Cat with sacral fracture/broken tail

For those seeking advice on caring for incontinent pets and animals with kidney-related problems.
SushisMom
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Diapers

Post by SushisMom »

Yes I thought about buying him diapers for the nightitme in case he has an accident. Do you know where you can get disposable cat diapers other than online? Does Petco carry them?
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critters
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Post by critters »

You don't need cat diapers; Buddy was a long-waisted little fart and wore size 3 human ones. :mrgreen:

If you express at bedtime, you might not need them at all; we only woke in a puddle once or twice (he liked to sleep in my armpit). See the size chart in the sticky for the sizes other people have used, and add the size you find for him. I suggest getting a couple of diapers from everybody you know with babies to avoid buying a bazillion packs that don't fit; make sure they tell you brand and size so you know what to buy if they work out.
SushisMom
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Sticky?

Post by SushisMom »

What sticky are you referring to?
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critters
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Post by critters »

This one--from the top of the incontinence bb. viewtopic.php?t=4
SushisMom
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Thanks!

Post by SushisMom »

Thanks for all the help!
Jadas_Mom
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Re: Cat with sacral fracture/broken tail

Post by Jadas_Mom »

I was just wondering how this cat was doing with his recovery. My cat has the exact same injury. We believe she was hit by a car in June. We had her tail amputated at that time as she had no movement or sensation in it. My cat was never given steriods. Should I look into that or is it too late now? It's been almost 2 months now and I still have to express her. Did the accupuncture help with your cat?
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critters
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Re: Cat with sacral fracture/broken tail

Post by critters »

After 2 months I wouldn't hold out much hope for steroids, but you could certainly do a drug trial and see if Jada improves any.
SushisMom
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Re: Cat with sacral fracture/broken tail

Post by SushisMom »

Hi Jadas mom,

Unfortunately I had to have Sushi put to sleep on Valentine's Day. We tried for a couple of months but he really just never recovered. He leaked all over the place all the time even with expressing and my vet had a lot of concern over bladder infections. I finally made the decision b/c I could see how unhappy he was. I could not let him roam free in my house nor could I let him roam free outside and he was miserable with it. It was the most horrible thing I have ever had to go through. I hope your kitty recovers. The steroids helped while he was on them but as soon as they were discontinued all our problems got worse. My only option was weekly medication which I could not afford. No matter how I budgeted it out I just didn't have the money. If I had the means to do so I would have done it in a heart beat. I will say a prayer for your kitty. I hope her break wasn't as bad as Sushi's. My vet says his was in the worst place possible. I was told there was some type of sepcialist who could perform a surgery on the back but again this was something I could not afford. If you can I would certainly encourage you to look into it.
Jadas_Mom
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Re: Cat with sacral fracture/broken tail

Post by Jadas_Mom »

I'm so sorry to hear to hear that. Jada only seems to leak when she sleeps or gets overly comfortable. I rent a rug doctor once every two weeks or so. We're thinking of eventually replacing our carpet with hardwood floors and getting rugs. It would make clean up easier. We now let Jada outside for a couple of hours during the day. I try to express her outside over the grass, it makes clean up easier because there is no clean up then. She doesn't like to be expressed but she is beginning to accept it more now. It took me six weeks to get the hang of expressing but now I find it easy to do. Jada was fearful and in pain the first month after her accident but now is back to normal. She sits by me on the chair and wants attention. She even is playing with our dog again. We call her "bunny butt" because that is what she looks like now. She is getting used to her new physique. She does walk a little funny on her hind legs which we thingkis some minor nerve damage from her broken sacrum. We never had the sacrum operated on. She is having e-rays on August 19th to see how the bone has mended on its own. I have also taken her to a pet chiropractor and I think I will continue to take her as it seems to have helped.

It is very challenging having a special needs pet. I'm trying to teach my mom how to express Jada. I need someone to take my place whenever I am out of town. I can't take Jada everywhere with me. My mom is struggling learning how to do it. I worry because I will have to leave Jada home next month when I go away for a few days for a school seminar. I never thought a broken tail bone could cause so much difficulty.

Thank you for sharing your experiences with me. I appreciate the support you all have given.
Philly-yiv
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Re: Cat with sacral fracture/broken tail

Post by Philly-yiv »

Hello-

This is such an old post, I'm not sure if I'm putting this in the right place... Here's hoping I am though!
My neighbors and I just took in a young stray female cat that is a "neighborhood cat" from around the corner (used to people, friendly). We saw that she was limping and decided that we were going to take her to a vet in the morning. Closer inspection tells us, however, that she has a broken tail (or at least a limp tail), favors her left hind leg though the right works fine, and her back end is covered in urine/diarrhea. I've had cats all my life and I had a strong sense that the combination of those things would be very bad... so I decided to do a little internet research before we bring her into the vet in the morning, and one place I found was this thread. My fear is that what they vet finds won't be good. My other fear is that there is little treatment between my neighbors and I that we could afford. We have two cats, they already have four (she is resting in their extra room overnight).

Does anyone know of any Philadelphia, PA foster parents who will help to take care of a sweet baby girl -- in case the worst actually is the scenerio? I'm perhaps jumping the gun but I would hate to surrender her to the shelter that funds the vet office we're going to, just to have her put down. She doesn't appear to be in pain (I know cats can hide it well), and she seems to *want* to be playful.

Any help or preemptive advice is appreciated!
Christine
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Re: Cat with sacral fracture/broken tail

Post by Christine »

Bless you both for caring about this little girl. I am running late, but wanted to let you know you will be getting some answers to help. My quick thoughts are that there is a Yahoo group for special needs cats for both additional advice and help in placing them. We will help you post her under Rescues here once you have the details. I hope the vet cleans her up so she does not get urine scald, if she does not already. Incontinence is not a death sentence. If you Google "special needs cat rescue, PA", you'll get some leads too. I will try to come back with some more links later today. We have some amazing cat owners and caretakers here - just hang in!
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Philly-yiv
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Re: Cat with sacral fracture/broken tail

Post by Philly-yiv »

@Christine--

Thank you! We will be taking her down in an hour. We actually cleaned her up last night with a bath, and she actually did not fight at all... just mewed and, oddly, purred. I'll be sharing what I found with my neighbors when we go.

I appreciate your help!
Philly-yiv
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Re: Cat with sacral fracture/broken tail

Post by Philly-yiv »

Update:
Well, our little "girl" is actually a boy! He is so thin that we both thought that he was female. How embarrassing.
Liberty's tail is indeed broken, and has zero sensation all the way up to the base of his tail. He will be taken to the vet again for an x-ray and for the surgery, and he is definitely incontinent... He had gone to the bathroom several times while we were at the vet and had no idea it was happening. He's so sweet and loveable, and I hope we can find a permanent home for him soon to get the best care he needs.
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critters
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Re: Cat with sacral fracture/broken tail

Post by critters »

:whale: Crossposting for you...
Christine
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Re: Cat with sacral fracture/broken tail

Post by Christine »

Here is the Yahoo group that might be a good idea to join and post about the BOY??!!

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Spec ... scue_Cats/

Did the vet say anything about expressing him? The stickies in the Incontinence category on our Index page has good instructions as does our Wiki. Most vets will teach you how to do it too. Expressing him will keep him from getting a UTI and make things a lot cleaner with no surprises for anyone.
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Christine... and Bailey, playing at the Bridge
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