Stepped on kitten's back

About 12 hours ago, I stepped on my kitten's back and neck.  I was standing up, putting on my shoe, and when I came down with my foot, my 8 week old kitten had ran and was under my foot.  I certainly didn't put all of my weight on the kitten, but it was enough for him to squeal.  After this happened, he got right back up.  He was a little stunned, but I picked him up and held him to make sure he was ok.  He just sat in my arms, and after about 5 min. of siting, he got down and started running and playing again.

I felt his back, ribs, and legs and nothing seemed to be broken, swollen, or tender.  He also didn't seem to be in pain as he was very calm in letting me feel around.  Throughout the day today, he slept and played as usual (maybe slept a little more than he usually does though).  He loves to climb, and had no problem climbing our scratch post or chasing balls.

Anyway, I've read horror stories of people accidentally stepping on their kitten and permanently injuring it.  Is there a possibility that I permanently injured my kitten?  I wanted to take him to the vet, but my mom said that the kitten seemed to be fine and if anything changed or seemed unusual, that we would then go.  He is eating well, using the litter box as normal, and has never meowed or acted in pain.  I've been concerned all day, however.

I wouldn't worry.  Your kitten sounds fine.  Just keep an eye out.

Cats, particularly kittens, have an uncanny knack of getting under foot.  I find feeding time is bad and when putting shoes on, especially if there are laces involved.  Having said that, you always need to be cognizant of their stealthy movements into the underfoot environment.  I can tell you feel very badly about it and you have my deepest sympathy.  I daresay most cat owners at one time or another stepped on a tail, or a paw.  I certainly have and I have felt so guilty for a long time.  Your kitten is still very young and my suggestion, to put your mind at ease, is to just pop into the vet and have him or her take a quick look over.  I think you will find that will ease your concern.  It will become second nature for you to know where your kitten is in relation to where you are.  I know, where my cats are pretty much all the time, particularly if I am in the area where they are fed.  It sounds like your kitten has bounced back but I would keep a close eye on her.  They are pretty resilient but have a built in sense to not show issues also. Do let us know how you make out.

Thank you for the responses.  It has been 36 hours now, and there has been no changes in our kitten (Hans).  He did sleep a lot today, more than usual (about 18-20 hours), but when we played with him, he was active as normal.  It seems like he is fine, and because of his unchanged behavior, my mom didn't see a need to take him to a vet.  I am so glad that I didn't hurt him.  We all learned to watch out for him more.

We have had Hans for only 2 weeks, but we have already formed a tight bond with him.  Hans was a stray kitten and was in our driveway when we were heading out to go shopping.  When we found him, he was cold and hungry, and we decided that we couldn't just leave him outside as his chance of survival was probably low.  So, we brought him in and decided that he had adopted us as him family.  As soon as we found him, we took him to the vet.  He was severely underweight and he had a bad respiratory infection.  After 10 days on antibiotics and after his infection was gone, we started him on his vaccines.  He has a great personality and we are blessed to have him. 

When there are kittens around I do the 'kitten shuffle' whenever they may be out and underfoot, but still they can pop out of nowhere. Good thing they are squishy and pliable and manage to avoid injury and I am glad yours did too. I know I've stepped on my fair share.

When my miss Mooni  was only a month old she fell ten feet out of a tree onto a rock and managed to do just fine after she got her wind back. Silly kitten!

It is good to hear that you've given your kitty your heart and home. The ones that find us can often be the most precious to us, in the end!

Thanks for the update. I was wondering how this little guy was doing. And how wonderful for you to bring him in and give him a home![emoji]128077[/emoji]