I feel awful

I've been fostering a mother cat and her 3 little kittens the last few weeks, the kittens turned 5 weeks old yesterday. This morning I was in the room I have them in to keep them separate from my other animals. Well apparently I hadnt shut the door tight so one of my other cats came in and the mother cat got pissed. So I jump up to get the cat out of there and accidently stepped on one of the kittens! It was bleeding from the nose and I think it was it's head I stepped on. I rushed it to the vet and it's been there all day. I just feel sick.. of course it was an accident but I feel so bad. The vet said it might have neurological damage but he said his breathing was normal and his color was good. They gave him something to help with the shock and he said the kitten was unconscious and not feeling pain. I really thought they would put him down immediately but the doc said since he was was stable that they couldnt really know until they take x-rays. He told me to call him later that day so I went to work and basically did nothing, I couldnt stop thinking about this poor little orange kitten. I called twice but the vet was really busy so he called me after 6 to give me an update.

He said that the kitten has stopped the neurological posturing ( he basically was putting his head far back and his legs were moving and straight out) so that is a good sign. He is stable and they did some x-rays so the vet could see his spine. He said he didnt see anything he was alarmed about so that is good. He said it's kind of a wait and see thing now... that its really hard to know with this type of injury. The kitten is still unconscious but they did put this kind of sugar paste thing on his lips and he licked it so these are all good signs. They have are keeping him warm, giving him meds for shock and monitoring him. I'm supposed to call at 8:30 tomorrow to see how he did overnight. The vet is still hopeful and I really trust my vet's judgement. Keep this little guy in your prayers, he's a cute orange tabby with blue eyes and a super sweet personality.

Here's a couple photos of him and his siblings playing at 3 weeks:
Kitties

Kitties2

Kitties 3

Oh dear, so sorry to hear about the incident. Poor little guy!!!! Accidents happen and even tho we are always super cautious around little ones (human and feline), things can happen. Otherwise, our ER's would be empty all the time. Don't beat yourself up about it - kittens move so fast and are so tiny that I bet it occured in the time you took half a breath! I'll keep sending good vibes his way and that your vet can save him from any major damage! Her's young and hitheroto healthy so that's in his favour.

Aw poor baby.

I don't pray but I can definitly send plenty of vibes his way.

A big hug for you too.

We'll take all the good vibes, prayers, whatever you can give. Thank you!

Originally Posted by LuvmyManx

We'll take all the good vibes, prayers, whatever you can give. Thank you!

Click to expand...

That's what we're here for.

What a beauty, btw! The whole litter is.

sending you the best. God bless

Awww, I understand how you feel. But whenever I've had foster kittens I've tried to be super careful, because they seem to run right under your feet, I'm amazed I haven't stepped on one myself. It's not your fault.

Sending good vibes! Let us know what happens.

You must feel awful - you poor thing.

It was an accident and you are doing everything in your power to save this sweet little cherub - you are an angel.

You must just feel terrible, even though it was purely an accident. I'll keep the little kitten in my thoughts and close to my heart in the hopes that he can make a full recovery.

I'll move this to Health & Nutrition since it is a health issue. Please keep us updated on the condition of this little one!

Oh, I am so sorry for you and the kitten. Years ago, I had an outside litter of barn cats. One day I was leaving the pole barn after checking the babies, and slammed one kitten shut in the door, right over her shoulder blades. She couldn't stand up initially, and I thought she needed to be euthanized. I was so sad, I had no idea she could move that quick to get in the door! After the accident, she just layed and kicked with her back feet, with no movement of the front legs.

We ended up naming her Angel, and she lived until last year. She recovered totally, and never had any long term evidence of her injury.

I totally understand how you feel right now. To be a loving giving person, trying to help these poor babies, then to look down and see an accident that you have been a part of... it is very painful. But if you look at the facts, you had a crisis situation, where you needed to act quickly to remove your cat. You did what most people would do, and an accident happened to your precious baby. I am very sorry. I pray for his full recovery, and for your peace of mind.

Any news yet this morning on this lil one?

yes please keep us posted ... i'll keep him in my prayers and hope his recovery will be a quick one

radek

OMG, I have always worried about something like happening around our own house! I am so very sorry for you, and I sincerely hope this kitty is fine. Bless you for taking such good care of her and getting her to the vet so quickly.

It's amazing how resilient kitties are, it sounds like all is positive so far, and I will keep kitty in my prayers

HUGS to you LuvMyManx, I'm sure you could use one.

Lora

I am so sorry that you are dealing with this pain.
Just remember your vet is doing everything he can to save this baby. I think a lot of other vets or people wouldn't give this little one a chance so thank goodness he is in your life.
I will continue to pray for you and the little one!
keep us updated


Nikki

I am so sorry! I would feel terrible, too, even though I knew it was an accident.

One of our barn kittens ran beneath the tire of my car once while I was backing out of the garage. I took him to the vet, but he passed away 5 days later. I was heartbroken!

Sounds like this little guy's luck could be better. I sure hope so! Best of luck!!

I understand how you are feeling, accidents can happen so quickly. I know this personally back in june i was resposible for a horrific accident that resulted in the death of a kitten. and i was plagued with such guilt. It is a hard thing to get over but know that it wasnt on purpose and that all my good wishes and prayers go out to you and that sweet baby

Well my vet called and said he ( I need to name him eh?) is still stable and that he was showing some improvement although he's still unconscious.
He can swallow and he is also showing reflexes, he had a medical name for it but I forget! Basically he said it's really hard to know in these type of cases how much neurological damage is done. He said that usually if there is going to be improvement it should show in a week.. he said one thing that is usually affected is breathing and regulating their temperature. He is doing both of those on his own so that is hopeful. But he said that may be as good as he gets also.. he said it could really go either way. He said it is up to me, how far I want to take it.. his thought was to go until Saturday and see if there are any changes either way and then decide what to do from there.
So I decided to go that route as long as he didnt think the kitten was in pain
I'm willing to give him a chance to come out of it. Unfortunately cost is a factor as I just came off of disability and am playing catch up with my bills so I'm hoping there is a significant change in the next few days. I hate that it is a factor He said that he could come out of it but also not have a good quality of life depending on what he is capable of as far as eating, interacting with me, etc. Anyway.. I'm going to stay positive and hope he wakes up in the next couple days.. vet said kittens are so resilient that you never know an adult cat cat he wouldnt be so hopeful on.

Thanks for the support, I really appreciate it. I'll keep you updated.

Aww! I have nothing to say but those vibes are still coming strong!

poor baby! ~sending vibes~

Well today I went and saw little Samson ( I named him.. strong name that means sunshine ) I had called yesterday and the vet was in surgery but the tech told me had been awake that morning and showed some improvement. Today I couldnt stand it and just dropped in to see him.
The vet came in and talked to me first, said he was awake, had showed a
lot of progress, was even trying to walk! His back legs are totally fine, his front ones were both not functioning but today he was moving his left front and trying to walk with it! The right one is curled under and he's not using it
yet but the vet said that could change. He also has been licking food off their fingers and he definitely looks at you and follow things with his eyes. His right eye does not stay all the way open though so its kind of like he's winking. She went back and got him and brought him in the room wrapped in a towel. she set him down on table and I was sooo happy to see those little blue eyes looking at me. He tried to crawl, he scooted along pushing with his back feet... he's a determined little guy! The vet left me alone and I visited with him for quite awhile. It was so good to see him and how much progress he has made... I sure hope it continues at this rate! I'm hopeful that he recovers enough to come home soon! The whole vet office just loves him, even the vet got tears when he was telling me his progress.
Thanks for the good vibes and prayers... I think they are working!!! Please keep them up for little Samson!

Samson and his brother

Samson & siblings sleeping in dog dish!