Our kitty may loose his tongue

Hi everyone,


I'm new here.

I'm sad to say that I sought this site out as a result of a very upsetting
situation.

Our cat was attacked by our dog. Unbelievable. They've lived together,
slept together for many years.


I'll move right to the point. Our cat looks like he is going to survive the
attack but there is a very serious posibility that he may loose at least half,
perhaps all of his toungue.


Can a cat survive without his or her toungue?

We're horrified.

Any help, information or advice would be greatly appreciated.


Thank you,

Ric

Yes they can! On the Best Friends website under Guardian Angels, there is a cat by the name of Solare that was missing at least 1/2 of her tongue. They had to hand feed her for awhile but she does eat on her own now. Check it out. Good luck

I am so sorry that this happened. Have you taken the cat to the ER vet? If not, you are going to want to. When me and my hubby were first dating, his kitty got into the trash can and cut her tounge on an open can. We didn't even know that she had cut her tounge until it started to abcess. At that point, her tounge was starting to rot. We took her to the vets as soon as we knew that something wasn't right. She had surgery, and the vet stitched what he could together, but it was too far gone. My vet couldn't save her tounge, and he told us that cats need their tounges to lap up water, so sadly we had her put down. Please take your cat to the ER. If she has any tounge left, maybe they can save it. If it is completely gone, I'm not sure if they can do anything. Again, I'm so sorry that this happened.

He went to the ER right away and was then rushed to a specialist.

The toungue has been re-attatched but about half of it in poor shape at
this point.


Thanks so much for your quick replies.

I'll be praying for kitty and your family. What a horrid thing to have happen. Do you have to tube feed him until you know if the tounge will heal? We had to for awhile with our kitty. Please keep us updated on his progress.

He's still at the clinic and under observation.

It's been touch and go. His face really got messed up.


At this point, what's left of his tongue just hangs there.

I have no idea if he'll regain any use of what's left.

I'm so sorry for you and kittie. I found this site because of my cats medical problem too, so you are in good company here. the advice and support you'll find on here is incredible. Hope your cat is ok, and I'm sure the vets will find a way.

oh the poor thing! do you know what made the dog turn? hope things turn out well

I am so sorry, and prayers go to your kitty and your family. I hope the ER vet has some good news for you soon, and that you can all begin healing soon.

Sorry this happened, but glad you got treatment right away. Can I ask what kind of dog you have?

I'm very sorry for the pain that your kitty is going through. I'll be sending healing vibes in hopes that she can still have use of some of her tongue.

I would also be concerned about why the dog suddenly attacked. The concern would extend to me, any kids and any visitors as well. It isn't normal for a pet dog to attack a long familiar family member. I would have the dog checked at the Vet's as well. I hope you do this. He can't be feeling well if he attacked, perhaps he's suffering from something....

Rikks, try not to worry. Your cat will probably readapt to using half its tongue. I am really sorry this happened, I know this is traumatic for you.

I hope everything turns out ok.

Poor kitty. Hope he recovers soon.

Please keep us updated on his recovery.

This is an old thread that is very dear to all the "old-timers" on this board. In 2004 Sasha was attacked by a coyote. Its 13 pages long, but it goes into detail how Eddie helped Sasha regain a normal life after a very traumatic experience, very similar to your kittie.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...ht=sashacat421

Best of luck with your cat,

I am so sorry for your family for having had to experience such a traumatic event.

Hopefully your kitty will keep part at least of her tongue. Cats drink with their tongues so they need at least some to maintain hydration. If kitty is able to eat but not drink, hydration can be addressed by sub Q fluids.

Quality of life for kitty is going to be the issue. Give her time to recover from the initial healing and trauma first. Then assess what her quality of life is like. Some may bounce back, others may give up. It will depend on the individual.

Please have your dog get a thorough vet exam. Sudden lashing out is often times a sign of not feeling well and wanting to be left alone, especially in older animals.

This just happened to my sister. Her two dogs got in a scary scuffle and two days later it was determined one had a large abdominal tumor. These dogs have lived together for 11 years and are best buds.

Also, there are some newer studies which indicate that even mild hypothyroidism (low thyroid) in dogs may cause sudden aggression issues.

Lots of vibes for healing of your entire family.

Phew! I just read through that whole thread on Sasha. I guess I wasn't around then or I missed it completely.

Do we know how Sasha is today, June 13, 2008?

I'm really hoping your kitty will be OK and able to manage with 1/2 tongue. I agree, maybe the dog isn't feeling well and a vet check wouldn't hurt for sure.

I've never dealt with a cat with a damaged tongue so unfortunately I can't help, but can only send you best wishes.

I would like to echo everyone else's urges to get your dog checked out - that could have been a small child he lashed out at!

Sending lots of vibes for your kitty.

I just read all that also.
Looks like Sasha died in 2006.
Sasha 5/11/06
That is in her Sig