Taking care of a paralysed cat (waist down) / Fundraising tips?

Hi, I'm new to the forums.

I haven't done rescue work for a while, mainly because it is difficult to pay for all the vet fees and the country I'm living in isn't all that friendly towards cats.

Many cats that are rescued have nowhere to go and are sent to shelters and euthanised. I figured I'd rather have them living in the alleyways instead of forcibly meeting their deaths.

However, there was a case I couldn't just ignore and now I have a rescue cat that is paralysed from the waist down. She has been operated on but we don't know if she'll be able to walk or not.

She seems to have feeling in her legs and does try to move them when she feels she's in trouble but besides that because she's stuck in a cage at the vet (I can't keep her) and I would like her to get adopted, if not at least find a foster. However, I do need to let the carer know what she's in for with a paralysed cat. I unfortunately don't have much expertise in this area and would like any advice regarding taking care of a paralysed cat and what I can do to help her find her legs faster. The vet says because she's able to feel pain and discomfort in her legs and she does try to move them, she has a good chance of standing and walking under proper care and rehab. What extra things can I do to raise the chances of her walking? Should I recommend the carer to use diapers? Would it be better if I tried to find someone without other cats? Or should I try to get someone who is more experienced in handling them? Although she was feral, she lets people touch and handle her when she gets used to them. 

Unfortunately, I can't afford to have her at the vet for too long because of the costs... I've started a fundraiser on IndieGogo but have no idea on how I should approach people to get them to donate.

Sorry for all the questions, any advice would be really appreciated. I'm kind of overwhelmed because our house is infected with ringworm and I have to find a way to get Kurumi (the rescue cat) walking soon so I can find a good home for her (and stop incurring vet fees..).

Help Kurumi site:

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From the Mod Team Regarding Pleas for money:

Cats are a huge responsibility. Anyone who thinks otherwise, should not have one in their life. They are dependent on us for everything from providing a place to eat, to also providing vet care.

Anyone who has cats knows that they can and do get ill. Your best defense is to plan for that to happen before it does, and store monies away in preparation.

If you read about a plight of an animal on the internet and your heart is drawn to help, check out the story thoroughly. Google the vet's name or call Directory Assistance in the city and be sure this is a legitimate claim.

Do not blindly send money into a paypal account no matter how heart-wrenching the story. Instead reach out to the member and ask for the vet's name and phone number, and arrange to send the money there for the specific needs of the cat in question.

If that information cannot be provided- you have your answer. Report the post to a moderator so that it can be removed for not being on the level.

I haven't dealt with a paralyzed cat (yet); but, do have one with moderate rear limb neuropathy and myopathy and he required an Achilles's tendon repair surgery (that was a 3 month recoup period...strict cage confinement.)

Firstly, what type of injury did this cat have and what type of surgery was done?

When was surgery done?

Has she gotten the all clear from the vet to return to normal activity or are there still restrictions on activity?

Once she is given the all clear and she had healed up enough from surgery, she will need to be moved to a home environment and out of cage confinement. She isn't going to be able to build up strength and muscle confined to a cage. (Again, I want to stress that there is a need for cage confinement after surgery.)

As to whether or not she'll need a diaper...
Does she have control over her bladder/bowels? Or is the vet having to express her bladder? Does she leak urine?

You really don't want to use a diaper unless absolutely necessary. Doing so can often lead to chronic urinary tract infections, requiring long-term use of antibiotics.

Also, you would certainly want a caregiver to be experienced with cats and understand that there may be a need for some medical care to be done at home.

It really depends on the cat as to whether she would do well in a home with another cat or not.

Hi CatPack.

Thanks for your reply. When we found Kurumi she was already injured. We can only speculate what she suffered from but because she had a hip fracture we assumed it was a hit and run or from a fall. Her hip bone was basically smashed to pieces so everything caved in the space in her hip. At first she could not pass urine because of this. The vets performed a surgery replacing the fractured hip bone with a metal piece. So far it seems to be doing its job and she can control bladder movement. However the vet did say it is possible the hip cavity may get smaller as she gets older.

My main issue is trying to find a foster. Living in Asia, flats offer only a tiny amount of living space and as I mentioned before this country is NOT cat friendly and abandonment of pets is common.
She is fully healed surgery wise but has nowhere to go. It is hard enough to get a healthy cat to get adopted, Kurumi is an adult with paralysis. With a 50-50 chance of walking Again. What can I do to persuade somebody to take her home?