Nerve damage

I found a kitten in the road a week ago; had been hit so I took it right away to the vet and it turns out that she has nerve damage to her spine and isn't moving her front leg. Vet has given her steroids and says we should wait 3 weeks to see if she regains any feeling in it and if not, it's best to amputate it so it doesn't get caught/hurt. I just brought her home yesterday. She is SO affectionate! I was wondering if there's anything I feed her or do to maximize her chances of healing the nerve?

Lee

aaaww bless her heart! well done for taking her in - it's amazing what you're doing. it sounds like she just needs a few hearty meals and a lot of love. i always give mine warm white fish when they're ill - the warmth & smell are irresistable to them. good luck! give her a kiss from me xx

Did the vet mention anything about keeping her quiet and confined? To prevent a fall or injury and to get it time to heal. A dog crate large enough to hold a bed, literbox and food & water is the perfect size.

About a year ago, I had a cat that collapsed a few disks in him back and it caused some nerve damage. He couldn't use his back legs. The vet put him on prednisone and medicam and told me to confine him to a cage for 8-10 weeks. After that, he was able to use his hind legs again, but they wern't as good as they used to be and he was really wobbly.
If the nerves havn't been damaged for too long then there is a pretty good chance that the kitty will bounce back and make a pretty good recovery, but the longer the nerves are damaged, the lower the chances of it getting better. (this is what my vet told me anyways)

That's very useful and I'm glad your kitty got back some use of his hind legs. I will ask the vet about those meds. The vet didn't tell me to confine her but I have her in a small room alone and there's nothing there for her to climb on. Thanks for the advice!

Well, she isn't using it but it's not stopping her. I've got her alone in a bedroom most of the time, where she sleeps, eats A LOT and gets lots of petting...but I let her out for a while today and yesterday. Wow, she is full of beans - jumped up on the dining chair, onto the table and then onto the cabinet...about 5 feet up. I can't believe how athletic she is. I don't think she should be doing all this less than 2 weeks after getting hit by a car, so back to her room she goes, but it's great to see that her little spirit is so energetic.

Fiesty little one - and oh, so lucky!

I just noticed gothicangel69's mention of the drug Metacam and you're replying that you would ask the Vet about it. If you're not aware, this drug can be extremely dangerous for cats.

There has been much discussion here in the past about it...here are some of the threads I remember
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...hlight=metacam
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...hlight=metacam
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...hlight=metacam
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...hlight=metacam

My own advice is that, if ever that drug is prescribed, think long and hard before using it. There are pleanty of safe alternatives.

Now, surely after all this time, kitty must have a name???

Yes, the vet's girlfriend called her Molly and that was one of the names I was considering so I kept it. We call her Molly Monster, Molly Monkey, Molly Mouse...

When I asked, the vet said he gave her "a long lasting steroid" so I didn't push it any further about the meds.

I have no advise to offer but just wanted to thank you for caring and rescuing

FWIW, my Golden Retriever was given a steriod injection that was supposed to last up to 6 weeks. Less than 48 hrs later, it wasn't working (back to allergy symptoms). The vet has his file marked so he won't get it again.
So the injection isn't always better, it just depends on how they metabolize it.

I don't have any advice, but I hope your Molly kitty recovers well!