Not sure where my kitty falls in?

[SushisMom]

My cat was hit by a car 4 weeks ago. Since then we have made numerous trips to the vet. He was put on pain medicine, prednisone, and some anti inflammatory meds for his bladder. The first fews days he had no anal tone at all and his tail was totally paralyzed. Since then he has regained his anal tone and he hits the litter box every time when he has a BM. His tail is still paralyzed though and will probably be amputated at the first of the year. He dribbles urine some when he walks but for the most part urinates on his own. We do not have to express him. I have seen him get in the litter box and try to urinate but most of the time he end up peeing over the edge of the box or on the paper outside the box. I am wondering if this will get better after we remove his tail b/c I know it is in his way. We are keeping him clean by bathing him with the shampoo wipes and he seems super happy and very playful. He is in no pain whatsoever. Anyone else have a similar situation? I am wondering what his chances are of fully regaining urinary control since he is doing so well in all other aspects of his healing.

[critters]

4 weeks isn't long; he could keep improving for a long time yet!!

[Ellie1]

Hi SushisMom

I think Critters is right- 4 weeks is very short in terms of recovery after what sounds like quite a severe accident. My cat Lucy had an almost identical accident (before I adopted her) and she had her tail amputated too. She now has just a little stump which dangles down covering her bottom, and it only gets dirty if she has diahorrea. She is incontinent, due to the accident, and although this can seem overwhelming at first please don't be disheartened. Cats are amazingly resilient animals and as you say, he's happy and full of life.

Incontinence is obviously not a preferred situation for anyone but is something we make the choice to live with. It's clear you love your cat and really want him to get better, so I think it's important that you try all avenues available. The first step is patience though, which is always the hardest

You're doing the right thing keeping him clean with the wipes, and at the moment while he's still in recovery I would suggest just cleaning up after him and protecting your sofas/bed with extra blankets, chairpads etc. Then you could look into bladder-contracting medicines (eg. bethanicol) or acupuncture, and definitely expressing. You will have to consider that he may never regain full control of his bladder. If that's the case, there is lots of help and support out there for you.

Good luck!

Ellie1

[CarolC]

I agree with Critters and Ellie1. I think you need to give it 3-6 months to see how much improvement may occur. If your kitty is long-haired, you might want to ask the vet to shave that area of the bottom and the underside of the tail to make cleaning easier. (It's called a sanitary clip.)

[SushisMom]

I appreciate the positive feedback! I feel good since we do not have to express him now that he may regain his functions. He is an amazing kitty and I cannot believe how resilient he is!