Young paralyzed cat

[ltshortysunshine2]

I have a 2 year old cat who was injured in Jan. We do not know how, but he splattered one of his vertebrae. I put him through surgery and its been over 4 months. He has not regained the use of his back legs. He is incontinent, and I live in a carpeted house, and the smell is becoming an issue. I try to keep after him to keep clean but it s an issue. I want him to be in diapers, but they keep sliding off of his hips. He is also developing sores from scooting around the house, which is very concerning to me. I bought him a cart, and we are in the process of getting used to it and hopefully it works out with him, as he is an extremely easy going and loving animal. I have a kennel i can keep him in when I am not home, but I would like him to have diapered freedom whenever possible. How can i fix this situation to everyone's comfort and happiness?

[critters]

Have you seen the sticky post on this bb? Diapers are good, but you'd be better off expressing then using diapers to catch drips; diapers bring problems of their own. You also need to use suspenders, straps, a Onesie, or other creative ideas to keep the diapers on, which you can also see in that comprehensive link.

[CarolC]

I have a 2 year old cat who was injured in Jan. We do not know how, but he splattered one of his vertebrae. I put him through surgery and its been over 4 months. He has not regained the use of his back legs. He is incontinent, and I live in a carpeted house, and the smell is becoming an issue. I try to keep after him to keep clean but it s an issue. I want him to be in diapers, but they keep sliding off of his hips. He is also developing sores from scooting around the house, which is very concerning to me. I bought him a cart, and we are in the process of getting used to it and hopefully it works out with him, as he is an extremely easy going and loving animal. I have a kennel i can keep him in when I am not home, but I would like him to have diapered freedom whenever possible. How can i fix this situation to everyone's comfort and happiness?

The best thing I've found for cleaning the carpet is Simple Solution or Nature's Miracle. They are enzyme cleaners that actually digest the organic material in the urine so it is gone. That is better than just trying to use regular carpet shampoo, or trying to spray some kind of deodorizer. The best way to find the spots is to use a black light. If you wait till evening and close the drapes and turn off the lights and shine the black light on the carpet, you will see where you need to spray the Simple Solution. It will take a couple of days for it to digest the stain, but then it will be gone. (Of course, test it in a safe place on your carpet.) I am hopeful this will take care of your problem. The only time it does not is when the pet has urinated a large volume so it soaked down into the pad. Your cat does not sound like he is doing this...it sounds like he is just dribbling, is that right? Anyway, if you check at PetsMart or your local pet store, the enzyme spray comes in a spray bottle or a gallon jug, and the black light comes in small or large.

On the diapers, I have heard more than one person say they just put the diaper on and then put masking tape around the waist. Have you tried that? Also, I remember critters got a larger size for her cat because he was long and she wanted something to come up higher on his waist. And I remember mumpkees said to try several brands of diapers, because they do not all fit the same, even with the same size.

Here is a link to information on diapering. This article has various ways to keep diapers on. It also has a size chart which may help you.

https://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/index.php/Diapers_and_male_wraps

I'm thinking if he has sores right now, it might be best to crate him for a few days till they heal? May I ask where is he getting the sores? Is it his feet, or hips, or someplace like that? Pets definitely do not all drag the same way. Here are some really neat videos you may enjoy.

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTvOad65XfE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVxlK2yvJ7Y

In the Pookie video, you can see they are expressing the cat's bladder. If you can do that several times a day, you can reduce the amount of urine he dribbles. Here is some more information on expressing the bladder. Hope this helps!

http://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Express_a_dog_or_cat

[Diana R.]

Like Critters said you need to learn to express your cat. Once you get the hang of it it is easy to do. You should do it 3 times a day to avoid urinary tract infections. I have 2 cats who are expressed 3 times a day---neither have had an infection. And you won't have to worry about your house smelling like urine because they won't leak out. Diana