Ideas to help the time fly for my new injured kitten.

Wasn't sure where to really put this as it applies to a few categories but figure here's the most likely. Sorry it starts with a vent.

My track record with cats over the last decade or so is sticking true to form. I lost 2 a few years ago - short version is they went missing, long version ie why/how i'm not getting into as we don't have that long. That was with my ex.

So last year with my current partner we got 2 more cats. I have a thread here introducing them. A gorgeous cream birman and her black smoke daughter. Both inside cats and we made the walled patio fort knox so the mum could get some outside time when we were home (she was an escape artist and always wanted out there). True to form she escaped early this year and a neighbour found her, she'd been hit by a car, died instantly we think. We also still haven't worked out how she got out.

So fast forward her daughter "Ella Monsta" was not coping so well by herself. So we took on a rescue ginger boy. Very friendly and outgoing and after a few days they got on very well. She's not a people cat but decided about then she loved my OH which worked well as the ginger is very much my cat and a real cuddle bum. If you want a laugh my OH called the ginger "Count Terra Von Snugular" aka Terra.

So getting to the point of the thread.

Terra is now 4mths old and has somehow managed to break his femur still being an inside cat. Clean thankfully but still a total break in half and was on its way to being a compound. I did some begging and thanks to some awesome vet friends who pulled some strings we were able to get the surgery discounted (the emergency out of hours initial visit took 1/3 of our vet bill budget). The vets decided to pin it given his young age instead of amputating (possible hip damage made the amputating a possibility).

So now i have a young 4mth old kitten who is well and truly bored of "bed rest" 5 days into whats possibly a 6wk period (please keep your fingers crossed for the 3-4 weeks). He was walking on when it was broken and now its pinned and stable he thinks he's fine. Even the vets kept commenting how he's not showing any pain symptoms.

When home we have him out of the dog crate he's in (fits his litter tray and bed only) and carry him around with what we are doing. The next problem we've had is his flexibility.... the vets have given us a small dog cone as the cat cones still allowed him to play with his bandage. So he can't eat/drink with it on (or not get poo on it when using the litter tray it seems lol). We have it off when we are home as he has to wear a cat harness to keep it on. So far he has been very good about leaving the bandages alone when supervised.

So i would love ideas on how to keep him occupied when crated and not going stir crazy with boredom and thus drive us crazy with his crying. He's a real foody and i think has put on nearly a half a kilo in the last week lol. Can you get cat kongs etc?? or suggestions on meat bones ie chicken wing??

Thanks

im so sorry about your kitten! I really have not dealt with a broken bone on a cat before, so I'm not sure how to keep them occupied. Can the vet give you some meds to calm him down?

Cheers Blixxa - the more people i speak to the more it seems pinning is just not that common with cats.

Today marks 2wks since he did it and we seem to have worked out a routine. We've enlarged his cage by adding our large cat carrier to one of the doors and his bed is now in that so the litter tray and a food and water bowl is in the dog rate. We found 2 heavy upright bowls that he can sort of eat out of when the cone is on his head (as long as they are both full).

We have also bought him a cat leash and that is on him whenever he is out now too (basically if we are home). Its more convenient as we just loop it on the door handle of whatever room we are in and generally if he can see us he's not to noisy. Also stops him from trying to run and play with Monsta.

He is more than happy to sit on on me if i sit on the couch (so i'm getting to watch a lot of movies at the moment) and will play on the spot with the red light pen or a piece of ribbon.

Unfortunately yesterday also marked the start of Terra having to be locked up for more extended periods of time due to our work and other commitments. Where ever possible we try and be home but we both have a lot on at the moment with work and i don't have anyone close by who can easily take some time in the day to play with him.

In his dog crate - supervising me last week while i worked at home.


Showing off his bandage - the latest one is hot pink


Doing what Terra does best - being cute

Hi Nikiwink,

My cat Sophie also had an accident when she was very young (Around 6 months old) which ended with a broken bone which was pinned together and 6 weeks of being stuck in a cage. I live in a flat and I stupidly left a window slightly open which she either pushed open to fit through or possibly the wind blew it further open, and she ended up having a fall.

I'm not sure there's much you can do to keep Terra from getting bored unfortunately, since he wouldn't be able to chase toys around and things until his leg is healed. One thing you mentioned you're doing, which I also did, is I tried to keep Sophie out of her cage as much as possible, and would put her back in if she started trying to play with my other cat Chloe (I have a 3rd cat now too, but didn't have her at the time), and also when I'd have to go out or go to bed, and I think that at least helped a little, since she wasn't stuck in a cage 24/7 and could go lay down somewhere quiet or have a cuddle on the couch. Another thing I did was keep the tv on 24/7 so at night she could at least look at it to hopefully keep her from being too bored..

Anyway, the next 6 weeks will probably be boring for Terra, and you'll probably feel really bad for him too (I know I did!), but the 6 weeks will be over faster than you realise, and then he'll be all healed up and back to running around and playing, and if he's anything like Sophie, being a mischievous little thing! It's also really important that you make sure he does rest during the 6 weeks. I think it's ok to let him out of his cage when supervised, since Sophie was allowed (I asked the vet about it), but you should probably check with your vet first to make sure, and definitely put him back in if he gets too active. Especially during the last couple of weeks of Sophie's recovery, when she was out of her cage, she started to become too active and had to be put back in. I guess because she was starting to feel much better and wanted to play and things, so the last couple of weeks will probably be the point where you'd end up needing to put him back in his cage a lot (I'd recommend like 30 minutes, or until he seems to have calmed down again).

Anyway, I know I cant give you much advice to keep him from being bored, because I think its inevitable that he will be, but just remember that the rest is for his own good. When I asked the vet about letting Sophie out of her cage, I was advised that If she starts to run around on her broken leg it can cause it to not fuse back together correctly, and can end up with her having to have another surgery, so even when you feel awful for caging him, just remember you're doing what is best for him, even if he doesn't like it, and the 6 weeks will be over in no time!

Sarah

Also, this is a picture of Sophie after her surgery, having some rest: