Awful... advice needed please

Hi,

I wish my first post here was better, happier news. Unfortunately it's not.

My pregnant cat just gave birth and one of her babies has something severely wrong with it.

The back left foot has been partially bitten off. It's been mutaliated. One toe with the nail is hanging by a thread and it looks a bit like a bloody stump.

The bleeding has stopped, it just looks mangeled. The problem is, although I've dealt with cat pregnancies in the past where one kitten may have a congenital problem and dies soon after birth..... they're usually not very active.... this kitten is VERY active, and other than the foot... looks fine.

I'm taking the kitten on it's own to the vet tomorrow. But, I wanted some advice on what I should do? Would a kitten with a problem like this, if it survives, have a good quality of life?

I don't want to have to euthanize just for "convenience" - I mean, cats & dogs with 3 legs tend to lead productive lives... and the leg seems fine, it's just the foot.

Do I let nature take it's course or do I step in? Nature might mean that this kitten survives into adulthood... would it be a good thing or a bad thing???

Has anyone ever had this happen before? This kitten was #2 in the birth order, and I think I got there just in time to help the mom as I think she was overly anxious.

Now although two other kittens survived (birth order no #3 & #4) and are healthy looking, there was another (birth order no #5) that was stillborn (difficult delivery) and another (birth order #1 I assume) that by the time I got there, had blood all over it, and missing limbs as well but was deceased.

If I let nature take it's course, I think I will let the vet show me how to disinfect and clean the wound as I wouldn't have a clue how to do it with a neo-natal kitten.

But, in the meantime, as that time is 12 hours away (10am tomorrow), should I do anything for the wound? should I just let the mother deal with it for now? should I be cleaning it now or should I wait for the vet, and let the mother deal with it (ie cleaning the kitten the way she would do best, as she'll obviously smell it as she would when she's cleaning them..)

Thanks all, and I appreciate any advice being given.

Wow. Can you not get the kitten to the vet now rather then wait for tomorrow? I would think they could do something to keep it from getting infected and would know what needs to be done. I'm sure that it would be able to survive and have a great life (as an inside cat). I would get it to a vet ASAP.

Originally Posted by mews2much

Are your sure the mom did not do it by mistake?
My friends cat bit a tail off a kitten once and a paw when she cleaned them.
It was her first litter.
One died and the other one is fine but she has only half a tail.
I would try to go to the vet now so it does not get infected.
I have also seen deformed kittens born.

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I was going to ask the same thing- one of my Mothers who had a premature batch(completly undevelloped) and when she was cutting the cord she accadentally bit off its leg . As horrible as that sounds, if that is what happened it was just a mistake made by mommy cat. The vet is impornant incase of infection, especially at such a young age.
Good luck

I would bet the mom did it accidentally, and if you get him to the vet, he can probably complete the amputation, stitch it up, and there's no reason the kitten can't lead a fairly normal life, indoors.

Sounds like you might have inbreeding going on what with the defects and the deceased kitten. Suggest you find a feline specialist in your area. If you call them, I suspect they would want to see the kitten right away. Hopefully the family is inside? if not the kitten is in danger of a maggot infestation which can quickly kill him. Also urge you to keep mom inside and get her spayed as soon as the vet recommends. Often, they will do it when the queen is still nursing as the milk drops after 24 hours, but it is up to your vet. But you need a feline specialist for neo-nates, they are difficult at best for feline specialists to save them all, virtually impossible for regular vets to help as they gererally have little or no knowledge of kittens born early.

Oh what a thing! I will send up some prayers for you all tonight. Please keep us posted. Sweet baby.

Originally Posted by hissy

Sounds like you might have inbreeding going on what with the defects and the deceased kitten. Suggest you find a feline specialist in your area. If you call them, I suspect they would want to see the kitten right away. Hopefully the family is inside? if not the kitten is in danger of a maggot infestation which can quickly kill him. Also urge you to keep mom inside and get her spayed as soon as the vet recommends. Often, they will do it when the queen is still nursing as the milk drops after 24 hours, but it is up to your vet. But you need a feline specialist for neo-nates, they are difficult at best for feline specialists to save them all, virtually impossible for regular vets to help as they gererally have little or no knowledge of kittens born early.

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I've never heard or read anything about spaying a new mother before she's weaned kittens. I would think that would be a very bad thing. Not only would her milk dry up because she wouldn't be there to nurse kittens, but she'd be under anesthesia and that would be passed onto the kittens through her milk. I understand that people can be very passionate about preventing overpopulation of cats and kittens but hopefully the advice given is from a medical standpoint or something you've done personally.

Yes, it is from a personal situation and one that couldn't be avoided. I bottle fed the babies until the milk dropped and was clear of any drugs. Kittens and mom did fine and all went to loving homes. As I said, it is a vet's call and yes, it can be done.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

I would bet the mom did it accidentally, and if you get him to the vet, he can probably complete the amputation, stitch it up, and there's no reason the kitten can't lead a fairly normal life, indoors.

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Yeah, years ago, a buddy of mine resued a 5 month old cat near the motorcycle shop where he worked. The vet thought her leg was deformed before she was born and amputated the leg, leaving her with one hind leg. He and his wife took very good care of her.

She lived to a good old age.

She was a happy, indoor cat although he would take her outside, on a leash and harness, one of her specialties on these "excursions" was catching grasshoppers when they jumped, very effectively

Yes, a cat with 3 legs can manage quite well, with a little care.

IMO..This doesn't sound like an accident to me. If two kittens have/had limps chewed or missing. It sounds like they were born with issues or just maybe Mom is doing this. I have no idea why she would, but I would get the little one to the vet asap! And please keep us posted.

Oh..and YES, cats can still have wonderful lives with only three legs.

Here are some positive vibes and prayers coming your way to help get you through this.

Thankyou for the advice.

I took the newborn with me to the vet today with my 10 week old kitten (the 10 week old needed a check up and is fine)

The Vet took one look at the kitten and the look on his face said it all. His first words when I said "I don't know what I should do..." were "Euthanize"....

He told me, that the kitten had chewing on it's front left leg, that it had a fracture in it's left leg, and the paw had been half chewed off. Half the pad was missing.

He said before he worked out that half the pad was missing, that if the entire pad was missing, the kitten would never weight bear on that foot. That the entire leg would need to be amputated.

When he realised there was a fracture as well, he told me, that even though the kitten was otherwise active - He was nursing well, a big personality, squirming all over the place, aware etc, and the mom had taken to him that the prognosis was poor.

He told me that if I were to have it fixed, that it would be a lengthy proccess. No guarantees that the kitten would even survive past infancy, and that the bill would be "open ended" - I've heard about leg ampuations ETC in animals, and the bill could run $5000+ just for the first part of the fight.

I'm not opposed to spending thousands to save a kitten. I've done so in the past, but the Vet, when asked "What would it's life be like, would it be in pain?" said, that the most humane thing would be euthanasia, that yes, it would cause more pain than good, and it would be for the best with the kitten's condition.

He also said, that the kitten had diarreah, and that's one of the deciding factors. Kittens that young don't usually survive all of the above PLUS diarreah in which they will get dehydrated very fast. Plus, I thought, along with that, that even if the kitten was active, that something more internal was wrong with it, knwim?

In terms of the mother cat, I think she was just nervous, being in with my other cats as well as a difficult birth which was the cause of death for at least one that got stuck in the birthing proccess and only came out with my gentle help and the mother cat screaming and not calming down for her live babies.

I don't think my other cats would have hurt them... I've had other kittens in the past born around the others, and they just stare at them as if to say are those???! those kittens were big, fat suckers who are now beautiful and with new loving families.

I had to decide to euthanize. It was heartbreaking hearing the kitten scream for it's mommy when the vet took him into the other room. They had advised me to take the kitten there without mom, and just wrap him up warmly, and from the get go, this diddn't please the kitten who screamed half the way there for it's mom, and distressed the mother cat who wanted her baby back.

I feel so bad, but, even feeling bad, I know it was the right choice, because it would have been selfish to keep him with us, when he would have been in pain, and when as the vet said, there were others to focus on as well.

Thanks again.

I am very sorry to read this.

I am a big, old 50-something guy that has not lead a sheltered life and I can't handle reading this, it must have been far worse to experience.

I have found that sometimes we're faced with some really difficult situations where there aren't any good options.

Sending

I'm so sorry for your loss. It's a really difficult thing, but it was what was best for him. I know how hard it is to watch a kitten suffering(One of my fosters had a very ill litter off kittens, and most of them died gasping for breath ).
for you and all of your other babies

I'm so sorry for all of you. You, the mamma cat, and both kittens that didn't make it.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I know it is a very hard thing to go through to have to make the decision to euthanize your little one. Hang in there!