Kitten stepped on

[Jamilee]

A (probably) nine week old kitten we took in some time back got stepped on by my father last night. This is not the first time she'd been stepped on and been injured like that. The first time she was lethargic and walked in circles a lot but she managed to recover. Now she cannot even stand. She tries to get up, but it's as if the right side of her body is out of sync with the left. She'll scramble with one side, while the other will tense up and straighten out. We highly suspect she has a spinal injury, and are very worried, especially because we can't afford to bring her to the vet.

She seems to be in pain. She is purring a lot, and makes funny sounds. Otherwise, though, her appetite is good, and she can move all four limbs. I have looked around online a bit, and there a suggestions to restrain her to prevent further injury, but I'm not sure. While the situation does seem bleak, we do have hope for her as young animals do seem to have a better chance of recovering from injuries like this than older ones. I appreciate any advice you might give me in this situation.

[critters]

Without seeing her, it's hard to say whether it's a spinal injury or a head injury. Personally, I'd learn to express the baby (see the incont. board), just in case, and I'd use steroids to try to help improve the baby's chances of recovery. You're right--babies usually recover in the end.

[Jamilee]

Thanks for the advice. She still can't stand today, but she is doesn't seem to be in as much pain and is eating a lot better today. Yesterday when I tried to feed her kitten food, all she could really do is lick it. Now she is actually eating it, though it's taking longer than usual. I am making sure to bottle feed her water so she doesn't get dehydrated, but I don't know how much a kitten need. I just make she drinks until she doesn't want anymore.

My mom says it actually could be her ribs, which would explain why she can still move her limbs, but favors one side over the other. It's definitely preferable to a spine injury, so long as her lungs aren't punctured, and I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have survived two days with punctured lungs. Overall I am feeling hesitantly hopeful.

[MissWhiskers]

Hi, I hope your kitten is getting better and that it is the least of all evils when it comes to whatever is wrong, but if not I just want to say that I took in a kitten who became paralized - and while I don't know for sure what caused it - I suspect an injury similar to what you say happened! I sucessfully cared for him for the rest of his life - which while too short - in the end it was other problems that caused his death. I just want to assure you that even if it is a spinal injury or paralysis - Please talk to us here at this web site about whatever is going on and beware of any Vet who might recommend euthanasia because they doubt that anyone would want to care for a cat with those kind of problems! Even if you feel you can't handle it there are people who would - like me for example! Although, I hope it is something milder and your kitty can recover and you keep it! Just stay in touch!!
You can read about my quadriplegic kitty, Whiskers - the original reason I joined this web site by going to my very first posts. Now I have a young cat who is partially paralized in the rear legs and I adopted through a rescue group who fostered him until they found me to adopt him permanently.
If your kitty is out of "emergency" status we can switch to another forum. Please let me know if you do this as I would like to get notices by email that there are new posts about your kitty. You can always "Private Message" me too.

Good Luck! and we are right here if we can help!

Karen

[troopersmommy]

Hi. I agree with what "Miss Whiskers" advised. I, too, have a partially paralyzed cat that has learned to get around beautifully and I also had a cat years ago that became paralyzed in one leg due to an accident. Lots of love, patience and time allowed him to heal completely within about 3 months, and he was 17 years old at the time. My one concern is to be sure and keep her in a "safe" place where she can't be stepped on again, especially while recovering. Kittens are so good at getting under our feet, or if outside, under tires, etc.

Hopefully, I'll see your posts on another site. Either way, I stay in touch with Miss Whiskers and will ask her to keep me updated. Hang in there. We're all in this together, which turns a scary ordeal into something that can be handled with lots of love, especially knowing you're not in this alone.

[Jamilee]

Thank you for the support. Just a quick update: She is now up and running around again. While she is still slow, and her bottom has a habit of flopping down mid-step every now and then, she is getting back to being as active as she used to be and is getting better every day. Oddly enough, her voice has changed significantly. Whenever she meows, she barely even sounds like a cat anymore, and it bothers me a bit even though she doesn't seem to be in pain. Overall everyone is the house is feeling very hopeful, and I am reminded about how amazing it is, the recovery kittens like her are capable of.

[MissWhiskers]

Thank you for the update. I am so glad to hear of the improvement! I wonder if anyone here has any ideas what the change in voice might be???
Please do keep us posted and ask if you have questions at all!!

Best wishes,

Karen

[troopersmommy]

Oh I'm so glad to hear she's better. Hopefully time will heal all and her little voice will go back to normal. Nerve injuries sometime take quite a while to heal completely. Her progress is fantastic, which means she's got a good chance to completely recover. I'm sending lots of prayers and best wishes to that sweetie pie.