Tangled Kittens

I read the older posts on tangled kittens, and I have successfully freed a litter of five from their umbilical cords. However, one of my little ones had a hind leg caught in the knot. I feel really bad for the little guy.  His leg is obviously not okay. What do you guys recommend? 

Thank you for your help

F frogsaw

Oh my goodness!

It's great you untangled them. They might not have survived otherwise.

Can you post a picture of his leg please? That will help us to know how to respond.

Yes, please post a photo! Thank you for stepping in!

Do you have the mom as well? If not, you will need to start feeding them ASAP.

Yes, I have the mother cat, and she is doing fine after the stressful event.

Are all the kittens nursing well?

Watch for a runt with five!

All are nursing well. We actually had six, but one did not make it 

F frogsaw

It's a bit hard to tell, but the leg looks twisted or hooked. We have another thread going right now that is similar to this.

The kitten may have been born this way. It could be a tendon that needs stretching. A leg tendon like this can occur if the kitten was squished in the womb, or it could be genetic.

It can possibly be straightened over time using splints and athletic tape. The kitten should be able to live a normal healthy life.

I will send you a link I found about the tendon issue.

Here is the other thread:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/320912/inos-pregnancy

There is a very good picture of the leg/foot in this thread where the poster has circled it. Tell me if it seems similar to your kitten's foot.

Or it may be a club foot. Either way, the kitten will walk okay. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

There is hope!

Congrats on the kittens! Glad they are nursing well! [emoji]128077[/emoji]

Thank you for the link! 

My kittens foot was in the center of the tangle. It was obvious that it was broken and twisted badly. I wish I had pictures, but the intensity of the moment made it impossible to think to grab the camera.

Thank you

I understand. Hoping a splint will help it to heal properly. Very gentle massage is also recommended to keep the circulation going well.

Kitten limbs are very soft and malleable when they are young.

If you begin splinting, please post pictures for us along the journey as it helps others.

Keep us posted on your kittens in general! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

For mom, can you keep her totally inside and away from intact males until her litter has weaned?  She can get pregnant within a week of delivery, and without going into heat.  

She will likely want the nest in a dark and quiet area away from all other animals and people.

She should have unlimited access to dry kitten food while she is nursing, and then meals of wet kitten food throughout the day.  She may like to have a bowl of kmr each day too.  We recommend powdered kmr by PetAg.  You can also use it to supplement the kittens if they aren't gaining enough.

frogsaw said:

 
I read the older posts on tangled kittens, and I have successfully freed a litter of five from their umbilical cords. However, one of my little ones had a hind leg caught in the knot. I feel really bad for the little guy.  His leg is obviously not okay. What do you guys recommend? 

Thank you for your help

Click to expand...

If you have a good vet nearby, the obvious step is to consult him.   With a so so vet, it may be another matter. Still, even a so so vet must live.

"Said the man, whom being sick, went to his so so doc, - because the doc must live. Went to the pharmacist with the receipt and bough the medicine, because the pharmacist must live, and back home threw away the new medicine - because he too must live."   Joking a little in a serious matter. Sorry.

We had similiar cases earlier. The vet usually didnt do much, recommended to wait and see.  In some cases the swollen food did got ok with time, in others the kitten perished with time...   That is surely why I retelled this old joke...

But if you do have a good vet, its just to consult and follow the advices.   As this is not just some diffuse swelling, (and not twisted leg either, although superficially it looks similiar), but clearly a broken leg - this is also a clear cut case even for a less experinced vet - setting on suitable splints or a plaster.

If the break is complicated and an operation is necessary, the easiest solution may be to amputate the leg.  As such operation is fairly easy for a decently experienced surgeon. While setting right a complicated break takes time and effort, both on the operating team, and on the patient..

And cat tripods make it excellently and live on good lives, if they dont have other faults too.