Paralyzed street kitten

[Allilang]

there is a litter of 4 orphan kittens I go to feed every day during my run. Today I went early after work and noticed a new face much smaller than the ones that I am used to. As I called it, it tried to come out and to my horror I saw it was barely able to pull itself with its feet dragging behind it. After holding back my tears I was able to feed it.

It's back legs and tail appear completely limp. It was shy of me, but allowed me to get close enough to catch it while it ate, so it seems to have been recently abandoned. I left it there for now since it is in a pretty safe place and the other litter of kittens don't seem to be bullying it. Is it possible for me to help this kitten? Are there conditions that could cause this paralysis temporarily? I am unable to adopt this kitten and the shelter system in Korea is awful.

[CarolC]

Sometimes they recover. Here is a message about a kitten who was in a similar situation and recovered.

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/view ... =4&t=18101

I think it would be better to take her indoors if possible. She will be safer. And I think you need to find out if she has bowel and bladder control. Sometimes they need help with that. Perhaps if you take her in and care for her for a while, it will give you time to find someone who can adopt her?

[Allilang]

thanks for responding. About taking her in, I have a cat at home that was also a sick orphan that I rescued and adopted last year. I am worried about my current indoor cat getting a disease from the paralyzed kitten. If it is still there after work today, I will take it to a vet and see what is possible.

ㅠㅠ

[CarolC]

That's true, good point. They need separate food and water dishes and separate litter boxes. The easiest way is either a separate room or a crate so the kitten can be isolated until you are sure she is healthy. I hope the vet is helpful! And I hope the kitten will improve. Here are 2 more links you may like.

This one shows simple rehab exercise:

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/view ... =4&t=18185

This one shows a cat that does not walk but has a happy life:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdIBtw8_7No

[Allilang]

I took her into a vet and he just felt her foot and said there was practically no chance for her to walk again after a 10 second examination. My place is too small, and I live in a foreign county with a workers visa. I really want to take her in, but I don't see how. He tail and bag legs are totally limp, so I doubt she has control over her bowels.

I just don't want her to suffer needlessly. today her stomach seemed bloated but she ate and drank. then purred and rubbed against my hand so hard that she fell over. but she seemed a bit weaker in movement than yesterday, though it might just be that she isn't as scared of me to run away now.

Should I have her euthanized, or should I just let nature take its course?

[CarolC]

It doesn't sound like he did much of an examination. But it doesn't sound like she is giving up. If possible I would probably still try to help her. If her tummy is bloated it could be from a lot of things (even something simple like worms, she's just a kitten). However, when an animal is paralyzed, they sometimes retain urine. I would try expressing her bladder. That means you squeeze her tummy to help her pee. There are some videos at the end of this article that can give you an idea of how to do it. Normally it would be nice if a vet would show you, but it does not sound like you got much help from the vet.

If you go to the end of this link, you will see lots of youtube videos on helping a paralyzed cat urinate.

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/view ... =5&t=16027

I'm sorry the vet wasn't more help.

[Allilang]

I know you really want me to take kitty home. But i just cant risk introducing her to my baby at home. Its too small of an apartment to separate them.

Today kitty wouldnt come out. Seems someone else started feeding them too because there was alot of food left for her. Her but is covered in yellow gooey stool and flies. I just dont want to be the one to put her down, but I cant see any hope for her.

She has no feeling or movement in her rear. Probably no bowel control. I just cant do anything for her. I cant rescue her and I cant bear putting her down, and I cant stand watching her suffer like this.

[Allilang]

I know you really want me to take kitty home. But i just cant risk introducing her to my baby at home. Its too small of an apartment to separate them.

Today kitty wouldnt come out. Seems someone else started feeding them too because there was alot of food left for her. Her but is covered in yellow gooey stool and flies. I just dont want to be the one to put her down, but I cant see any hope for her.

She has no feeling or movement in her rear. Probably no bowel control. I just cant do anything for her. I cant rescue her and I cant bear putting her down, and I cant stand watching her suffer like this.

[Allilang]

update:

ok ok... the thought of kitty dying alone covered in flies got to me. She is home in a box in the bathroom now. I discovered the yellow "stool" was actually thousands of fly eggs that took over an hour to wash off. She is eating and drinking on her own. Her stomach appears swollen. If she starts to show improvement in her legs i will take her to a vet. If she cannot control her bowels in the next week I will take her to have her euthanized. T_T

are paralyzed cats even capable of using a litter box?

update 2:

kitty had a stool movement while she laid purring in my lap. Bad news 1 is that It looks like I may have been right about having no control since she made no motion to having to go, and it just suddenly appeared. Bad news 2 is that it looked to have worms in it. Will most vets sell worms medication over the counter? I really don't want to spend a fortune saving something that is most likely a lost cause.

[CarolC]

I do not know what policies vets have in Korea, but I believe if it was my vet he would prescribe worming medication without seeing the kitten again, as long as the kitten had just been seen recently. I would call the vet and ask if they will prescribe some worming medication that you can go in and pick up without another exam, and find out how much it costs. It is such a common medication I do not expect it will be expensive.

I know it seems awful right now, but what you are seeing now is not an indication of how it can be in the future. When you get the worms eliminated, the stools will be better. In addition, kitten waste is much much smellier than the waste of an adult cat. So what I am saying is, right now probably having her there is making your apartment seem smelly, and it will probably be that way at first, but not always. One of the most important things to know about having a paralyzed pet is, those of us who have them do not live in dirty, smelly houses, we do not give up our quality of life. Did you get a chance to watch the video I gave a link to? Did you see how nice and clean her house was, and how she fed her cat a diet that produced very small firm stools that did not make a mess? Can you get youtube where you are?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdIBtw8_7No

You already did her a world of good, getting her cleaned up. I'll bet she feels so much better. An hour is a lot of bathing, I hope you are not too scratched. Flies are one reason it is not a good idea to let an incontinent pet be outside. You helped her a lot getting them off.

It will not always be like this, but when you first find an injured pet it is more work.

[Allilang]

Didn't get scratched at all. She is a VERY small kitten and only tried to escape the sink. She even needed two baths because after I dried her off I found some more eggs hiding on her. Those flies were really thorough. I put her in a box with food, water and some litter in my bathroom. She seems very happy and has been sleeping soundly since, but my adult cat is not happy with our new little friend though.


I checked out the links and will try helping her empty her bowels in the morning since she is sound asleep right now. I will help her as much as I can, but as I said before, I live alone and I cannot permanently take care of a disabled cat because I need to travel between countries at least once a year. There is no one to take care of her when I do. I'll give the little kitty a chance.

I will take her to have a real vet visit in the morning. T_T

[Allilang]

Doctor said her spine isn't broken and she has some (very weak) sensation in her legs. He guestimated a 20% chance on getting them back. She has moved them a few times and pushes back when I push them down. If I hold her rear end up, she doesn't drag her legs, but lifts them up.

I'm still trying to figure out how much bowel control she has. I she her anus move, but she pees in her bed and doesn't go to her litter box. All bowel movements have been one small ball a few times a day.

Does anyone have any idea as to what may be wrong? Any idea as to how to get her to use her legs more? And most of all, potty use. If she starts using the potty she will be adoptable.

[CarolC]

That is really good news from the vet, and fantastic that you are seeing some movement and the kitten does not drag when you support her. Great news! It would be hard to estimate how quickly you would see improvement in the bowel and bladder control. Nerves heal, but they do it very slowly. Recovery tends to be by baby steps, you notice a series of tiny little improvments and gains, rather than one day they just stand up and walk and potty. It is gradual, but even on the days when you do not see obvious improvement, you can be sure that in the background her body is healing a little bit every day. Part of the job is just helping with the basic care in order to give the body time to recover.

I do not know if she is wetting the bed through incontinence or simply because she cannot get to the litter to do it, or unfamiliarity with a litter box. Do you have any idea how old the kitten is?

I am hoping one of the people with a lot of cat experience will reply soon. My experience is with 2 paralyzed small dogs and a paralyzed rabbit. I do know that especially with cats, the bowel tends to slow down and they can become constipated. It sounds like the kitten might be a little backed up if you are only seeing a few small round stools. That could also explain the round tummy. We had a lady do a street rescue of a paralyzed adult cat one time and the cat eventually eliminated over 16" of stool, and then went again the next day. The kitty (Angel) must have felt so much better afterward.

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/view ... gel#p27203
viewtopic.php?p=27351

If she is constipated, you can help mobilize the stools with abdominal massage. Bendy's mom, who has a lot of experience with this, recommends letting the kitten sit in warm water to help get things moving. Here are a couple of previous posts.

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/view ... utes#p7988
http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/view ... tes#p37894

It is great that you can see movement in her anus. That is more good news.

[CarolC]

Sorry for double post. I realized I did not give you any video links.

At the end of this article are lots of videos showing how people help their paralyzed cats to avoid constipation.

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/view ... =5&t=18586

Here is a nice one:

[BendyMom]

thanks carol for calling this thread to my attention.

I"m glad you found a good vet who gave her a real exam. it is a very good sign she has some feeling. she may have been injured, but not broken. tehre can be swelling that puts pressure on nerves and it can takes 6 months or more to fully recover.
I understand your concern about not being able to care for her when you need to travel.
Maybe that vet can help you find someone to adopt her? That is a hard situation. do you have to leave within the next couple months? The more you know about what kind of function she has the easier it will be to find a person for her.

physical therapy is very important to help nerve function recover. encourage her to mover her back legs and tail. move them for her for a few minutes each day.

I find it is easiest for me to keep my incontinent pets clean by keeping their fur trimmed on their hind ends. fur holds urine and feces and that mess will damage the skin.

most countries that i have heard about sell worming medication over the counter. she probably has roundworms and maybe tape worms.

pet stores here sell this medication so maybe they will there, too.

i get a lot of my flea/parasite meds from this place
http://www.pets-megastore.com.au/

they ship worldwide but it takes a few weeks to get here, and you can't wait long.

the bloated belly is probalby from the worms.

about her and your other cat.
if you can get a cat carrier to keep her in that would be good. are her eyes runny? is she sneezing? those woudl be two ways she would spread disease.
of course scrub your hands after you handle her. if you keep her on a towel when you hold her, and then put the towel in a bag so your other cat can't get to it, that will help too.

is your cat vaccinated? that will protect her from most things.

does the kitten have fleas? fleas can spread disease cat to cat.

expressing her bladder - if you feel around on her belly you might feel soemthing round maybe the size of a grape, it will move around. bladders can be hard to get a hold of. pinch it gently and she should pee.
if you accidently are pinching something else it won't hurt her, it just won't make her pee.
i have three cats i express pee and poo out of. all of them fuss and one tries to bite, so if she fusses and wiggles don't be alarmed. it must be strange for them to be "squeezed" as I call it.

her biggest danger is urinary infection. if her urine is dark or bloody she needs antibiotics as soon as possible. emptying her bladder for her helps prevent this, but isn't always enough. my guys get special food that prevents infections from the vet.

it sounds like she is pooping ok. i give my cats some pumpkin or other squash, cooked but plain, and that helps keep things movng. having them sit in a warm bath is also helpful. if she goes an entire day wthout pooping, try giving her a little bit of vegtable oil. i think i spend most of my day managing poop around here.
the kitties are so sweet and loving i don't mind.

i hope i answered some questions. i hope the vet can help you out. it's a lot when you weren't expecting it, and thank you for feeding the outsde kittens. i know they appreciate it.

and welcome to the group!!