Injured cat

[Tinaag]

Hi all, just after a little advice and people to talk to.
What a horrible week I've had.....My darling cat Destiny has had a horrible accident, as my husband left early on Monday morning the automatic door was closed unaware that she was in the garage and as she panicked she ran under the door and was crushed under it :'( When I came back (3.5hrs later!) I opened the door to find her dragging her back legs (crying agin) Omg! I feel soooo terrible, after a emergency dash to the vet we had her x-rayed and was amazed that somehow she hadn't broken anything, of course we are not sure about nerve and soft tissue damage. So far she has spent two days there and I am picking her up today. She has regained a good refelex in the right foot but only slight in the left, she does try to make it to the litter tray (but needs help) and apparently she is weeing on her own albeit in her bed. Now we have a long wait to see if she regains the use of her legs. I have so many questions, like what are the chances of recovery? How long will it take? What can I do to help her? I am confining her and trying to make her as comfortable as possible. Is it normal to feel so angry and so guilty? After a call to the door manafactuer I cant belive I wasnt told about the door not having a safety feature and that a laser light to prevent this was only a $250 upgrade (much cheaper than the vet bills) Anyway sorry about the long post, please people check your doors, It could have saved us alot of pain and suffering, and thanks for listening.

[Cindidoxiemom]

Tina~
Welcome to the board hon. I'm very sorry to hear that your sweet Destiny is hurt.
I am afraid all my experience dealing with paralysis has been with dogs, so I'm going to let the kitty experts help you with rest/therapy and med suggestions.

I will say, this was an ACCIDENT hon...it was not your fault, and Destiny doesn't blame you. You are going to have to be STRONG and upbeat for Destiny. She is going to look to you to help her adjust to her situation, and if your crying and upset...this will only confuse her.

Hang in there...there are lots of us here with paralyzed wee furry ones!
Hugs,
Cindi

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

I am so sorry for this horror!
But I would crate rest her. We were just talking about this on another message.
My son's cat was hit by a car, and dragged herself home somehow, she appeared on the front porch. She fractured pelvis, was at vet for a week, who realigned her with no incision, and she was on strict crate rest. Altho she walked like of cockeyed for the rest of her life, she was back to climbing out windows and climbing trees in no time.
I would crate rest....

[Tinaag]

Thankyou for the kind words. Destiny is home now and has medication and has been confined to a very small area as per the vets instructions. She has shown very slight improvements in the first few days which is the best we can hope for. I have been given small exercises for her back legs to do each day and am taking her back to the vet on Monday. For now she seems happy to be home with lots of purring and catty kisses. It will be a long road ahead and I am very greatful for this forum, just being able to get all this out has made me feel better so thankyou again.....Will keep the updates going for her and I hope the best for all your furry family as well.
Tina. XXX

[critters]

You might want to check out the expressing info on the urinary bb to try to help limit the washing. Kitties are tough, and your baby may well be fine in time. http://www.handicappedpets.com/pics/buddy.htm

[Tinaag]

Just a quick little update on Destiny.
She is still happy, purring and seems to be adapting already. She has been using the litter that I have placed in the corner on a large plastic tablecloth (therefore she doesn't have to climb over anything). I am lucky that she is a quiet cat happy to just laze around on her bed and not move around too much or get upset at being "locked" up, I'm sure our other cat would go crazy. The only issue I have had with her is that although peeing is okay for her when she does number two's (sorry) and her legs are dragging behind and underneath her it get all tangled up in her fur (yuk) I have quickly learnt its not fun to try and wash it out....any ideas???
On to her legs, there seems to be slight movement in her right leg although as far as I can tell she has no feeling in both back legs and tail, early days though I know.... Ummm last question that I'm sure alot of you have to deal with, I am scared to leave her for so long as sometimes when I go to check on her shes all sort of twisted with her (especially left foot) at all angles underneath her, will this do any further damage?

Anyway hope your all well and I've included a piccie of her -before the accident
Tina. XXX
[/img]

[Christine]

Happy to hear Destiny is doing well. My heart just ached for you when I read what happened. Did you read the "poop on demand" information? Am thinking that if you could control when she goes so you could be there to remove it before she gets into it, that would help. Also possibly have the vet or a groomer or you cutting or shaving away some of that beautiful hair in that area to minimize the cleaning if it happens again.

As far as her legs getting twisted around when you are not there, someone else having gone through that will come along, but I was wondering if the crate you have her in while you are gone is small enough so that she might not move around so much to do that and yet large enough so that she can be comfortable???

Perhaps you could give her some Bach Rescue Remedy to keep her calm while you are gone? Hope things continue going well for your baby. She is lovely.

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

Destiny is just beautiful! What a sweet and gentle face! I think she is responding to the 'rest' enforced, while it is hard to watch, the payoffs can be worth it. Does she give any sign when she is going to bm? Like crying or noise? You could have some tissue and a warm wet washcloth handy. She may get on a schedule so you can be 'ready.'
Thank you for posting her pic. She is beautiful.

[critters]

Aww, she's BEAUTIFUL!!! I agree with Karen and Christine that a trim andsome Poop on Demand might be just the ticket.

[FYI]

https://www.handicappedpets.com/mediawiki/?title=Bowel_management_in_incontinent_pets

[Tinaag]

Thankyou for the link....

We have had a little progress in the last few days

First I would like to thankyou all for your kind words and advice.

I asked the vet to give Destiny a close shave (all that beautiful hair!), which has made a HUGE difference to the washing, although my 7yr old said she looks like "one of those monkeys with the pink bums"!!! He he.

She has been trying to walk, crouched very low and legs spread wide but a least it's a big step in the positive direction. One vet told me to put her on a lower dose of meds this week, but the other vet told me today at her check up to keep her on the same dose?? Hmmmmm, well shes improving so I'll keep on doing what I have been doing. She has lost alot of her muscles in her legs which feel really boney and fragile -does anyone have any ideas how long this could take to build up again?

All in all she seems to be herself most of the time, maybe needing a few more snuggles, and I cant believe how happy a small tail wag can make a person!

Cheers, Tina. XX

[critters]

It's just hair; it'll grow!

We went with long-term pred for Buddy. Congrats on the improvement!!

[Toni]

Sorry this is a long one!
I've had at least 6 or 7 cats in the past 17 years that have had partial to full paralysis after being hit by cars or some other accident (we have rescued well over 500 cats in that time frame..not like we have a high percentage of our cats being injured)
The only ones that never improved were the ones that actually had fractures or obvious separation of vertebrae in the spine. All others improved to normal or close to normal function over time.

We did crate rest all of the cats for anywhere from 1 to 6 weeks (depending on the damage...fractures and vertebral separation getting the 6 week time frame). Then small room arrest and strict supervision when not in the crate.

Cats that did not have an actual fracture were given some type of steroid to help reduce inflamation around the nerves.
We gave antibiotics at the same time as steroids since the steroids suppress immune system response. We gave them B-vitamins and good high quality food. We tried acupuncture on a few of them and found it helped in some cases.

Someone brought in their cat that had been caught under the garage door by it's neck at a pet hospital I used to work at. It had it's neck twisted around and had full paralysis of it's limbs for several weeks, slowly regaining function over time. Other than a little bit of a head tilt after 6 months, the cat was fine.

As for the muscle atrophy, one of the things I have done to help minimize this, is "home physical therapy". Check with your vet first. If it is OK, then move the limbs through their full range of natural movements several times a day for 3 to 5 minutes at a time. It helps keep the joints, muscles, tendons and so on flexible to make them easier to use once he can start using his limbs.

If he will tolerate it, you might try using a towel or sling to help him walk a bit, since he can use his front legs. By being in his natural walking position it seems to stimulate the natural walking movement pattern in his nerves an muscles, but without the strain of having to support and balance himself.

Glad you got him shaved...that seemed to work best for me with incontinent cats. Even the short haired ones.

Sorry to not have seen you post sooner. I am still having a bit of trouble getting used to the new forum layout.

If there are any questions you have that you think I might be able to help with, please feel free to private email, or just post..now I will be notified whenever someone posts to this thread.

I have a cat that had his head run over in the parking lot 3 years ago. We thought we were taking him to the vet to be put to sleep. He is deaf now, and has a bit of paralysis on one side of his face, but he is still with us and quite happy!
Another one I have was a kitten dropped on his head by a small child. She has one eye that doesn't close 100% due to a little paralysis left over from that (she was paralysed from her neck down, as well as some facial paralysis when it happened)
Another cat that was dropped by a child when a kitten had a left over "wobble" when he walked and was deaf, but otherwise quite a normal, inquisitive cat.
We had Rags, a cat that had to have her tail amputated as she never regained the feeling in it. She had her vertebra seperated near the "cauda equina" nerve. She was incontinent the rest of her life, but otherwise quite normal. We bathed her "bottom" every day and expressed her bladder in the bathtub quite regularly and once in a while had to give her enemas or stool softeners to help (wish I'd known about this site at that time!)
There is lots of hope for your kitty. Long way around to answer your question..if your vet says it's OK, try some physical therapy at home..gently. And maybe the towel walking. If the paralysis is long term, you might consider a wheelchair for destiny. They work wonderful giving mobility and freedom and it sounds as if Destiny has the personality for it.