Keeping a confined 8-week-old kitten entertained

[PterodactylCat]

Two weeks ago I plucked a 6-week-old kitten out of the middle of the road. We brought him to the vet and did x-rays, and he has a left broken hip and a right broken leg, as well as a mild eye infection. The vet recommended keeping him confined in a very small area and limiting his activity as much as possible, then coming back to do x-rays a few weeks later.

Well, it's two weeks since his injury and rescue, and he is bursting with energy and getting very frustrated. He gets around just fine and even pounces, jumps, and wants to chase our dog. We bought a small playpen but he's learned to climb out of that. We turned a large cardboard box into a playpen but when we put him in there, he starts trying to jump out of it. He won't let us hold him unless he's tired, otherwise he starts squirming and biting hard. So that leaves just keeping him in a crate which he hates, and he climbs up the door of that sometimes too.

He has lots of toys, but he wants to chase, pounce, wrestle, and kick them. He grabs them, flips around, and lands on his hip, which I'm sure can't be good for it. His one desire is to escape and run around the living room like crazy.

We started to let him do more a couple days ago, but we brought him to the vet for his eye infection yesterday and they reiterated the importance of confinement, so we're back to being strict. The only way I can get him to calm down is to put him in the crate and ignore his cries, and then he goes to sleep after a bit, but I feel so bad for him.

He's going insane. I'm going insane. Also a bit worried about behavior issues later on from all this frustration but I suppose there's time to fix that. Any advice on keeping him entertained? Maybe food puzzles like they give to dogs? Can I make frozen treats that would keep him busy for a bit? Clicker training?? Car rides? I put on videos of squirrels and birds and got a few apps for cats but those don't hold his attention for long. We still have a week and a half left until his next vet appointment.

 

[Sarthur2]

Did the vet set his broken hip and leg? Was he given any meds?

When my cat had a dislocated hip, it was set and he was put on pain meds and sedatives to keep him calm while being crated for 2 weeks.

Your kitten sounds like a normal, busy 8-week-old who is hard to restrain and who needs social interaction and stimulation. He must not be fully healed if the vet wants him confined, though I imagine a young kitten would heal fairly quickly.

I think the best you can do without meds is to confine him to one room, such as a bedroom, with food, water, litter, and toys, and hope he will not injure himself further. Spend time with him and let him sleep with you. Kittens, especially singletons without another kitten to play with, really want to be around their humans, but they still do sleep a lot.

Hopefully he is healing well already and all will work out fine. Kittens are very resilient! Good luck and keep us posted! Thank you for rescuing him!

 

[PterodactylCat]

The vet didn't set the legs, and I hadn't even thought about that. He said the hip will probably never heal back to 100%, but he was pretty confident about the other leg healing up well. The vet sent us home with gabapentin for the pain (which we stopped after a week because he started having really severe diarrhea, which cleared up after we wormed him and switched his food) and eye ointment. He was only 1.3 lb at the first visit so they told us there weren't many options for pain medicine. I'll call tomorrow about a sedative and see what they say.

I know all this is normal kitten behavior, but it's so sad seeing him get so frustrated and keep trying to escape. I'd put him in a small room but the vet said to put him in a little area about 2 feet by 2 feet, just enough room for a little litter box, food dish, and water dish. He sleeps in his crate on the bed. When we let him play and get his energy out, he was very cuddly and would fall asleep in my arms, but it's the first day back to strict confinement and he's insane almost every waking moment.

He does seem like he's healing well and doesn't act like he's in pain as far as I can tell. Once his legs heal I think he'll be zooming all over the place. Thank you for the advice!

 

[Sarthur2]

I just don’t see strict confinement working. I’m with you — it’s too sad and frustrating and the poor kitten doesn’t understand being caged up. I would be crazy too!

I wonder if the vet has personally ever experienced trying to confine an 8-week-old kitten for an extended period — it just doesn’t work unless the kitten is extremely ill.

It can’t hurt to ask about a sedative, but at only 8 weeks it’s probably a bit much for the kitten. I think you’ll end up having to trust your instincts and let the kitten be a kitten, despite the vet’s best recommendations.

 

[PterodactylCat]

It really does seem impossible to keep him calm in a tiny space for that long, especially since he's going crazy and it's only the first day since doubling down. I'm just hesitant to move him to a bigger space, because it seems like the breaks were pretty bad. I think both the tibia and fibula are broken on the right leg and the left hip is broken near the ball. He pretty much gave us two options, orthopedic surgery or strict confinement. He was confident on the confinement being enough though so we went with that. Even with the surgery the hip wouldn't be totally fixed.

Going to ask about the sedative tomorrow, but he's still only 2 lb. I might try to make some chicken popsicles or something and see if that gives him something stationary to do.

 

[white shadow]

Hi P PterodactylCat and a warm welcome to the forum!

I'm aware that many, perhaps most Vets are reluctant to medicate kittens, though this generally applies to ones younger than yours.

It might be helpful to point out to your Vet that even the youngest of human infants are medicated as required for their recovery. Such includes drugs for sedation and pain relief.

In your shoes, I believe I would be requesting and, if necessary insisting on his being given effective sedation and pain medication including an opiod. Current practice for pain control involves a "multimodal" approach *, different drugs targeting different pain pathways. Gabapentin is used in cats both for pain control and sedation. Buprenorphine is commonly used in cats for pain and it (the plain oral format) is known for its sedative side effect. They are used together for pain relief.

Now, you said he had been given gabapentin which you stopped when he developed diarrhea. Diarrhea is not a known effect from gabapentin. The dosage is variable to achieve the desired sedative effect, and pain relief will follow.

IF he is going to heal, his activity level must be reduced to near zero, and he will need to be confined within a safe space so he cannot injure himself. He likely will appear 'zombie-like' and that can be difficult for the human to witness - but, it's time limited and the payoff is golden. Most importantly, without it, the outlook is bleak. [It's very likely that, were he to undergo orthopedic surgery, the surgeon would insist on a period of recovery time with a similar chemical restraint.]

Given his 'altered state', he'll likely need some extra assistance/accommodation

• a low-sided litter box for easy in/outs
• extra attention to ensure adequate nutrition for a growing kitten, tracking calories, perhaps enticing with assist-feeding, wet foods to ensure hydration
• extra attention to counter effects of his likely social withdrawal
• perhaps a 'heartbeat toy' for comfort, "Music for Cats" from YouTube

When it comes time to remove this 'chemical restraint', don't stop the gabapentin abruptly, but gradually wean him off it.

Hoping this/some of it will help.


* If you need a reference on that, this one's reliable.

 

[PterodactylCat]

Hi P PterodactylCat and a warm welcome to the forum!

I'm aware that many, perhaps most Vets are reluctant to medicate kittens, though this generally applies to ones younger than yours.

It might be helpful to point out to your Vet that even the youngest of human infants are medicated as required for their recovery. Such includes drugs for sedation and pain relief.

In your shoes, I believe I would be requesting and, if necessary insisting on his being given effective sedation and pain medication including an opiod. Current practice for pain control involves a "multimodal" approach *, different drugs targeting different pain pathways. Gabapentin is used in cats both for pain control and sedation. Buprenorphine is commonly used in cats for pain and it (the plain oral format) is known for its sedative side effect. They are used together for pain relief.

Now, you said he had been given gabapentin which you stopped when he developed diarrhea. Diarrhea is not a known effect from gabapentin. The dosage is variable to achieve the desired sedative effect, and pain relief will follow.

IF he is going to heal, his activity level must be reduced to near zero, and he will need to be confined within a safe space so he cannot injure himself. He likely will appear 'zombie-like' and that can be difficult for the human to witness - but, it's time limited and the payoff is golden. Most importantly, without it, the outlook is bleak. [It's very likely that, were he to undergo orthopedic surgery, the surgeon would insist on a period of recovery time with a similar chemical restraint.]

Given his 'altered state', he'll likely need some extra assistance/accommodation

• a low-sided litter box for easy in/outs
• extra attention to ensure adequate nutrition for a growing kitten, tracking calories, perhaps enticing with assist-feeding, wet foods to ensure hydration
• extra attention to counter effects of his likely social withdrawal
• perhaps a 'heartbeat toy' for comfort, "Music for Cats" from YouTube

When it comes time to remove this 'chemical restraint', don't stop the gabapentin abruptly, but gradually wean him off it.

Hoping this/some of it will help.


* If you need a reference on that, this one's reliable.

Thank you so much for the advice! The vet said to put him back on the gabapentin with a higher dose, and to call back if that wasn't enough. He's much calmer tonight after giving him the first dose - I could hold him without him going immediate velociraptor mode. He's content to sit and sleep in the crate. I'm planning to keep him in there exclusively unless I'm holding him until the next vet visit.
It's good to know that diarrhea isn't a side effect of the gabapentin

 

[Sarthur2]

No, it’s not, but my guy did develop diarrhea towards the end of 2 crated weeks because he was on sedation pills and buprenorphine. It cleared as soon as we stopped the meds at lowered dosages and he began eating more. Just do wean him at the end as white shadow recommended to lessen any withdrawal. I’m so glad your vet realized that he needed meds to be crated.

 

[white shadow]

Glad to hear this news!

Now, somehow, make an indelible note somewhere that, as this draws to an end, the gabapentin is tapered off, not abruptly discontinued! [FYI,this drug is also used in seizure control in other circumstances and so, because of how it acts on the nervous system, it is out of an abundance of caution that tapering is recommended.]

Just what dosage did the Vet recommend.....and what's he getting right now? [and again, as a memory point for you, gaba can be used as a dose-to-effect drug....effect too much or too little? decrease or increase to match/get to the desired effect/'target behaviour' - and, obviously in consultation with the Vet.]

On consults with any Vet.....they are not all created "equal"; knowledge, experience and skills vary. It's impossible for any one to know everything, so we need to be able, to feel comfortable enough to bring ideas forward into consults, to overcome the "White Coat Syndrome" and work towards a cooperative working relationship. If we meet resistance, we need to be able to say "Look, I really feel we should....". Make notes beforehand to ensure questions/points/observations are covered off. It's a bit of a job, LOL!

On managing his overall health during this period of 'chemical restraint', review the points I made earlier on his nutrition and elimination as you'll need to stay ahead of potential issues there.

On his enclosure, I hope you'll consider those things I mentioned earlier.....also consider adding a secluded/hiding space, something as simple as an inverted cardboard box with a door will work, these 'safe spaces' are important to cats.

And.....when there's time, haul out that camera! We need to see who we're talking about