My cat isnt recovering - when do I draw the line?

My beautiful cat has a broken pelvis after a car accident and she has been unable to go to the toilet on her own. It is 2 weeks today and the vet said we would persevere. Has anyone else had any similar experiences? I pray that she will go for a pee on her own but she isnt and she hates having her bladder squeezed by the vet. I dont know how long to go on - the vet takes each day as it comes but we have had no progress for days.

It is a traumatic injury to be sure, and it does take time to recover. It is entirely up to you as when to call it quits. You are the one who sees the cat every day and sees what if any quality of life it has. I know with Tazzy, she got hit September 15th thereabouts, and suffered some really bad nerve damage in her rear, and lost her front leg. There are many days when my husband and I sit down and discuss whether we have asked her to do the impossible, and survive this impact, but she is still here with us. For me, the measuring stick is the cat herself, her eyes are bright, she still plays with the others, she has some unusual acts of aggression both against me, my husband and the other cats. She gets constipated easily and I have her on lactulose and a special feed by Eukanuba, low residue dry. If her eyes were dull, her coat dull and she was just lying around drooling, she would not be with us today. But it is clear that although she does have post traumatic stress and other issues, that she is a fighter and she wants to be here.

Make that your measuring stick, determine if your cat has the fight within to stay alive, and don't go by what the vet says or anyone on the internet says to you. Go with your heart-

Also one thing I strongly suspect with these types of injuries is there is brain jarring. Not brain damager per se, but something does not sit right with an animal who wins the fight with a car. As I said, sometimes we wonder if we are asking Tazzy to do the impossible, but she is still with us and we are both striving forward-

My kitty has CRF...I decided when she no longer seems to enjoy life, then it might be time to call it quits. Right now, she still purrs, she still loves sitting in the sun, she still loves looking out the window, she still loves hissing at other cats that pass by the window, ect...she still loves living. But eventually, inevitably, she'll get to a point where she won't purr anymore...she won't enjoy her life. That might be the time to go.

With hip injuries...that's tough. I knew a guy that broke his hip playing football in high school. It took a LONG time to heal up. Well over one year before he felt like he was fully healed.

So it may take your cat a while as well. But as long as it seems like she gets some enjoyment out of life while at home...if it were me, I'd let her try to heal. But this decision ultimately comes down to you...and there are a lot of factors to weigh aside from how the cat is doing, such as the burdens on you (emotional burden, financial burden, time commitment, etc).

I wish you and your kitty the best!

Here's a story written by the owner of the non-profit/no-kill cat rescue where I got Summer from...Noelle had a VERY similar problem. Hope this helps you hang in there...


It was about 9:00 P.M. on Christmas Eve. My husband and I had just sat down to enjoy a hot apple cider together while we waited for two apple pies to bake for Christmas dinner the following day. This was the first time in years that we were not going out to someone's house or having people over. Except for the Midnight church service, we had looked forward to a quiet evening at home.

The ring of the telephone interrupted our conversation. "I'll get it", I told my husband, assuming that it was one of my children. Instead, it was a woman I knew from the shelter. She was on her way home and saw a cat get run over by a car right in front of her. It had been snowing all day and the cat was quite visible against the white snow. She said it was still alive and had crawled up on the snow bank on the side of the street. The woman was close to her residence so she went home and got a cat carrier. She returned to the cat which had not moved.

The cat was hissing and growling but she managed to slide it into the carrier. She said she called all over and every shelter was closed for Christmas and she was on her way up North for Christmas. She asked me if I would take the cat and see if I could help it. "Of course, I will take it", I replied. I asked her where she was and she told me that she was in Whitewater. I told her that I would meet her halfway (I live in Walworth).

I hung up the phone and quickly briefed my husband on my plans while I warmed some blankets in the clothes dryer. "I'll drive", he said as he looked outside. It was still snowing hard, and the roads were bad. We left immediately. It took both vehicles longer than planned to get to our meeting point, however, we pulled into the parking lot at the same time. We spoke briefly. She related that the cat was still alive but very quiet on the drive down. She also felt that the cat had survived because the snow was so deep in the road that it acted like a mattress under her, absorbing some of the tire weight.

I placed the warm blankets over the cat. I covered the carrier with a large blanket and placed it carefully on the rear van seat and put the seat belt around it and buckled it in. We said quick good-byes and wished each other Christmas blessings. We headed South to our home and the kind woman headed North. On the drive home, we decided to name the cat Noelle which is the French word for Christmas.

The first Christmas was a time of the greatest miracle on Earth and Noelle needed a miracle right now.

We arrived home and I immediately took her to a quiet room where I examined her. She was alert and hissing, but was cooperative enough. I knew her left rear leg was twisted and broken. The car went over her rear area. I figured her pelvis was probably broken as well. I gave her fluids, placed her on a heating pad, and gave her some pain medicine. I gently wrapped her broken leg to keep it as immobile as possible until she could be seen by a Vet. It was now 1 AM. She appeared to be comfortable and even drank some warm milk.

She fell asleep. I decided that she was stable for the night and would get her to our Vet in the morning. The Vet's diagnosis was as I had thought. She had a broken leg, which would need to be amputated, and a broken pelvis. Everything else appeared normal. The pelvis would heal on its own, but she lost her leg.

I brought her home to foster her while she healed. I gave her a cookie sheet for a litter pan so she wouldn't have to struggle over the edge of a litter box. She would now have to learn how to walk on three legs. Her right rear leg was bruised from the accident and was not strong enough to carry her rear end yet. She was eating well and getting less scared. Then I noticed that she was not urinating. I called our Vet and he said that she probably had nerve damage from being crushed. I would have to express her bladder for her. I brought her in that day and they showed me how to find her bladder and squeeze it from rear to front and empty it for her. They explained that I could buy her some time for the damage to heal. If it didn't heal, and she couldn't urinate on her own, she would then have to be euthanized. I asked how long it would take. The Vet did not know.

So I went to a store and bought a screen door guard rack that fit perfectly across my bathtub. I placed a clean litter pan underneath, got a measuring cup, blanket, and a paper and pen to chart her output. Then I had a talk with Noelle. I pet her and told her that she had survived and come this far and that I would not give up on her. I would endure if she would. Than I had a talk (prayer) with God and said that Noelle and I would not give up, but that we needed one of his miracles.

The first few days were the hardest on both of us. I would lay Noelle across the rack and sometimes it went well and other times there was no urine. Sometimes I felt like giving up. I felt like I was torturing her. But then I thought her life is in my hands. She will die if I don't try. It was stressful for both of us. She wasn't cooperative, and I felt that I would squeeze her guts out trying. Each day got better. She knew what was up, and I got better at it. I really felt she figured out that she felt more comfortable after I expressed her and she quit fighting it. Two weeks went by and then three. I saw no sign of her going by herself. I called the Vet. He said it didn't sound hopeful. I told him that I would try longer. I hung up the phone and prayed. Two more weeks went by and nothing. I continued for another two weeks. Then one morning as I was changing her blanket, I noticed that it appeared to be damp. Could it be? I smelled the blanket. YES! It was urine. I couldn't have been more excited than a kid on Christmas morning. I put the litter box back and later that evening it was damp in two places. I just cried and hugged Noelle so hard she probably thought that I was expressing her.

Over the past seven weeks of expressing Noelle, I had also been working to strengthen her one rear leg. She no longer dragged or scooted. She stood tall and straight and balanced well.

Noelle continued to urinate on her own. She got her miracle. People who knew about her asked me how many weeks I would have expressed her before giving up. I answered, "As many as God needed to heal her." My faith never let me doubt that he would not heal her. "Ask and you shall receive."

Noelle's Vet was amazed and pleased. I kept her three more weeks to be sure all was OK. She was completely healed. Besides her missing leg, one would never guess what she had been through.

Now it was time for her to move on. She had been confined to a cage all these weeks of healing, but now she needed to learn how to climb stairs, to jump, and to run. I could not give her that kind of space at my house. So I called my dear friend Ellen.
Ellen had fostered many cats and kittens from TBAP. She said that she would take Noelle and work with her on the rest of her healing journey. I packed her up and said a tearful good-bye as Ellen took her home.

It has been two years now this coming Christmas Eve since Noelle was injured. She is still with Ellen. Yes, Ellen adopted Noelle. Noelle and Ellen bonded so close during her latter healing days that they could not part with one another. And Noelle, the former homeless, semi-feral stray cat is now a healthy, happy, loving house cat who spends her evenings on Ellen's lap.

Well tiggerlaw I hope those posts give you comfort, here another one......
Nicola, a woman I speak to regularly at work has a tabby who was hit by a car and suffered rear injuries. He cannot pee on his own and has to have a catheter(sp). This happened over 2 years ago and his nerves have not returned and she still has to help him pee. He is bright, alert and full of life. She does not find it a chore - just something that they do together! But cats dont pee all the time and she has learnt his rythms and everything is just fine. She had the option to put him to sleep but feels that he is okay in every respect other than peeing so as long as he is bright and happy he stays!
I know every case is different - some worse than others - emotionally and financially. It is a decision only you can make.
Good luck

Tiggerlaw,
First I want to say that you are a saint for getting this far with your kitty. I am a Vet Tech at an emergency clinic and there are many owners out there that would not have even given her a chance. Working at an emergency clinic, I, unfortunately, see animals that have been hit by cars all the time. With a pelvic injury, it is not at all uncommon for it to take a month or more of healing time. Depending on how bad her pelvis is fractured, it could take this long. Two weeks is a relatively short time for a pelvic/spinal injury to improve dramatically. I can tell you right now that I have seen only one cat in my entire time working with animals that has not minded having his bladder expressed. However, bladder expression usually does not put an animal through a large amount of pain. There are also certain medications (ie steroids) that can help speed up the process. Depending on the nature of her injury your vet may or may not think they are a good idea. They are definately not for all. The fact that your vet seems optimistic is a very good sign. There are several signs that give hints as to whether an animal will be able to recover from an injury of such. For example, does she have deep pain reception in her hind limbs? Does she have anal tone, or is she able to defecate on her own? Can she move her tail? If she is able to do any of these things it is a good possibility that her body is healing and will continue to improve. All the trauma that was caused by the car will take a long time to correct. I suggest you work very closely with your vet. In the end, it is your decision. Good luck and we'll be here if you need a chat! Take care


PS sofiecusion, that story brought tears to my eyes!!

thank you for your stories - its helped to confirm we are doing the right thing. saffy is doing well, still hasnt peed on her own yet but is bright, playing with her mouse and is now her usual bossy self. We will carry on and hope she recovers in the next few weeks. the vet is going to amputate her tail soon as it is badly broken. Ill keep you updated on her progress and if you have any new advice or new stories to keep us going please post them

thanks

i helped care for a friend's young male who was hit by a car and had his pelvis broken. it took time but he made a full recovery. i'm sending prayers to you tonight.

My Silver was hit by a car and had his pelvis and both femurs broken just below the hip, along with a broken jaw. He couldn't even stand on his own even with the steel rods placed in both femurs so I had to hold him so he could defecate and urinate. It was obviously painful for him to defecate but he could do it. He had trouble with urine dribbling at first and not being able to hold in his urine. It took a long time - 6 weeks immobolized and then more weeks recuperating, but eventually the bones healed, the bladder healed and he went on to live a full and happy - and long - life.

Good luck with your Sassy - she sounds like she is doing great and you certainly are to be commended for taking on the commitment of helping her return to health. I wish you both the very best.

Kathryn

My cat similar, lost rear leg, other leg with pins in it(praying they will hold.

Operated on 2 days ago. Its so hard to watch her contorting her leg and abdomen as she tries to move around. At home yesterday was eating well and looking up. Then today, she down and lethargic and had only a nibble of food. She got diahorea, and I was expecting constipation after anaesthetic wore off. She been losing lots of creamy fluid from somewhere(stitches seem dry?). Got her next checkup in 5 days.

Do the cats moods go up and down like this from day to day? Maybe she wore herself out yesterday.

Its terrible not knowing if she ok or not. Mate says im overeacting and panicking.

If this operation doesn't work and leg doesn't hold, shes a gonna, but I don't want her to be in pain.