Injured Kitten Advice Needed

Home The Daily Kitten Cat Chat Forum Cats & Kittens Injured Kitten Advice Needed

Tagged: 

Viewing 20 posts - 1 through 20 (of 63 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #833633
    Halet
    Participant

    (Sorry in advance for the wall of text and repeating if I do any)

    Sparing some fairly grotesque details, I was at a milk barn with someone who needed to ask some questions on whatever and a miss had come in with a TERRIBLY injured kitten. The thought and image of it still churns my stomach a bit so, in short, it seemed as if either something very heavy had fallen on his right front leg or a calf may have stepped on him. They were ready to put the kitten out but I could not bear it. They surrendered the little one over to me and I had to make quick use of some gauze and surgical tape at home. It was/is either a terrible break in his bone or something I can’t tell. The wound was very much an open one but I don’t recall seeing any bone except for a detached dewclaw.

    Two days of tending to the kitten with evaporated canned milk, no vets open or shelters, and a lot of kitten bites, the little one’s chance to make it was slim. I called vets, when they finally opened, and an amputation was too far out of reach in costs at the time with every cent of my money already having a place in necessities. I took him back to the milk barn to see if he had any medicines and such. He was very willing to make an attempt to “remove the dead bit.” That is also something I wont describe but if it wasn’t done he would have gotten worse. The man gave me some non-stick bandages they use on the cows and some ointment (as well as some sort of surgical equipment cleaner to put on the baby’s arm as a disinfectant) and we got him patched up WAY better than my rushed cleaning did. The kitten is doing MUCH better now and purrs and makes a half attempt to play with my fingers or a hair tie thing.

    With all that said, he IS pawless on that leg now. His skin is… “healing” where it had come off from the original wound. He seems to be three weeks old and could have been nursing still but more so “laps” the milk I feed him with the needle-less syringe. I only have evaporated milk to feed him since I know the straight cows milk is bad on him. I’ve not seen any KMR at any of the stores around here and the vets and shelters are so far off, I don’t like leaving him alone for such a long while. I’m glad I’ve been able to give him a fighting chance but it didn’t seem like he wanted to give up anyway.

    With a kitten this old and in this condition, I’m not all sure what things I should be putting on his wound, feeding him (since the last litter I tended to was many years ago) or exactly what I should be doing to assist him all over. I’ve been able to handle animal wounds but nothing that was this bad(a lot better as of now but still bad). I’d just like a bit of advice with that and probably to see if I’m doing anything good.

    He gets fed every four hours (he wakes me to remind me in the night) with warmed evaporated milk until I can get KMR SOMEWHERE. He drinks about 8-10 ml each time and then starts moving his head away to look around. I can only re-bandage him once a day right now with my limited supplies of self-stick cloth tape wrapped around a non-stick pad thing that I put that ointment on (I’m not sure what it is called but it appears as a florescent green color that I suppose he used on most of the animals there). About 20-30 minutes after his feeding he curls up to nap. I’ve been able to get him to urinate a few times a day but have yet to get him to defecate. I hear he might not do so much due to the liquid diet I have him on but I’d like to be sure. His urine is hot, not warm, if that is anything to mention. The wound does have a slight scent to it but I don’t see that leaving until many more treatments. His belly is fairly round and soft, not hard. I’m having a few issues trying to keep him from licking on the tiny bit of exposed wound (I can’t get the pad to go over his “elbow”) and he ends up chewing at the cloth tape stuff. I pap on his head a bit to try to discourage it, not hard just a light tap to get his attention away. He is in a box not too deep with a cat bed pad and a towel in it. His eyes are wide and clean and ears all the way open (except for the tiny little tips that bend a bit). Nose is clean as well as his fur and doesn’t have any fleas on him at all.

    Again, sorry for my wall of text. 😕 I just don’t want to leave anything important out. Also not good with “topic tags”

    #833634
    Halet
    Participant

    Quick note. I JUST got him to defecate! I use popsickle sticks when I don’t have any thing else on hand to press on his “spot” slightly to convince him to start urinating. He is good and continuing the process. He made a face when I was starting to put him back in his box and I noticed he was doing the rest. It was unusually long but had a regular color to it except at the end which was a tad yellower in color. He continued his meowing fit for some pets and scratches afterward. I’m just glad he finally went.

    #833637
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Hi Halet, welcome to TDK! You had me at the edge of my seat for a good part of the story! The color of his poop should be a yellowy color about the consistency of toothpaste. If you can get PASTEURIZED goat’s milk for him it would be much cheaper than KMR and JUST AS GOOD. You can find it in the milk section of the grocery or the baking aisle in cans as it’s condensed–just mix water 1 to 1. I don’t know where you are located but you should be able to find it no matter where you are. I will post some links that you can read to help with hand rearing your kitten. I am more concerned with his wound, as he will probably need antibiotics and given where the amputation is, may need more surgery as he gets older and tries to walk. I am sure a vet or a teaching hospital might be able to work out a payment plan for you, I know it can be way expensive.
    http://messybeast.com/handrear.htm
    http://www.safehavenforcats.com/newborn.htm

    Chaos’ Guide to Constipation


    We used to have a dairy and I know how things happen to small kittens around a parlor. You know already that cow’s milk isn’t recommended for kittens as it contains lactose and will cause diarrhea. Goat’s milk doesn’t. I am hoping the best for you and your kitten. Please keep us up on how he and you are doing. We aren’t vets here, but have hand reared many kittens and love helping when we can, as there is nothing worse than trying to do it on your own with no help! Good luck!

    #833656
    Halet
    Participant

    His feces had a brown color to it more like what you would see in a normal cat but a bit lighter. I don’t think he would have been eating with the mother cat but they do sometimes put food out for their strays. He makes the cutest but most heart-wrenching attempt to suckle the cat bed edges. He is also starting to get a little more playful, to my lip and chin’s dismay.

    The biggest concern I have with his wound right now is him trying to lick and chew at the bandages. I don’t think it is a teething thing as he doesn’t do it often, only during his little self-baths. I’m sure of the antibiotics. If it were as simple as getting those from the vet, it would not be such a strain. We have had pets at that vet before so it isn’t like I’m there to buy and then sell immediately. With one of our cats, someone had kicked her violently. I have no belief that a car did that to her, otherwise her hips would have been pushed inward together, not shifted all one way. The x-ray itself, which they would require me to get, would cost about $70-90 and their advice of, “oh breaks like this heal on their own. Give medicine twice a day” was something like $30. I understand vets are a business but as much traffic as they get for the simple things such as grooming, it shouldn’t cost that much…

    I think I have seen goats milk at our store. I recall seeing something called “PET” milk but I’m pretty sure it was some sort of brand. The little one is in his box right now just staring at me. It seems like a strange habit he is doing now after feedings. A meow every-now-and-then but just staring at me with big eyes. (@-@) I’m just glad he sleeps a lot after his meals.

    #833677
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Hi Halet,

    Yes, “PET” is a brand name and not for cats. As KZ said Goats’ milk is best for them. If you have access to pet store ask for an E-Collar. You secure it around the kitten’s neck so they can’t access the wound. I cut it down so they can access food/water and not panic. If you’re creative use this link to make your own.

    http://www.instructables.com/id/Alternative-to-the-Elizabethan-Collar/?ALLSTEPS
    PG

    #833697
    Halet
    Participant

    Do you think 8-10ml every four-five hours is a good feeding scheduled for him? Like I said, he seems to be three-four weeks but due to his injury it is harder to tell in regards to his walking. He does know how to back up pretty good. He does curl his tail around him at times just not often. I don’t see younger kittens doing that so it might be a good indicator. And another quick thing, do you know of any specific type of ointment I could put on him? We used to put the “human” triple antibiotic ointment on our cats small wounds or ringworm scratches (after it was removed) and they would heal up pretty fast. I just don’t know if that would be bad if he managed to lick it. I wouldn’t think so.

    Also, I thought it might be funny to mention. I also have a parakeet who is only a bit startled by the kitten (he just rears back if I get close with him) and he has gotten jealous. He has been trying to impress me with lots of dramatic dance moves so I’ll come pet and kiss on him, too. Sibling rivalry begins.

    #833802
    Halet
    Participant

    In the night, the little one managed to take off his bandage and bit himself pretty badly. Woke me up within seconds because of his mewing. I had to fight with him to re-bandage him and stayed up through the night to watch it. He hasn’t any skin on the wound anymore…

    I’m going to get him to the vet tomorrow if I can. Since it is a possibility he might not need some sort of surgery, I hope I can afford his care. Otherwise I’m just going to keep trying at home or see what I can cut back on for money. He is doing really good but it is getting harder to re-bandage him due to his more confidant biting. It is good that he is at least showing me he has the feeling back in his leg. I found goat milk and he is going to get started on that tomorrow since he only has a tiny bit left of the evaporated milk. He DID defecate and urinate in his sleeping box so he is at least learning to do such on his own (or he just really had to go.)

    Besides this leg, he seems like a healthy kitten. Good appetite, keeps clean, playful… just overall a good little one. I really hope I can work something out with the vet regarding payments.

    #833804
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Halet, I think it’s a good idea to get him to the vet and let them take a look at the wound, then they will probably put a collar/cone on him so that he doesn’t have access to his wound. The reason he is biting/licking/chewing is because it hurts, this is why PG mentioned you getting one, or the link so you could make one. We both posted links to help you, they are full of information on raising kittens. I know they are as I have used them time and again when raising my own. You need to be stimulating him to pee and poop or you will have other problems and not just his injury. Vets are usually pretty accomodating and hopefully will work out a payment plan so that you can get your kitten the treatment it needs. Please let us know how he is doing.

    #833807
    Halet
    Participant

    I am helping him use the bathroom, he just did it on his own this time. I made a bit of a collar for him with some fabric off a shirt. He held calm to it for a while then made attempts to play with it.
    I’m hoping I can get the appointment tomorrow as they close the next day. I hate having to put it off but I got money for an x-ray and antibiotics recently rounded up and I’m just hoping it isn’t far to complicated.

    #833825
    Halet
    Participant

    I got the little one to the vet, his name is Sam now since they needed something on record. They said overall the cat is perfectly fine besides the leg. They said he shows no signs of pain except when the leg was squeezed or he tried licking it, saying that he was mostly doing that due to it probably being itchy. I have to keep treating him for about four months or until he weighs about four pounds, whichever comes first. If they took him into surgery then/soon, he only had a fifty/fifty shot of making it out. Amputation is actually one of two options. Scar tissue may reform over his leg, give enough time, but might cause infections to arise. They also said he would more than likely experience phantom limb syndrome due to some nerve damage and may cause himself harm trying to get something off of him that he thinks is something or someone else.

    Wonderfully, they were NOT going to charge me as much as my main vet wanted to. My vet is fairly far into the city, so prices are higher, thus the $400-$600 amputation. This vet, however, said that they could do it for just about $150-$200, which is MUCH better. They are very much a small town vet but were very wonderful to work with. Given four months, I can gather the money up for something like that much easier. He has amoxicillin to take every twelve hours just for keeping infection down. They also gave me these little “booties” that they use on de-clawed or leg damaged cats that basically work like socks. It is a little fabric tube that I can roll over the leg after the Quickderm and a padding is applied, twisted at the paw-end of the leg, and then the left over end rolled back over it like a second sock. Body temperature was good and I forgot to ask her what the weight was that he had. I was not told if they gave him a shot or took an x-ray but the visit and take home things where about $70, which is not bad considering my last vet charged me so much for the amoxicillin on my other cat’s visit.

    Overall, I’m just happy for them to say he is not in any pain unless it is bothered excessively, which will happen during bandage changing. His weight, appetite, attitude, and other such things are wonderful for an injury of his type. They suggested that canned pumpkin or a bit of mineral oil put into his rectum could help with his need to defecate and that there doesn’t appear to be any blockage, just a stubborn kitten. Oddly enough, though, when they gave him the medicine, he took RIGHT to it with out hesitation. He might of thought it was the food since I feed him with a baby syringe and it was feeding time anyway, but I’m glad I won’t have to wrestle with him. Little Sam is going to make it.

    #833828
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Halet, what wonderful news! I am so relieved for you and for Sam! There is a contributor here named Buttons that has a 3 legged cat named Mr. Noodle, and he wore a sock for a while also. He had a front limb amputation and is doing remarkably well. I hope she sees this and can comment, she lives in Ireland.
    I was wondering about something in your post though, and you may want to call your vet to just get confirmation on it. You mentioned adding mineral oil or pumpkin into his rectum–but I think they meant adding it to his food as this is a something we suggest here for constipation but adding it their milk or wet food. It has to be plain pumpkin with no added spices, it has lots of good fiber.
    I am so glad this little kitten has you as his purrson, to watch over , take care of and to love him. Keep us updated on little Sam!

    #833832
    Halet
    Participant

    The pumpkin was something you would feed him. The mineral oil was, I guess, to just add a bit of “lubricant”, one might say, to help him if it seems hard on him. I think I just got my words jumbled around in typing. I mentioned that he had not defecated in two days and that was probably the reason of the mentioning of that last bit.
    With the sock on, he makes many successful attempts at jumping out of his box. The little arm is not so bulky with all the self-stick wrap. This is making it to where I have to move the box back on the bed next to me at night. I don’t want him wandering the room or getting hurt. He walks with a bit of a hop. He still loves to just back up to most places, though. He will use his socked leg to smack at me like he still can fight with it. Most times, though, if not using it and moving, he will stick it straight out to the side which seems like it would bother him but does not seem to. Probably just does it to move it out of the way, temporarily.

    Sam did sleep through his feeding when I brought him home. Little one slept a good eight hours after all the running around and being prodded with things and hands. I’m going to make this one my main vet and can hopefully get the other cats records to transfer. This one is closer but is just sometimes harder to get a hold of for calls.
    The parakeet likes to sit on his cage door and watch the kitten. I keep a close eye on him when he is out. He just doesn’t want anyone else having his Momma’s love.

    #833836
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    He sounds like he is adapting well to all he has been through, but of course he has YOU to thank~looking out for him and getting him the care that he needs. Your vet sounds like a good, kind, compassionate one–so necessary I think, to calm the person bringing in the animal and caring for the animal in a loving way.
    Love the interaction between the parakeet and the kitten. They will learn to share Momma, after realizing that it doesn’t mean one gets more than the other! 🙂

    #833859
    Halet
    Participant

    I did his re-bandaging just now and, I have to say, I don’t know how well I can do that everyday, even when having called someone over for help. They used some sort of non-stick things that DID stick to all the scabs he had just gained and caused them all to come right off upon removal. I soaked his leg down with that stuff to the best of my ability and wrapped him but I do not see that doing too much help… I had to use the big pads I have at home to wrap on him and I could not cut them down to the right size too well. The little socks were a bit tricky to put on him but I got them. I feel that those at the vet would become irritated with me if I brought him there for his re-wrappings everyday, more so because I don’t think they open everyday. I just do not think I’m doing it good enough and I’m putting him through more pain during the wrapping. I didn’t hear any sound from him but once when they wrapped him in the other room.

    He bit down on himself REALLY hard this time even though I had him in that Momma cat grip. I do not think he recognizes it as his own during these times. The leg is so raw that it is very hard to look at while I’m doing it. The person I had come over to help had a LOT of difficulty looking at it and gave me an earful about him being in pain even though there was nothing I could do. I don’t know how well I can keep up watching him in the most pain during re-wrappings till he is four pounds, much less four months. I just don’t want to do anything wrong. This could even be how it just is and the leg will do that but those distress screams from the kitten murder my heart.

    #833861
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    I’m hearing the anguish as you tell your story Halet. I’m sorry you and Sam are going through this. I had a cat that had the end of her tail lopped off and she did not recognize it as her own. It was shaved, it hurt and didn’t have hair on it. Every time she flipped her tail and it hit the floor, it hurt so she would growl at it and bite it, causing more pain. It ends up getting better over time. You could call the vet and ask them about the concerns you have, but you will just have to keep plugging away until some real healing begins.

    #833863
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I, too, understand what you are feeling, Halet. Purrhaps you can talk to your vet. about Sam’s pain and see if the vet. can recommend something. Again, I recommend you get an E-collar which you can cut back a bit. If you’re stressed about using it just put in on when you bandage his leg then take it off. He may be feeling your stress and is a bit more aggressive.

    Good Luck

    #833912
    Halet
    Participant

    (Wall of text again, sorry)
    I stopped by the vet today more so because I noticed a small swollen spot above the leg. I believe it is an abscess, which I know CAN go down on its own but sometimes needs assistance. She said I could attempt to prick it, since that is basically what they would end up having to do, to drain it only if I can really get him still to do it. Obviously, that did not happen. She said that if it stays that way or gets worse to bring him in Thursday. The abscess is not stiff but the skin itself is tough, which is why I could not do it. The slightest graze of the needle I was using made him yowl as if he was being stepped on. It is a thin needle for sewing machines. He does not seem to be in a lot of pain from it, however. I thought that perhaps I could find a way to get to it from the top of his leg wound (honestly, wound is a very light term for this but I don’t much like to keep it on mind) but could not find anything and did not want to unwrap his bandage. She said it could be a reaction to the amoxicillin or it causing the infection to go upward. If it gets a LOT worse tomorrow, I’ll try to take him in the next day or that day but money has got a bit tighter as of recent due to a surprise vet visit for a relative’s dog. She got hit by a trailer attached to a car and had to be put down due to spinal issues. I helped a bit in the cost since, for whatever reason, the guy that caused it offered no remorse or even help when it happened.

    Regardless, I also asked about the re-bandaging as well and she told me to try the cat-burrito thing where you bundle them up tightly. Even that was a challenge in itself because he is getting to where he knows when it is time to as he sees the bag of supplies. That worked a little better and I just cut a hole in the towel to put his leg inside of but his constant attempt to get free still caused some trouble and I don’t think I got all of the upper portion covered. I think it is just a tiny spot, though. Thinking about it now, the leg looks very swollen… but I have no idea how a leg is supposed to look when there is no skin. I do not see this healing in the next few months, if you ask me, but I’m far to afraid of that fifty/fifty chance of losing him to put him into surgery. I did not want to name him at first because I did not want the attachment to settle in if I could not save him. I get really torn up about animal losses more so than some human deaths at times. With the leg being kept moist with the quickderm, and being unable to let it dry and scab, it just seems like there should be other things I can do. There is no way on this Earth I can let it be out free even for a few minutes. The second he catches sight of it he wants to bite and if it where to touch anything it will cause problems. I would have to suspend him up, single the leg away from his fur, and keep him in some sort of harness for all that to work out. I just wish I had more options, or at least more psychical help from someone other than the friend who keeps urging me to put it down when they help re-wrap him.

    He has made a habit of jumping out of his box, with a little struggle, and on my bed. I did not expect him to do this the first time and he launched himself a little too far and fell to the ground. He was alright but has really wanted me to put him on the floor more now. He is walking good with a little hop at a fair pace. Not too fast but not slow either. His appetite has grown a bit more and he wants to eat around 16ml of the goat milk but the vet advised away from giving him around twenty due to his age. I still have trouble stimulating him to defecate even with q-tips for more direct contact. I’m going to see if I can find pumpkin baby foodstuffs since I would hate to have to toss a large unused portion of canned pumpkin due to not using it and it going bad quick. Baby food might also be easier to feed him. He saw me eating a bit of ham the other day and did his little screaming “I’m hungry even though I just ate” act and I took off the tiniest little nibble for him to lick (it was not coated in anything but water) and he either chewed it or swallowed it hole. Again, it was small, about the size of the letters on these messages. I’m cautious of introducing wet food to him, though, due to his age but it might help with weight gain.

    #833918
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Halet, I would introduce him to wet food as he sounds hungry and perfectly able to eat it. Get the pate kind with no chunks so he doesn’t choke, but I don’t remember what age you said he was. I also would kindly tell the friend that is helping you to knock off about the putting him down part, as this would only be done when all else has failed, and you aren’t ready (nor is Sam) to quit yet. That being said, I would discuss with the vet the options of payment of a leg amputation (now don’t freak out) and get it over with. He will be fine with 3 legs and adjust quickly. I know I have doctored abcesses, but not with a leg as damaged as his and you would want to get this done before his immune system is any more compromised. You know in your gut what the right thing to do is. I have read it in your posts. I am here for you and know you are agonizing over this little kitten. What will be will be, but I would try to see if the vet would work out a payment plan and go for an amputation. Please keep us up on his and your progress!

    #833933
    Halet
    Participant

    He is about three-five weeks old. Based on some ways of telling, he could be five weeks. It is hard to tell when it comes to how he walks because he is kind of being forced to learn quickly. I’ve actually heard about baby foodstuffs such as the turkey and chicken puree working as good quick starts as long as you watch the ingredients. The main thing they worried about with an early amputation was blood loss. I have no doubt the little one will make it around fine but I think he is about a little less than a pound, Length wise, Sam’s body is about the size of a soda can, so he seems small. And that “friend”, I’m just a bit out of options when it comes to help from someone who can at least stand to see it a bit so I just endure it. They know how I feel about the little one so they will not act on my behalf.

    I took a break from typing this because I noticed just a little tiny spot of yellow appear on that abscess. When I went to the vet the other day and asked about it, I did not have him with me, so it was up to me to get it done. But noticing that, I thought that perhaps now I could prick it without trouble. I have these surgical tools that are kind of like little clamps that I believe you put on surgical tubes, they look like scissors. I was going to pinch on a spot while I held him down and prick the raised skin. Instead, when I barely clamped on it, it bursts very thickly on his leg bandage a bit and then I rushed and held him over the sink. I got all of that cleared up in about twenty minutes and there is tiny little hole where it broke skin. He is holding his leg a little better now. The swelling on his leg appeared to have gone down in the last day so I think that is where all the infection went. That will be a lot of pressure off of his little body.

    I also took him outside to play earlier to get him some air and he happily played with some leaves while my old Momma cat kind of just glared at him. She was keeping watch but refused to be near it. Momma cat has already had two litters of six each so she was done with babies being around her. (All of my cats are fixed and spayed except this tiny little Sam). I placed him a bit near the dirt and he found where one of the cats had did their business and started smelling around more. I watched him close and he ended up using the bathroom there, both ways. He isn’t going to be able to bury in it but I will be able to set him up a tiny litter box. With the way his feeding schedule is every four hours, I can let him in it when I’m awake so I don’t have to keep him on the floor all night.

    #833939
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Wow, what a relief with the abscess! That little hole will continue to drain, now just keeping it clean. And he even did his ‘business’ outside in the dirt! YAY! Yes, providing him a box with unscented non clumping litter would be wonderful for him now and will make him feel like such a big boy. I see the problem now, he’s a little small for the surgery. Well, nothing to do but feed him up and keep doing the wonderful job you already know how to do. I believe you have him because no one could care for him as well as you. Such is the life of a rescuer~ hard work, worry, heartache, but the rewards are way worth it.

Viewing 20 posts - 1 through 20 (of 63 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.