sabzi to a second vet, who confirmed that she had sustained a spinal injury and nerve damage that was causing incontinence. I went to the vet every day to have her treated for the injury and for some diarrhea. (Given that I'm operating all in Russian with this vet, I'm not entirely sure what medications she has been giving the cat, though I know that one is an antibiotic.) Earlier today, we had her paralyzed tail amputated. That seems to have gone smoothly, though I am struggling a bit to keep the bandages on.

My primary questions are about Sabzi's bladder and bowel control problems. Aside from today, the vet never expressed Sabzi's bladder when I took her in. I have figured out how to express it on my own by watching some of the video links provided here. However, it seems like Sabzi has to pee almost all of the time. She dribbles frequently and I find that I have to express her about every 2-3 hours. Even then, she will leak extensively on herself. Is this normal in a kitten that has just recently sustained such an injury? Is it possible that I will need to express her less frequently in the future? She is drinking quite a bit of water and I think this could be related to the fact that the apartment is not air conditioned and it's about 95 degrees out.

As for the other kind of incontinence: I have been helping her poop, but have found that it has gotten more difficult in the past 2 days. She seems pretty constipated and it can take up to 5-10 minutes to have one bit come out completely. She does not seem to be bleeding, but it's obvious that these poops are uncomfortable and probably even painful. About halfway through, she starts to whine a bit and struggle with me. Could this be a side effect of the medications that she had been given for the diarrhea? Aside from lactulose (which I'm not sure I will be able to find in Kazakhstan), does anyone have any recommendations for the kinds of food I can feed her so that she remains regular (that is, without diarrhea and without hard poops)? I usually feed her a mixture of rice that has been boiled for a very long time with cooked lean ground beef.

I also have one more question: though it's obvious to me that Sabzi can't really feel when she does or does not have to defecate, she still goes into her litter box and squats for a bit. Nothing comes out, but she still tries. Could this be an indication that she has some sensation and that her ability to control her bowels might increase over time? Or is it simply an expression of an old habit?

[critters]

A little over three weeks ago, Sabzi, the kitten I had picked up off the street in Kazakhstan, fell out of my 4th floor apartment window. A little over a week ago, I found her (rather, she found me!) as I was walking home one evening. I could tell immediately that something was a bit off with her - she couldn't move her tail and her backside was quite dirty. I tried my best to clean her up and left her in the bathroom for the evening after a first failed vet visit. When I woke up the next day, it was obvious that she did not have any control over bladder or bowel function. I took Sabzi to a second vet, who confirmed that she had sustained a spinal injury and nerve damage that was causing incontinence. I went to the vet every day to have her treated for the injury and for some diarrhea. (Given that I'm operating all in Russian with this vet, I'm not entirely sure what medications she has been giving the cat, though I know that one is an antibiotic.) Earlier today, we had her paralyzed tail amputated. That seems to have gone smoothly, though I am struggling a bit to keep the bandages on.

My primary questions are about Sabzi's bladder and bowel control problems. Aside from today, the vet never expressed Sabzi's bladder when I took her in. I have figured out how to express it on my own by watching some of the video links provided here. However, it seems like Sabzi has to pee almost all of the time. She dribbles frequently and I find that I have to express her about every 2-3 hours. Even then, she will leak extensively on herself. Is this normal in a kitten that has just recently sustained such an injury? It's probably related to the location of her injury; some leak, while others have more spastic sphincters. I get the motor neurons that do this confused, so others will have to explain that. Is it possible that I will need to express her less frequently in the future? Yes, plus she's a baby, so her bladder will grow.She is drinking quite a bit of water and I think this could be related to the fact that the apartment is not air conditioned and it's about 95 degrees out. Drinking is good and will keep her pee dilute, plus it's easier to express a full bladder.

As for the other kind of incontinence: I have been helping her poop, but have found that it has gotten more difficult in the past 2 days. She seems pretty constipated and it can take up to 5-10 minutes to have one bit come out completely. She does not seem to be bleeding, but it's obvious that these poops are uncomfortable and probably even painful. About halfway through, she starts to whine a bit and struggle with me. Could this be a side effect of the medications that she had been given for the diarrhea? Absolutely, especially if they gave her something to directly firm her poop.Aside from lactulose (which I'm not sure I will be able to find in Kazakhstan), does anyone have any recommendations for the kinds of food I can feed her so that she remains regular (that is, without diarrhea and without hard poops)? I usually feed her a mixture of rice that has been boiled for a very long time with cooked lean ground beef. You could try fiber options, like canned pumpkin or metamucil (mixed in canned food), or mineral oil (must be mixed in food) or petroleum jelly (many will eat it off your finger).

I also have one more question: though it's obvious to me that Sabzi can't really feel when she does or does not have to defecate, she still goes into her litter box and squats for a bit. Nothing comes out, but she still tries. Could this be an indication that she has some sensation and that her ability to control her bowels might increase over time? I think so. She may not be old enough to have an old habit. If she had NO control, the poop would just drop out rather randomly. Or is it simply an expression of an old habit?

[critters]

A little over three weeks ago, Sabzi, the kitten I had picked up off the street in Kazakhstan, fell out of my 4th floor apartment window. A little over a week ago, I found her (rather, she found me!) as I was walking home one evening. I could tell immediately that something was a bit off with her - she couldn't move her tail and her backside was quite dirty. I tried my best to clean her up and left her in the bathroom for the evening after a first failed vet visit. When I woke up the next day, it was obvious that she did not have any control over bladder or bowel function. I took Sabzi to a second vet, who confirmed that she had sustained a spinal injury and nerve damage that was causing incontinence. I went to the vet every day to have her treated for the injury and for some diarrhea. (Given that I'm operating all in Russian with this vet, I'm not entirely sure what medications she has been giving the cat, though I know that one is an antibiotic.) Earlier today, we had her paralyzed tail amputated. That seems to have gone smoothly, though I am struggling a bit to keep the bandages on.

My primary questions are about Sabzi's bladder and bowel control problems. Aside from today, the vet never expressed Sabzi's bladder when I took her in. I have figured out how to express it on my own by watching some of the video links provided here. However, it seems like Sabzi has to pee almost all of the time. She dribbles frequently and I find that I have to express her about every 2-3 hours. Even then, she will leak extensively on herself. Is this normal in a kitten that has just recently sustained such an injury? It's probably related to the location of her injury; some leak, while others have more spastic sphincters. I get the motor neurons that do this confused, so others will have to explain that. Is it possible that I will need to express her less frequently in the future? Yes, plus she's a baby, so her bladder will grow.She is drinking quite a bit of water and I think this could be related to the fact that the apartment is not air conditioned and it's about 95 degrees out. Drinking is good and will keep her pee dilute, plus it's easier to express a full bladder.

As for the other kind of incontinence: I have been helping her poop, but have found that it has gotten more difficult in the past 2 days. She seems pretty constipated and it can take up to 5-10 minutes to have one bit come out completely. She does not seem to be bleeding, but it's obvious that these poops are uncomfortable and probably even painful. About halfway through, she starts to whine a bit and struggle with me. Could this be a side effect of the medications that she had been given for the diarrhea? Absolutely, especially if they gave her something to directly firm her poop.Aside from lactulose (which I'm not sure I will be able to find in Kazakhstan), does anyone have any recommendations for the kinds of food I can feed her so that she remains regular (that is, without diarrhea and without hard poops)? I usually feed her a mixture of rice that has been boiled for a very long time with cooked lean ground beef. You could try fiber options, like canned pumpkin or metamucil (mixed in canned food), or mineral oil (must be mixed in food) or petroleum jelly (many will eat it off your finger).

I also have one more question: though it's obvious to me that Sabzi can't really feel when she does or does not have to defecate, she still goes into her litter box and squats for a bit. Nothing comes out, but she still tries. Could this be an indication that she has some sensation and that her ability to control her bowels might increase over time? I think so. She may not be old enough to have an old habit. If she had NO control, the poop would just drop out rather randomly. Or is it simply an expression of an old habit?