Hoping my Pearl really is okay...

kittymonsters

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lots of love and healing thought for you and Pearl. It is amazing how they can heal from spinal injuries. That Pearl is showing even a little improvement is a great sign.

lots cyber hugs for you and sweet kitty headbutts for Pearl
 

adymarie

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I am glad she is doing better. I have a good feeling that she is going to get better and stronger every day.
 

alleygirl

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Oh my, poor little Pearl! I'm glad the x-rays were good and hope she truly does get better in just a few days. Maybe she hurt it jumping off something? Lots of vibes for you and Pearl.
 

krazy kat2

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Poor little Pearl! I hope we can have some good news today. I know how incredibly hard it is to have a sick or injured kitty, and they can't tell you what is hurting them. Lots of get well vibes from my Pearl and the rest of us, to your sweet baby. Please keep us posted if you can.
 

yosemite

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All our prayers and healing vibes are with you and sweet Pearl. She sounds like a real treasure.
 
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carolpetunia

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Aw, thanks for checking on her! There's good news and kinda bad news...

The good news is, she's better again today! Her right back leg is still very weak, and she mostly drags it with the paw turned out to the side. The other leg is a little stronger, though, and she's learned how to compensate now. She walks better, keeping her little knock-knees tight together so the better leg supports the weak one, and she takes bigger steps with her right front leg to make up for the natural leftward drift that the right back leg causes. And she seems generally stronger, so I'm just thrilled!

But... when I let her out of the crate today (pursuant to what the vet had told me yesterday), she immediately started trying to hop up on things again. She stared up at the bookcases in the living room, which is her favorite perch (she likes to menace the tiny imaginary crews on the line of sailing ship models up there), but she saw that she couldn't manage that yet... so she tried a dining room chair, and would have pulled it over on top of herself if I hadn't been there to stop it.

I followed her around the house for an hour or so, making sure she didn't get hurt, but she just kept trying to jump on things -- she is, as the vet called it, "a severe climber." So when the vet phoned to see how she was doing, I told her about this, and she said, "Honey, you're gonna have to put her back in the cage, or she'll aggravate that injury."

So I did. And Pearl protested at first, mildly... but then she settled down, seemingly resigned. I think she may actually understand why she's in there now. But it's still so hard to see her subdued this way... she's normally such a vivacious little darlin'.


I do feel okay letting her out of the crate at night, though, in my room, where she can climb a little makeshift stairway to the bed and back down. We took a nap this afternoon, and although she usually likes to sleep wrapped around my leg, today she stretched out beside me, tummy-to-tummy, and she snored ever so sweetly the whole time.
Is there anything nicer than a warm furry body snuggled up to you?

So... I have to be strong and keep her confined, and hope she continues to improve. I'm thinking I should take her in on Monday, though, even if she seems well... just to let the vet be very sure before I let Pearl run free again.

There's just no way to jump-proof the house, though goodness knows I've been trying to think of one, for the sake of all our kitties. But Pearl is by far the most dedicated climber -- she just can't bear to let a summit go unconquered! In the dining room, we have a padded wooden valance above the drapes, and about four feet away is the top of a hutch about six feet tall. One day a few months ago, I saw Pearl actually jump from the dining table to the top of the hutch, which is a remarkable vertical leap in itself -- and then she jumped across from the hutch to the top of the valance, which only has about five inches of headroom above it! She shot into that space like a rocket, back legs extended because there was no room for them, and latched on with her front claws! There was absolutely nothing to do up there, nothing she couldn't see from the hutch... I guess if you asked her why, she'd say, "Because it's there."
She's just amazing.

We don't know how she hurt herself, but my suspicion is the living room bookshelves, because there's a wooden-armed chair in front of them that she could have hit her back on if she came down wrong. I've got two thick blankets over that chair now, to pad the wooden parts until we can come up with a better living room arrangement.

I so appreciate your various crossed appendages... and I'm sure Pearl does too. Thank you for caring about my little girl...

Carol
 

katachtig

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I'm glad she's doing better. She may not be happy in the cage but a lot better than aggravatng the injury.
 

bonnie1965

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She's such a brave little girl!

Seb had a bone spur on his hip removed a little over a year ago. Had a heck of a time convincing him he could not climb. I kept him in my bedroom I had at the time and placed packed boxes all over the room as quasi stairs. He knew he shouldn't be jumping. I could tell it hurt him, but he still had to try.

Sending lots of get well vibes to Pearl!
 

ilovemykitty

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ohhh, it must be so hard on you both. I hope she gets better. i hate it when Had is hurt and i can't do anything about it.
 
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carolpetunia

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It's so nice to come back and see that you've been thinking of my Pearl -- thank you so much.

And it's good news again today! She's walking very well, still showing weakness, especially on the right side, but moving a little faster and more confidently.

I let her out twice today for an hour or so, staying right behind her all the time to be sure she didn't do any jumping. Now and then, she would fix her greeneyed gaze on a counter or tabletop, and I could just see her thinking, I'll bet I could get up there!
So I would immediately pick her up and put her wherever she wanted to be. Pretty soon, she got the idea, and she would go plant herself in front of the kitchen table, then turn to me and say, "Raowr?" So up I'd put her, and then when she started looking back at the floor, down I'd bring her again... clearly, the master/slave relationship is well-established between us.


But then the third or fourth time I put her up on the kitchen counter (we deny them nothing -- we just clean a lot), she immediately turned to the refrigerator and leapt for the top of it! I caught her in mid-leap and splained it to her, and I swear she understood me. It was a weak effort on her part, and I don't think she would have made it... but I have to admire her for trying.
Just as you said about Seb, Bonnie -- bless their brave little hearts.


So Pearl had me carry her around the kitchen for awhile so she could see up high, and then it was time to go back to her crate. She was ready to go, too, I think... it must be exhausting for her to hobble around that way, poor baby.

So now she's asleep in her crate beside me as I type, and she seems content with that for now. I'll let her loose in the bedroom tonight again, though... she's very good about using the steps I built for her.

Oh, and last night, for the first time since this happened, Pearl tried to climb up on top of me and make biscuits! She really had to struggle, and her back legs kept sliding off sideways, bless her heart... but she was determined, and she actually managed to make what I call "four-wheel-drive biscuits," with all four paws at once! Then she curled up in the crook of my arm and purred us both to sleep.

Have I mentioned how precious this little girl is?
 
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