I am excited and nervous and worried and very hopeful, and I have not been able to speak to my vet! I am wondering if anyone on this board may have any advice or experience to share. Miss Kitty may have started to regain bladder control. Or maybe I am doing something wrong?
It's been about ten weeks since Miss Kitty, my mom's cat, was hit by a car. She has a broken leg (still in a cast), broken spine at the base of her tail so her tail is limp, and has not been able to pee or poop on her own.
Miss Kitty has been in my care for about six weeks, and I have been able to express her bladder consistently for the past two, usually twice a day (I try for more, but she will rarely tolerate it). This past week, I was struggling a bit more than normal to get her completely empty, but I think I ultimately "got caught up." The past couple of days, her trips to the litter box and her grooming, especially of her lower abdomen, anus, and tail have been more and more frequent. Last night, she peed (or leaked?) on the bed. My mom happened to be visiting (and wouldn't you know, she peed on my mom's bed!), and said that she had noticed her grooming and grooming, and thought Miss Kitty had just stimulated herself to pee the same way a mother cat would. I took her straight to the litter box and was able to express a little more urine. I also noticed that there was a tiny clump in the box which I did not believe had been there before.
This morning before I would have done our regular morning bladder expression, I found her squatting in the litter box. This happened once before and it makes expressing her soooo easy, like a miracle. I expressed her bladder then and I do feel sure it was empty. I had to take my mom to the airport then, and when I returned, I noticed another tiny new clump in the litter box. I tried to call the vet, but by this time I had missed him.
I fell fast asleep (my mom is disabled and traveling long distance is incredibly hard for her, so I had not slept for worrying the night before, and was just barely functional!) for a couple of hours, and woke to the sound of Miss Kitty scratching in the litter box. Another tiny clump, and this time I was sure it was of her own making. She jumped out before I could do anything, I left the room for a few minutes, and when I returned, she was back in the litter box. This time really just maybe three drops, but clearly she was making this happen.
Then I discovered that the chair I had set up for her to get on and off my bed was wet. I put her back in the litter box and was able to express a little more urine from her. I also helped her poop. Now she is fast asleep.
Nothing has really changed in our routine. Based on the way everything has been going, it doesn't seem possible that she could have had such a full bladder that she would be leaking, the way she did when she was first injured. She has had no problem retaining urine on her own all along, as long as her bladder was not too full. I know because I saw with my own eyes that she went to the litter box, and even though she was able to produce very little, she peed. BY HERSELF.
I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the way function returns, if it does, in these cases. Is this similar to anyone else's experience? I am also wondering what I should do differently, if anything? Wait for her to get in the litter box and see what she does on her own, and then help? Stick to the routine and see what she does on her own? Keep up the Valium or not?
I would be soooo grateful for any advice or experience-sharing. You are all so terrific, thanks for helping me thus far!!!
Amy
