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Community Center F.A.Q (Last Updated: 2025 Jan 10 12:32 am)
Subject: OT..Please do not read if you are sensitive. I need advice from cat owners pls!
I have had many pets including cats over the years and we have always treated like members of the family. That meant we paid the vet bills to keep the healthy. Once we had a 60 dollar vet bill for a hamster. If your kitten can be saved, then yes do so. But don't be afraid to let the Vet put the kitten out of it's pain either if it is hopeless. I lost both my cat and my dog with in a year of each other. Both times I had to let put them down rather having them suffer. Both were old, my cat 20 years old when he died. It was one of the hardest things that I have ever had to do. But I couldn't let them suffer to easy my own pain at making the choice.
My sister just had a similar situation...she went ahead and spent the money all the way to the end. The cat ultimately had to be put down, but she doesn't have that "what if I had..." syndrome. It's your peace of mind, so listen to your intuition, if you've got a "gut" feeling you can pull the kitten through, you will. Good luck
My ex-wife's cat disappeared for 5 days once, and came back with what we believe to be a kick induced hernia. 600-100 for the surgery, and the big bugger is still going strong 5 years later :) Worth every fucking penny (and yes, the profanity is appropriate, as it was 2 weeks salary, or nearly one months rent at the time)
The puncuntured lung sounds like it can be recovered from. But how serious is the broken back? will the cat be paralyzed? I've only lost 2 pets (not gonna count the fish) My little dog "Tika" was hit by a car. Her hip was shattered, both legs broken & internal bleeding. We where faced with the choice of trying to save her or putting her down. Sadly we had to put her down because the vet wanted a large sum up front before he would attempt to save her, and we were broke. That was a very hard thing to do. Looking back is difficult now because we are better off financially and can afford to pay that kind of bill. More recently I lost my cat to a fire that also destroyed almost everything I owned. That was actually easier to take. It wasn't my decision to make, and I couldn't blame myself. Don't know if this will help you any, nor can I give you any advice on what to do. Good luck
you guys dont know how much this means to me... we were told by vet one that the cats back was broken and he will be paralyzed. also, that his lungs were full of blood and he could not hear any air movement. i based my decision on what my dad told me when he first woke me up...he said that the cat was trying to walk away from the road...and from what i saw while my dad held him in his arms. the cat was very alert. eyes were dilated, but looked good. his panting was heavy, but i felt good air through his nose. he was very warm. his gums were bright red...not pink. which i dont know how to access. i know that pale gums means no oxygen...but this looked more like a healthy sign...maybe some blood there, but not pale. after the shot for pain and shock..i told my dad to ask the vet for a thermal blanket to help keep him warm during the shock...he was given a towel and charged for it. the kitten is now at vet 2. the doctor was jumping straight out of bed and heading in which means she is probably more compassionate than the trigger happy first one. the assistants and receptionist has the kitten warm and on oxygen to help his breathing. my dad said the cat was "meowing" in pain when he picked him up, but that it was a healthy meow. and the cat keeps lifting his head and trying to climb out of the towel and his front feet are very strong. he said it seems as though the pain shot has kicked in some and his breathing has NOT detoriated any...which i think should be a very good sign as this should not have reached middle stage shock? my dad feels more hopeful. his voice sounds allot better (my dad) than after visiting the first vet who only wanted to put him down because he said even if he lived (which he doubted) it would cost my dad a "mint" and the cat would be paralyzed. i will make sure this cat has a wonderful life even if he does suffer from paralysis. even if i have to carry him everywhere i go! there are good doctors out there (specialists) and thearpy good help. i'm not going to give up on him. the bill is already at 347.00 from the first vet because it was emergency charge. i dont care how much it costs. i just dont want him to suffer if i am being selfish of his pain because of my being too sensitive. i feel better now...that he has the oxygen and the pain and shock treatment. everyone keep him in your prayers. i knew i could count on all you good people for support and comfort. thanks to all of you! from the bottom of my heart.
Cinnamon, It was a very good decision to get a second opinion. It's really sad that there are vets like that first one... I don't know much about these things, but if the cat moves around that much (trying to climb out of the seat, etc.) doesn't that mean that he's not paralyzed? Or can he use his front legs but not the hind ones? I've seen reports on TV where cats or dogs could not use their hind legs and they had some kind of a contraption with a wheel put on their bodies. With this, they could use their front legs to move and their hind legs were held up by the thing and the wheel (or wheels?) made it easier for them to move. I hope the kitten will be all right. Please keep us posted!
We once had a cat who broke his back falling from a rafter in a barn. He was paralyzed from about the mid-spine down, but we had a good, compassionate vet, who put him back together and did the best possible for him. The cat (called Bear) was still bright and cheerful and didn't seem to be in much pain, directly after he recovered. I hope it goes better for you than it did for poor Bear. He did well at first, but he had to wear a brace, which he hated and made him hot. He also kept injuring himself, so eventually we had to keep him confined. He had a big baby crib in the kitchen, where we almost always were so we could pet him and look after him, but he wasn't happy. Also, due to being completely incontinent, he was always smelly and had to be bathed several times a day two things cats hate. Then complications with his health. Eventually, when it became clear that he was sick, misreable, and depressed, we had to have him put to sleep. Cats, the vet said, often don't heal well from broken bones. They're so finely put together that what a dog or a human will heal without much bother can be a lifetime handicap for a cat. But it's different for different cats. I admire your determination to take care of the poor wee soul, and I do hope that it works out.
Two cat stories, related ones. Florence was a foundling, behind a dumpster in an alley in San Francisco. She couldn't have been more than a few weeks old, which means someone had to have just taken her and put her there to die. But Steve and I found her first, took her to the vet to get her checked out and through the rest of the weaning process, then home, where she has become -- 24 years later -- a spoiled-rotten little princess who is my last tie with a man I very much loved. And yes, she's 24 and in incredible health. I know that in some respects she's living on borrowed time, so I'm trying to adjust myself now for what will become an inevitability sooner rather than later. Still, she's been a part of my entire adult life, and I can't imagine life without her. That's the good story. About eight years ago, when I was on the road a lot, I thought it might help if she had some companionship, so I got a kitten from the pound. I know it's difficult to introduce a kitten into a house with an elderly cat, but they actualy seemed to co-exist pretty well. Enyo (named for a minor Greek god who was in charge of natural disasters) lived up to his name, tearing around the house for no reason whatsoever, fearful of everyone except me. He was happiest when he could curl up in my lap and be "protected" from all the bad things he knew was out there. Well, one morning he went feral. I don't know why, and even the vet has never been able to explain it. But he attacked Florence viciously enough to draw blood, then ran screaming into the basement, and you seriously took your life in your hands if you went down there. My vet, who isn't the trigger-happy kind, actually made a house call and ventured as far down the stairs as he dared, then told me we had no choice -- he had to be put down, if for no other reason than for Florence's safety. We were able to corner him and get him in the pet carrier, and we took him to the vet's office. The vet and his assistant, both of whom wearing protective clothing, took him away for some tests. About six hours later, they returned him. He looked like he had calmed down, probably out of fear, so I took him out of the carrier -- it was like picking up a limp doll, like he'd just given up on everything. I put him in my lap, and he just lay there and purred, and it brke my heart when the vet said we still had to do it, that there was some sort of tumor that had caused this -- because of its position, it was inoperable. There was nothing we could do. That was a year ago, and I still miss the little jerk. Every now and then it feels like I can see him, just out of the corner of my eye, and I nearly had a heart attack one day in the basement when I opened a box of stuff for my puppets that a friend had sent over, and on top was this fox wrap from the 30s -- except, for a flashing second, it was Enyo. Okay, comfort food time.....
Perhaps that the kitten is so young that healing of the back can be possible from proper care, I don't know the logistics but it is worth a second opinion absolutely, and if the kitten is scrambling to get out of the front seat it must still have good use of limbs perhaps. I hope that you are able to save the young kitten I really do, it'd be so worth it. I lost my cat Spike (I have lots of cats, and a dog pets are wonderful) who would have been 16 this fall, I had that angel for the majority of my life...he had kidney failure and kept going for longer than the doctor gave him, ultimately I had to take him into the vet when he just gave up one afternoon and she examined him and found a mass, poor Angel, but unfortunately I had to have him put asleep and that was just horrible, you know, really gut wrenching, the only reason I consented was because I was told he was in an extreme amount of pain and would continue and may go that afternoon. Pets are family, so I really hope the kitty survives, prayers go out to you. Jess
I've been lucky in the cat department but dog department... I'm a sucker for a dog and other animals and everyone knows it! I have 3 short stories I'll tell ya :)
About 7yrs ago we got 2 puppies (hubby shocked me with both of them! lol) anyhow, we had a boy and girl, hubby found them in a box on the side of the road. One day my mother in law came up to the house and accidentally ran the boy over. Took him too the vet and his back leg was broken really bad. Options were to put him down or try and fix the leg but it was so bad they didn't think they could save it so then it was did we put him down or amputate the leg.... Well it's almost 7yrs later and I have a 3 legged dog running around :)
2nd story... Got a phonecall from my sister in law. Someone gave them a very pretty American bull dog that was abused but they didn't have room for her and wanted to know if I'd take her. So of course I said yes. We at the time already had the 3 legged dog and an American Pit Bull along with 3 kids! But I took her. She was so scared of everything. I felt so bad for her, she was my shadow, no matter where I went she was right there beside or behind me. One day she started acting really strange and bumping into everything?? So, I took her too the vet and found out that from the abuse she had a brain tumor and went blind. I went to make an appt. at a animal hosp. that would/could deal with this but only a few days after all this she started falling over and couldn't even stand and she just passed away on me. But everyone who knew her was so happy that at least her last days were good ones and not being beat with 2x4's etc.
Last but not least (this one is a real good one lol) my in laws use to raise goats. Yes, goats and the one mommy goat had 2 babies. Well, something was wrong with her and the babies had to be taken from the mom. They had what's called CAEV. So, I got both baby goats. It was in the middle of winter and I had no place to keep them safe and warm. Poor things could barely stand or walk. So... I got out my kids' old playpen and these two goats lived in there. The girl goat just kept getting worse and worse while the baby boy slowly got better. I had to splint her legs and try to teach her to walk, but it wasn't working. Took her to the only local vet who would deal with a goat with CAEV. He gave me all these meds for both of them and took blood and stuff. With in 3 days the little girl got so bad she could barely breath and we knew she was going to die. So, we took her back over to her mommy. And she died with her mommy :( The boy on the other hand grew up to be a big ol' thing that I ended up having to get rid of due to his horns. lol He was always trying to buck myself and my kids. She had the form that caused paralysis where he had it where it was just Arthritis, which caused like knots on his knees and he walked funny at times but he's fine and lives at a "kids prison" right now being taken care of. There is no cure for this so there was nothing I could do. But it was so hard.
I hope if you decide to help the kitty that all works out for you. She will be a big responsibility if she can't walk and she will be yours till the day she dies cause you know no one will want to take a cat that can't walk. My 3 legged dog is doing fine, but their are times where I wonder... His walking is getting worse and he's getting more snippy at people. He's also been shot in the head with a .22 by some jerk! He took off on me one day and came home with a bullet in his head. BUT don't let this boy fool ya, we have a male pit bull and he is ALWAYS put in his place by the 3 legged dog :) And he can keep up with the best of them also. It's just his hip at times must bother him, you can tell by the way he walks. He can only eat small dog food and can't really chew on hard bones. The vet didn't remove the bullet cause of where it was and it ended up busting his jaw... Poor dog. Also, let me say that if you save her and all goes ok she will be the most loving pet you will ever have. She will know what you did for her.
Please let us know what happens.
Cinnamon, I haven't read all the posts, forgive me iof I repeat an existing one. If the cat's back is broken it will probably (not always) be unable to move one or more limbs. It's an irreparable injury, and can't be equated with amputation of a single limb. Other bodily functions are governed by the spinal column, and when that is broken, those functions stop acting in unison with the rest of the body, if they work at all... like bladder control. I would question the quality of life the cat will have, and this (after financial considerations) should be the only criteria you go by... this is how one ideally should make that most difficult of decisions, because it's the genuine love of the animal that has to govern your judgement, not how you will feel. Please let us know what happens. Love trancends species.
Ok, I love cats, had 'em all my life, and I don't mean to sound insensitive, BUT, the world is FULL to overflowing with cats. No shortage of 'em. They're kinda like VCRs: what are you going to do, pay hundreds of dollars to fix one that's busted, or go out and get a new one? If God had wanted cats to cost us a lot of money, he'd have made them scarce.
Nope, not a joke. I grew up in rural Appalachia, in a place and time in which people did not equate animals with human beings, or try to turn them into little furry (and not very bright) children. Animals are animals; if they're suffering it's our responsibility to end that suffering. One shouldn't be made to feel guilty for doing the right thing.
If it is a young kitten it may well recover completely. My motrher rescued a 5-week-old kitten that had been stepped on by a cow - he had several broken ribs and multiple leg and hip fractures. Our vet, a wonderful woman, said trying to set his fractures was useless but to keep him warm and comfortable and he might very well recover. To make a long story short, he recovered completely and just ran under my chair as I typed this. :-) So don't give up on the kitten!
"Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle and will piss on your computer." -- Bruce Graham
If the cat's back is broken, euthanizing it is the best thing. I'm an absolute cat lover, but if one of mine had a broken back, I'd put that one to sleep without a second thought. It's not like a human who can still live a fulfilling life. The cat won't understand why it can't move around, will be incontinent, etc. Of course, I'd cry my eyes out afterwards, but I'd do so knowing I'd done the right thing.
the little cat (a girl)is under really really good care. her back and spine are ok..but her pelvic bone is what was injured. they are expecting her to live. she is in surgery now. they called at 1:35. my stomache is in knots. all i can think about is her. she was hit from the side, it was determined. that is why she could not use her hind legs. when my dad found her, she was using her front leg muscles to slide. the doctor said she is feeling no pain right now and they have her sudated. she has lived through this trauma for approx 5 hours. they seem to know how to treat her better than first guy. also, she has three doctors looking after her. the first practice my dad took her to did no ex-rays...did not even check vital signs. he assumed by looking at her she had a broken back and punctured lungs. i dont know how bad pelvic injuries are and i am hoping none of her internal organs were damaged. if so, she is not expected to live. now i have to wait for the phone to ring. and i'm trying to prepare for the worst. i keep thinking about her. and how determined she is and as long as she fights, so will i. my dad has named her spunky. btw..the kitten is approx 4 months old.
I got a kitten to be a buddy to my old huge ginger tom (yogi) a little tortiose shell called tigger, cute as a button and they got on great together but then tigger started having fits mainly when drinking and the vet thought he was epileptic, but they got worse and it turns out he had a brain tumour and had to be put down..broke my heart but it double broke yogis heart, but we got lucky and saved a cat that was labeled the runt of a litter and about to be put down (barney), yogi perked up no ends and the two got on great, real funny seeing a huge fat ginger tom and a tiny black cat following him everywhere like he worshiped him :o)....then in a fight yogi scratched barneys eye by accident and he had to have it removed, for a good while he was very off balance but he got used to it and lived a happy life as long as i was there...divorce came along and she got the cats....Steve
hi everybody! it is 5:30 and she made it through surgery just fine!!!!! i cannot bring her home. she is going to be staying there for recovery and they can make sure she is ok. but i get to go see her tomorrow!!!!! thank you again, everyone for your suggestions and support. it was a very hard decision to make. shadowcat...again you have been an angel in disguise. you thought that she could recover from a punctured lung and that gave me more motivation to get a second opinion. i have learned allot from this. if i had not of seen the kitten with my own eyes, and thought carefully about what my dad told me...i think i would have told the vet to put her out of her misery. a broken back...lungs filled with blood...no air movement... i said dad did he take an extray? he said no. i asked him to ask the vet why he thought her lungs were punctured and he (the vet) said that he listen to her lungs and did not hear any air movement. well, that's when i decided to come here for help. i did not have an ease of mind with what he was saying...when my dad had minutes before said this little cat was trying to climb out of the seat. and my dad made it seem like the cat was walking off the road. at the time he did not fully explain that the cat's hind leg was stiff and she was sliding on her side. but i still understood that the kitten had enough strengh and was fighting. i saw the blood coming from her nose, but i also felt for air and there was air. and she felt warm and her gums were dark red, she was in shock and stiff-like with heavy panting. that's all i had to go on. those, to me...where vital signs and i became totally confused when the vet said she had to be put to sleep. i'm so glad we decided to get a second opinion. there were so many mistakes we made (especially transporting her to the vets) that could have made things allot worse. but we have learned allot from this. when the cat was moving around in my dad's truck..it could have made internal bleeding worse. we could have possibly stressed the cat out more taking her to and fro'. the kitten more than likely suffered extreme pain during the transporting (before the pain shot and shock treatment shot was given to her) because she was moving around so much. i think dad named her correctly. he turned the heat up really high in the truck on the way to vet 1 and i think that was important. my dad stroked her head gently and talked to her on the way to the vet and i think i admire him more now. it's been a long day and you guys hung in there with me. thank you. i'm glad most of you understood why i was confused on what to do. i surely would have had her put to sleep if i was certain her back was broken and she had no air movement. but i was not certain...and i did not know that if i were being too sensitive by wanting her to hold on for a second opinion if she were in so much pain. was it fair to drive her across town...if anyone had an experience with broken back or lung punctured... the good doctors drained fluid from her lungs. placed her on iv's and oxygen, sudated her, then surgery. when we pick her up i will let you know all the procedures they took and what the long medical words mean in case any of you ever are faced with something like this. you guys responded quick. and although you are not vets...you helped save a kitty today. and again, i am so sorry if i caused anyone to bring up painful memories of their pets...as i know this is Renderosity and not days of our lives. i'm just so glad i did come here. your good people. hopefully she will be able to come home in a week. i'll go see her tho':-) okkkkk i will go now!
good news for Spunky!! OT & BTW - I would seriously tell off and demand a partial refund from vet #1, he almost had you put the kittty down by a misdiagnosous. telling you the back was broken without taking x-rays? let me guess it's an emergency pet clinic? think about it, easy money to put an animal down isn't it? I wonder how many people have put their beloved pets to sleep because this guy's to lazy to take the proper tests.
shadowcat yes you are right. emergency clinic. and when i called he said they were going to be there for one hour. but they were the only ones open. he has a regular clinic and i guess all the vets take turns running the emergency clinic. you know...i never even thought about how insensitive they might be. you would think that the best care would come from an emergency clinic...being that they are equipped and should be experience in trauma cases. she is doing well though. she will be fed (cant spell) by tube for awhile. still have oxygen just to make her recovery easier for her. if it had not been for a few ot forum messages in the last couple of days with people posting images of their birds, and cats and other wonderful pets...i dont think i would have ever thought to come here and ask for advice. along with her blood work she was tested for feline luk. negative:-)
yeah figured that was the case. that's the kind of place we took our dog when she was hit. it was a sunday night and was the only vet that we could find that was open. ended up costing $181 just to have her put down (this was about 1990-91) and I was still in school at the time and struggling just to make the house payment (which at the time was $152). when we were told that the surgery needed to save her would cost over $600 and that after care would push the bill even higher we were crushed. I just went into the parking lot a cried my eyes out. in my experience the worst care comes from an emergency clinic, especially when they are the only ones available. They are all to quick to put an animal down, the one I went to was completely unwilling to work out any payment plan. If he had, I would have paid, and my Tika would have survived. I wish that I would have waited a litle and try to find a vet willing to work with us. ::sigh:: hindsight is 20-20 they say.
I'm glad the kitten is doing all right...I, too have a story to tell. We had a toy poodle given to us as a pup and it lived with us for fifteen years. At the age of thirteen, the poodle (named Cinnamon, incidently) developed an oversized heart and cateracts on her eyes. One day, she lost all her sight...but a couple of days later, she somehow gained it back. Once, my mother had to go out of town and I had to take care of the dog alone. I bathed it every other night...but still...it got some fleas from when I took it outside. The fleas had built a nest and laid eggs on her head...no amount of bathing I gave her would get rid of them...even used flea shampoo that is supposed to do the trick. She got very weak from the blood loss of having them flea sacks sucking her blood from her. I worked during the day so I could only give her the care and attention she needed when I got home late at night. Finally, when Sunday came...and I didn't have to work...I took her to the vet. They gave her a blood transfusion and cleaned her up really good. I spent about three hundred dollars then. About a year later...she began to cough alot...and I took her back to the vet...spent a few more hundred on lasix shot and medication. The dog survived for about a year longer. Finally, she got so bad...we had no choice but have her put to sleep. My mother was so attatched to the dog...we spent the extra money needed to have her cremated alone instead of in a group of other dogs...and my mother has her ashes in a tiny sealed cedar chest...and wants that chest to be buried with her when her time comes.
i understand about fleas. they are very nasty. if you have a problem again, try to just shave the animal. fleas need hair to nest in and hide. although they can still lay eggs in the carpet..they will hardly want to bother the poor animal. thanks for sharing. Spunky is recovering really good. She's so dang cute, too.
We live in a house now instead of an apartment...and we have a cat instead of a dog. The cat is really smart...she rolls around in dirt....and the fleas don't get on her (go figure). We've had (still have) the cat for about three years and have never found a flea on her. The cat's only fault is she is a "talker" and loves to "talk" alot.
Well, I don't know what to think of all this.
On one hand it's good to see that someone has love inside him to give to a small needing animal. It gives hope in Man.
On the other hand, with half the money spent for this cat, I can save 10 poor children from dying this year. And this doesn't give hope in Man.
Who am I to decide what's wrong and what's not ?
Anyway, congratulation for your persistence and success. I hope the little cat will give you as much love as you gave him.
I wish I am as successful with my patients.
Best regards.
A GP who doesn't always understand why the world is like it is.(Compiler)
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my dad woke me up over an hour ago. he came into my room holding a young kitten that had been hit by a car. the cat was panting (shock?) and bleeding from the nose. we scrambled around to find an emergency clinic in a new home town. i told my dad to go with out me so i could keep calling while he was driving. Finally, we found a vet opened.. I stayed on the phone with my dad and he said the cat looked like he was going to make it. He said he was trying to climb out of the front seat. now at the vets...my dad says the guy said he is suffering from a broken back and punctured lungs and wants to put the cat to sleep as he says living saving measures will cost a "mint". ummm..i want go there..but my dad asked me what to do. i dont like to see cats suffering,but i am very sensitive and i have taken care of many cats that vets told me to put down and they are alive and well today. but like i said..i am really sensitive and i dont want the cat to be suffering because i am. i need some help and support if anyone has time or has had any experiences like this. it told my dad to have the vet give him a shot for pain and a shot for shock...and take him to a well-known vet closer to his job for a second opinion (his employees know vets they have used for many years) did i do the right thing. what should i do? a punctured lung?? that is what is bothering me. it could be causing the bleeding from the nose...and the panting? but i still dont want to give up just like that...not when the young cat is so alert and trying to climb out of the front seat? please help if you've had this experience. and i am so sorry to bother you guys.