What can I do for my kitten...help

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kiraskitties

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Hello
I've recently adopted two kittens(they're in the avatar) a few months back, a male and a female, both 6 months old now and are from the same litter.
I never had any problems with the female (Luna) but the male(Chánder) used to alternately limp on either one of his hind legs for two to three days and then normally walk again. This happened around three times till now. He had never gotten into a fight and is really a very timid, sweet ball off fluff who loves cuddling and attention, which was why we we're worried and took him to a vet the very first time it happened. The vet said that there was nothing wrong and that he may have sprained a muscle while jumping around or when he played with Luna.
After the other two times (which weren't far apart) he was doing so well. No limping, full of energy and he seemed like a very happy kitten(yet slow growing as compared to his sister), until a week back...

He had been sunbathing in our front yard for a bit together with his sister, when we let them out of our sight for a bit, after which we suddenly heard screeching and cries. I quickly ran out to find him on his back on the floor with a male feral on top of him, almost three times his size and Luna fine but hiding inside the garden bushes.[emoji]128545[/emoji] The feral ran away while lil Chánder ran under our car. We slowly got him out, yet he wouldn't cry from pain and neither did he move either of his legs...we were so terrified and had called every vet we could find, to no avail. There were no visible injuries on him either.

He started to feel the pain after a bit and kept biting his leg and tail, but refused to walk and instead started to drag his legs. He would still eat normally, try to play and ask to be petted and carried around. I carried him to his bed, in hopes of rest helping, but nothing changed the next day.

A vet came and took a look at him, saying noting was broken, or dislocated and that rest would hopefully be all he'd needed. When nothing changed the next two days we took him to another vet, who said something similar. It was also by this time that we noticed that while he urinated normally, he hadn't defecated in three days, which worried us greatly.

By day four we had him taken to another vet and they had him forcefully defecate with a tube(i wasn't around at the time, so I don't entirely know what happened then, other than what my mom told me) as his stomach started to visibly bloat. He seemed to regain a bit of his missing energy and started to groom himself and try to walk, again to no difference. He's been at the vets since then and it's almost been a week since all this happened.

He's been given antibiotics (for fear of an infection if he'd been bitten), a neuro-regenerator(i think) and vitamin shots till now.

I don't know what to do for him, esp since the vets where I live don't really have all the necessary facilities(X-rays and such) and it tears my heart to pieces to see him this way. I really wish I could find something to do for him, before its too late...I don't want to lose him, esp if there's something i could have done for him, but didn't because i didn't know or get the correct guidance.
I hope I can find something here, as we're at our wits ends not knowing what to do for him, and I'm terrified we'd have to put him to sleep if nothing can be done.
He's eating fine, playing, sociable, asking for as much attention as he could find...but he's not walking nor defecating...help, please.
Sorry for the long post....[emoji]128532[/emoji][emoji]128532[/emoji][emoji]128532[/emoji]
 

di and bob

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I cried when I read about that sweet little boy, I'll pray for him to get well. If you have had him checked by two vets it almost HAS to be some kind of nerve damage. That would explain his not being able to go too. He might have had trouble with it, like a birth defect and that would explain the slight symptoms before the feral incident. How is he defecating now? Do you or the vet have to manually purge him? Is he slowly getting better at all? If it was me, I'd try to confine him to at least a smaller area so he doesn't move around so much and irritate the injury. I'm sorry I'm no help, but I understand the helplessness you are going through with someone you love. You only want the best for him. It is only 5 AM here, so I hope you post a little bit in a few hours to bring your post back up to the top, and I pray you get the help you want. Bless you for trying, give him a kiss for me. 
 
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kiraskitties

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Thank you, it seems like that's what could help him most now 
 
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kiraskitties

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I cried when I read about that sweet little boy, I'll pray for him to get well. If you have had him checked by two vets it almost HAS to be some kind of nerve damage. That would explain his not being able to go too. He might have had trouble with it, like a birth defect and that would explain the slight symptoms before the feral incident. How is he defecating now? Do you or the vet have to manually purge him? Is he slowly getting better at all? If it was me, I'd try to confine him to at least a smaller area so he doesn't move around so much and irritate the injury. I'm sorry I'm no help, but I understand the helplessness you are going through with someone you love. You only want the best for him. It is only 5 AM here, so I hope you post a little bit in a few hours to bring your post back up to the top, and I pray you get the help you want. Bless you for trying, give him a kiss for me. 
Thank you so much for your prayers. 

I'm afraid that it might be as you said, and i keep wondering if there's anything that can be done for him; does he have a chance of recovery even the slightest, because i'll bet on that and do everything I can...and this is exactly what's been on my mind the entire time...

No, he's still not defecating and the vet has to manually purge him, as he's been at the clinic for two nights now. I've been told that there hasn't been much change, and because of other issues I couldn't check up on him today so I'm not totally sure...I'll be going tomorrow and will post an update when I manage to. 

He hasn't moved from his bed much, unless it was to urinate(which he can normally do) or eat, so i doubt there's much movement he's getting. 

Thank you for your support, and i will. I'm sure he'll love it 
 

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I am so sorry! I don't have any experience with nerve damage or injuries myself, but the situation reminds me of this thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/314056/kitten-who-cant-move

The vets couldn't find any signs of injury either, and it turns out the kitten's paralysis was due to mental trauma of the attack. He did regain use of his legs with lots of love and some exercises that his owner did with him. Even if this isn't exactly the case with Chander, it is a very uplifting story to read and it might help keep your spirits up knowing that even seemingly dire situations can have a happy ending.

You may have already decided this, but I would not let either of the kittens outside again. They will adapt just fine to being indoors, and a dangerous attacks that happens in the blink of an eye like that are unfortunately common for outdoor kitties.
 

nathaliewhite

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Hello, I have a cat named koshka he's my special needs cat. His hind legs aren't working so well either and we took him to the vet NUMEROUS times we have the same problem as your lovely kitty. The vet told us there was NOTHING wrong with him every time they even kept him for a few days just to tell us "maybe he's a weird cat" but we found out he actually has CEREBELLAR HYPOPLASIA. You could look it up, its not life threatening. And its genetic, his father too has it. Hopefully your kitty will be able to live a long happy life, (I'm sure he will) I'm not a vet, I'm just trying to help. I'll pray for your baby.
 
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catwoman707

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My opinion....

If it has been confirmed that nothing is broken, then it is due to trauma/pain that we are not able to see visibly, or nerve damage/trauma.

Unless he has an abcess where he was bitten then it is very likely trauma rather than actual nerve damage.

He is still healing, physically as well as mentally, if there is swelling, again not seen visibly, then that can cause the spine to not function right, spine connects the tail also, is he able to move his tail?

How does he go to urinate?

Time and possibly a steroid injection is my recommendation, and also water therapy.

It's instinct when a cat is in deep-ish water to paddle his legs, but must be deep enough for him to float, feet not touching the bottom.

If he is not bathed regularly which most cats are not, he will give you a hard time the first few times, but it will go easier soon enough.

Water therapy will keep him from getting much muscle waste during this time that he is not using his legs.

If he can move his tail, no need to worry about permanent damage, in time he will recover.

Even if he can't or won't now, in time he will.

Cats are funny, a cat will hurt his limb and refuse to use it at all, scaring us in to thinking it's badly hurt, they don't gradually use it more and more to show recovery, but suddenly when there is no pain involved, they wake one morning and are all good again, so he needs the time to slowly recover, it sounds to me that he likely will.
 
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kiraskitties

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Hello, I have a cat named koshka he's my special needs cat. His hind legs aren't working so well either and we took him to the vet NUMEROUS times we have the same problem as your lovely kitty. The vet told us there was NOTHING wrong with him every time they even kept him for a few days just to tell us "maybe he's a weird cat" but we found out he actually has CEREBELLAR HYPOPLASIA. You could look it up, its not life threatening. And its genetic, his father too has it. Hopefully your kitty will be able to live a long happy life, (I'm sure he will) I'm not a vet, I'm just trying to help. I'll pray for your baby.
Thanks, I looked it up and while it does sound similar to what my boy's going through, it doesn't quite fit...

I hope so too...
 
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kiraskitties

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I am so sorry! I don't have any experience with nerve damage or injuries myself, but the situation reminds me of this thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/314056/kitten-who-cant-move

The vets couldn't find any signs of injury either, and it turns out the kitten's paralysis was due to mental trauma of the attack. He did regain use of his legs with lots of love and some exercises that his owner did with him. Even if this isn't exactly the case with Chander, it is a very uplifting story to read and it might help keep your spirits up knowing that even seemingly dire situations can have a happy ending.

You may have already decided this, but I would not let either of the kittens outside again. They will adapt just fine to being indoors, and a dangerous attacks that happens in the blink of an eye like that are unfortunately common for outdoor kitties.
Thank you for the thread, I've spent the last day reading through it and not only was it heart warming, it gave me the hope and determination that I needed to not listen to the vet and Chánders' current care-taker at the clinic to put him down, and to instead fight for him and his life. They had started to make me feel like there was nothing that could be done any longer

Yes, i most definitely have decided to keep them indoors...much to my moms' objection(as lil Lunas' excess energy can't easily be expelled indoors) 

Hopefully, Chánder will come around and surprise everyone. 
 
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kiraskitties

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My opinion....

If it has been confirmed that nothing is broken, then it is due to trauma/pain that we are not able to see visibly, or nerve damage/trauma.

Unless he has an abcess where he was bitten then it is very likely trauma rather than actual nerve damage.

He is still healing, physically as well as mentally, if there is swelling, again not seen visibly, then that can cause the spine to not function right, spine connects the tail also, is he able to move his tail?

How does he go to urinate?

Time and possibly a steroid injection is my recommendation, and also water therapy.

It's instinct when a cat is in deep-ish water to paddle his legs, but must be deep enough for him to float, feet not touching the bottom.

If he is not bathed regularly which most cats are not, he will give you a hard time the first few times, but it will go easier soon enough.

Water therapy will keep him from getting much muscle waste during this time that he is not using his legs.

If he can move his tail, no need to worry about permanent damage, in time he will recover.

Even if he can't or won't now, in time he will.

Cats are funny, a cat will hurt his limb and refuse to use it at all, scaring us in to thinking it's badly hurt, they don't gradually use it more and more to show recovery, but suddenly when there is no pain involved, they wake one morning and are all good again, so he needs the time to slowly recover, it sounds to me that he likely will.
Yes, it has been confirmed that there's nothing broken and no abscess or any form of external injuries.

Yes, I saw him last on Friday and today is Sunday morning(I couldn't go to the clinic till now and i feel so guilty about it), and until then he was able to move his tail and slightly push the ground with his left leg as he dragged himself. 

If he's on his bed, he'll either call for us and one of us will carry him to his litter box, or if he's on the ground he'll drag himself, slowly climb into his litter box and urinate. While there's been no issues with that, he still hasn't been able to defecated on his own and is still being purged by the vet twice daily. [emoji]9785[/emoji]

I'm not completely sure if he's been given steriods(how could i have not asked), so i'll check that out and inform, plus I hadn't heard of water therapy, and like i mentioned it before, there isn't much at the clinics to help here. I'll talk with my mom and we'll see what we can mange to do; maybe filling the bathtub with warm water and letting him float on it, or a bucket wide and deep enough? This'd work, right? I'll try to get him on it as soon as i can. 

He's regularly bathed(Both actually complain if we happen to miss wash day, probably due to the pampering that usually follows), so hopefully he won't complain much. 

So, according to your words, is it okay for me to hope that he'll be able to make a relatively good recovery in a month or two? It hurts to see him this way...
 

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Keep in mind that this is my opinion as I am not a vet, but have many years of experience with countless cat/kitten issues, injuries and illnesses, have a cat rescue group and on the board of directors for the humane society and their 'cat advocate/expert'! lol

Just telling you with no actually injuries found it is very likely from trauma, mental and physical, as I said before, when a cat feels sore they will hide it well instinctually from showing weakness to predators, yet will baby themselves rather dramatically while they recover from a limb injury or trauma in a home.

If a cat gets bitten by another cat it will abcess, which is very sore as it swells and fills with fluid, in a home, they will not walk on it at all for days, laying around like it's broken, then it bursts and all good, the pressure is gone now and they will walk just fine. If they are outdoors they will go away and hide, protecting themselves from showing a weakness until they can walk fine again.

There have been a couple of threads here that are a great example of injured cats who would not walk yet had no actual nerve damage, and although it can take a while to recover depending on how much trauma from whatever caused it, they do recover.

Spinal nerve trauma does take a bit longer too.

If he is able to move his tail and even slightly move one or both legs, I personally believe he will recover. A limp hanging tail is questionable for recovering, sometimes there is an unseen issue with the nerve, but having control and movement tells me give it time and therapy, he will get better.

The water is hydro-therapy basically. His being in water deep enough that his legs dangle will cause him to paddle with them, a little at first but it gets his brain wiring straightened out rather than deciding this is it, no more walking! Not that he thinks that just yet, that comes in time when repeated trying to walk but can't.

A laundry room tub/sink is good, it's big enough and deep if filled. 
 
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kiraskitties

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Thank you all who prayed for my lil boy, but sadly i have to inform you that Chánder passed on in his sleep yesterday. I hate that I don't know what went wrong and that all I do now is cry, but I hope he knew that he was deeply loved and will be missed greatly. 

This has been the hardest thing I've wrote in my life.

Again thank you all for everything. 
 

catwoman707

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Thank you all who prayed for my lil boy, but sadly i have to inform you that Chánder passed on in his sleep yesterday. I hate that I don't know what went wrong and that all I do now is cry, but I hope he knew that he was deeply loved and will be missed greatly. 

This has been the hardest thing I've wrote in my life.

Again thank you all for everything. 
Oh my gosh I am so sorry......

Something more was wrong, it doesn't make sense. Very, very sad.......
 

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Woah.. I'm so sorry.. Didn't expect that, this makes me sad.. He was well loved. Perhaps youll meet him in another life.. Sorry for your loss. He'll be watching over you.
 

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I am so sorry for your loss.  Your little guy was very fortunate to have you to love him.
 

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So very sorry to read this news.  As is our custom on TCS, we'll lock the thread now out of respect for your loss, and we invite you to place a tribute to Chánder in our Crossing the Bridge forum.  
 
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