Broken Pelvis

My 3yr. old boy kitty got hit by a car. He was missing for 5 days when, my kids found a flyer on the corner sign post found grey cat. I called and they gave me the news he was found injured and he had been at the vet for 5 days. He has a broken pelvis. They said he should be fine just has to stay contained for 6 weeks. No surgery was necessary. They bought him to me today. I'm just so happy he is home but, I'm scared to death. He can stand but, he can't walk at all he's all wiggly and unstable. What do I have to expect and what can I do for him. I've made him a bed in our laundry room where he can't hurt himself. But, he has spent the day laying with me on the living room floor. Has anyone ever experienced this aweful situation or have any pointers for me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Hope

I am so sorry to hear about your cat. Its nice you had someone take him to the vet instead of leaving him there in pain or to die . I wish I could tell you what to do but i don't know a whole lot about that. i know my mother in laws cat got hit and they had to take his leg and hes doing fine. you wouldn't know any different. Wish I could help you more. i hope all is well. I would ask the vet he went to for some extra care info though

I saw a couple of other threads under this heading that said they had Cats with broken Pelvis's and they did good, You might see if you can find them, Good luck with your baby.

So sorry about your kitty! I can't help with him, but I had a broken pelvis a few years ago, and it didn't hurt as bad as you would think! It mended pretty quickly too, with no casting. Good luck.

The people who found your little boy and were caring enough to see to it he received medical attention are my heros. Thank you for sharing this very feel-good story with us - after a day where I have heard simply nightmarish stories of what people can do to animals, this has lightened my spirit considerably and restored a bit of faith lost. Again, thank you sincerely.

As for your little guy ... one thing that came to my mind immediately was that you needed some arrangement for him that would 1) allow him to be contained and 2) still allow him to be out with his people and their normal routines.

A large dog crate would be perfect and would address both concerns. They are easy to move around and would keep your guy close by, but contained so he didn't further cause injury. They sell pretty inexpensively at Wal-mart - last time I checked, the large crate was about $50 or $60 and they are easy to fold and store away when not in use. They are big enough to put a small litter box in there as well as food and water dishes (check with your local pet shop and see if they sell Coop Cups - you hang a stainless steel bracket on the bars of the crate and then insert a stainless steel bowl into the bracket so it hangs off the side of the crate instead of taking up floor space).

Just an idea ... hope it helps.


~gf~

Thank you for everyone's replies. I've made a nice small home for Harry in my laundry room. I let him lay down with me in the living room if I can sit with him so, he doesn't move. I was happy that he drank his whole bowl of water last night ate ok amount of food and used the litter box. Which I would have to believe are good signs. I agree with the dog crate I'm going to go get one this morning. This way he can be out in the living room with us. He really wants me to be with him....must be the care giving mom kinda thing. I gave him some pain medicine this morning and he took about 5 steps. I can't thank everyone for all the kind replies. I've got my fingers crossed.

As for the nice family on the corner, I went down and thanked them last night. They called a local cat coalition who came and got him, and took him to the vet. It so happened that someone 2 doors down doesn't like cats and squirted him with a hose and this is what made him scared and run into the street. I was so upset with this lady but, I know she has every right if my cat was on her lawn but, I still can't understand how people can be so cruel. Her 3 yr old son plays in my front lawn and I don't hose him down. OK....sorry for the negative..I'm still a bit tried and sad. The nice people on the corner that saved my kitty makes up for the cruelty of the other people. Needless to say my cat is stuck in the house forever now. Love, Hope

About 1 month ago I found a male declawed cat that was hit by a car and took him to the vet. I volunteer w/ a local rescue so I decided to take him under my wing. He ended up having a broken pelvis in two seperate places and was in ALOT of pain. On top of that he was EXTREMELY dehydrated and malnurished. I took him home and put him in a dog crate w/ just a bed, food, a baking sheet w/ litter and water. He couldn't put any pressure on his left side without hurting himself. The litterbox was too high up for him so to make things easier on him for the first couple of weeks I used a baking sheet. Slowly he started eating more and more. I did have him on pain meds. twice a day for the first two weeks because he was in so much pain. It was very hard because he really wanted to come out of the cage but in order for the pelvis to heal properly they need to stay off of it as much as possible. Yes, it feels cruel to keep them locked up but it is for the best. My vet recommened about 4-8 weeks of confinement before the next x-ray.

It has been about 4 weeks now and the cat is doing fabulous. Just as of this week I have been letting him come out and walk around some, kind of like rehabilitation. He does have a slight limp but I think in time that will go away.

Make sure your cat isn't in pain. If he is get pain meds for the vet. Make sure wherever you have him he CANNOT jump. That is very important. The only time I took my cat out is when he was very drugged I picked his entire bed out of the cage and set in on my lap or on the couch next too me to pet him while I watched TV because I knew he wasn't going to walk around. They have to stay off of it or it won't heal properly. If it doesn't heal properly they will have to rebreak it and do surgery. Don't pick them up either because it will hurt badly! That is why I have a firm surface like a cat bed he is laying in or I slide the bed into the bottom part of a carrier (I remove the top just so I have a solid bottom to use) to move him.

I hope everything goes well. PLEASE, PLEASE let him be an indoor kitty from now on!!

Oh yeah, the reason for the crate is his pelvis cannot heal properly if the cat is walking on it constantly. With a crate they will get up to eat and go to the bathroom and that is it. It keeps them basically lying down for a couple weeks, kind of like bed rest. Your cat might be walking around too much in the laundry room....

Thank you for the reply...I'm glad your little one healed so nicely. No, he isn't walking at all I got the crate today. I got him out for about an hour and layed on the floor with him. I put a towel around him to move him without causing too much pain. Luckily, he just wants to sleep. He is on pain meds only once a day. But, I have an apt. on Thur. just to talk to a vet myself. Since I wasn't the one who found him and got him checked out. He did drink his entire bowl of water and used his litter box so, that is a pretty good sign. Keep your fingers crossed. Thanks again, Love, Hope

*Update* Harry went to the vet on Monday and he is doing very well. The vet said he has 2 cracks in his pelvis but, no surgery is needed. We took some more xrays of his ankle she thought it might be a problem since his legs kinda colapses inward under his stomach when he walks but, it was OK no breaks. He's just confined to the cage for a month. I have to give him some furball remedy to make his stool more soft. and just pain meds as needed. So, I wanted to thank everyone for the kind posts. I'll keep you all updates on his progress. Thank you, Hope

If he has accidents which will happen as he heals, just slip puppy pads under him, they are soft like bedding and will mop up any accidents. When Black Bart was rescued- the owner ran him over in his garage and left him to heal himself! The only way I would move him was with a towel made into a sling that slipped under his belly and helped me get my hands underneath him. I never moved him much- never sat him on my lap- instead I would put into his cage, my sweaty tee shirts because he knew he could trust me and my scent calmed him down. I also sprayed his clean bedding with feliway spray and he had metacam to help him over the rough spots. Today, in his new adoptive home, he has a barely discernable limp on his right back leg, and otherwise is doing fine.

I'm so glad everyone has had good recoveries with their pelvis injuries. Harry is stuck in the cage but, getting a bit more used to it. He's actually been in a wonderful mood he purr's all the time. Thanks again for the best wishes, Love, Hope

Hope...you have my thoughts & prayers for a complete & quick recovery for sweet Harry.
Lei

hope just to let you know cats purr when they are frightened, or when they are in pain not just when they are content. But hopefully all will go well and he will be just fine.

Hi, I know this is a late reply but I'm writing to find out how your kitty did on crate rest and if you have any suggestions about handling it since you've been through it already.

My cat just recently was missing for five days and came home with a broken pelvis (also dislocated). Vet doesn't want to do a surgery so he's on crate rest for three weeks at least. I have him in a large dog crate in a space where I spend most of my time but he's miserable. He hates being confined. They put a morphine patch on him which mellows him some of the time but I'm not sure what to do when he is off that in 10 days. If I let him out, he tends to be too active so that's not an option for me.

Any suggestions you might be able to give would be wonderful.

Thanks and I'm so happy your cat came home to you; hope he is doing great!

Originally Posted by Jeanette65

Hi, I know this is a late reply but I'm writing to find out how your kitty did on crate rest and if you have any suggestions about handling it since you've been through it already.

My cat just recently was missing for five days and came home with a broken pelvis (also dislocated). Vet doesn't want to do a surgery so he's on crate rest for three weeks at least. I have him in a large dog crate in a space where I spend most of my time but he's miserable. He hates being confined. They put a morphine patch on him which mellows him some of the time but I'm not sure what to do when he is off that in 10 days. If I let him out, he tends to be too active so that's not an option for me.

Any suggestions you might be able to give would be wonderful.

Thanks and I'm so happy your cat came home to you; hope he is doing great!

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Welcome to TCS Jeanette...
I am so sorry that your kitty was hurt.
I suggest that you start your own thread about your kitty's injury in this Health forum...
I think you might get more replies that way.

If I can help you with anything to do with the site just send a private message to my username...
I will help if I can.

I am sending lot of healing thoughts your Kitty's way.