Pepper fell from our 6th storey balcony

[BriceLaine]

Hi there,
One of my cats - Pepper - fell from our 6th storey balcony into the concrete street below.
He is of course at the vet but I am anxious to hear if anyone here has any experience with that sort of huge trauma and can maybe tell me if my vet could be doing more.
Pepper fell and managed to drag himself to the building’s entrance. When we found him he was siting/lying on his stomach with a clearly broken front leg and blood coming out of his mouth and nose.
My vet did the basic injections (antiobiotic, the one to reduce internal bleeding, painkillers, serum and others) but said that Pepper is too weak and too in shock to be sedated for X-ray or tomography.
He clearly has at least one broken leg (I suspect more legs are broken) and a broken jaw.
The bleeding stopped after a few minutes.
It seems his spine is not broken. The vet says his breathing is good: regular and good diaphragm movements.
The vet told me that we need to wait until tomorrow to see if Pepper gets better before we can sedate him to run proper tests.
Basically I am heartbroken and worried that maybe my vet is not doing all that can/should be done.
Does anyone here has any experience with that sort of trauma and the level of care needed?
Many thanks in advance.
Brice

 

[Jcatbird]

I have had a cat take a three story fall and I have had cats with other traumatic injuries. I am not a vet but getting them through shock is important. Even with my own partially severed spine they had to stabilize me before doing emergency surgery. I did recover. My cat that had the fall also recovered. I have done rescues that had trauma too. Broken legs and dislocated hips. Orthopedic surgeries and so many things. Cats are the toughest animals I know. I think that getting him stabilized is good for the moment. You can call another vet for consult. A veterinary school too. They can advise you more of what could possible be done. That can give you more to base your decisions on and reassure you. I don’t know where you live but you can look online to find these schools. I know of someone else doing rescues that has had some tough traumas but has been getting help for the cats at a veterinary school in Alabama. These were not falls but did result in serous injuries. He is taking some to Birmingham Veterinary Specialists for orthopedic surgery. I did some reading up before responding to you and cats that have falls like this, although injured, have very high survival rates. Since his breathing is good, that is another really good sign! Some things that happen often are muscle and tendon injuries. Of course he can have the injuries you feel you noted but he can recover from those. I am so sorry your kitty fell. I know others will be along to respond too. My heart is with you and all my hope for a very good outcome. Please do let us know how he is doing.

 

[BriceLaine]

Hi Jcatbird and thank you for your message!
So I should have mentioned that this happened yesterday. I just went to visit him this morning and incredibly Pepper is already looking better! The vet called in a specialist cat surgeon who checked him up and did a series of x-ray scans.
He has multiple bone fractures/breaks on both his front legs and jaw, but his spine, back legs, head and thoracic cage seem to be fine.
No signs of major internal damage.
As you mentioned he may also have suffered tendons and muscles injuries but hard to tell for now.
But he is alert, was very happy to see me, he ate some wet food and doesn’t seem to be experiencing too much pain. It’s really incredible!
I live in Istanbul in Turkey but I don’t speak the language well yet so it’s difficult for me to contact local veterinary schools.
But I was probably panicking a bit this morning. It seems my vet and the surgeon he called in are doing good work and that Pepper is in good hands.
But yeh any insight and advice from you and others on this group is really great to have!
Thanks again!
Brice

 

[Jem]

I don't have any advice or insight from a similar experience, but I hope your kitty continues to do well.

 

[BriceLaine]

Thanks Jem

 

[fionasmom]

Same here...sending good thoughts for your kitty to heal. He sounds like a very spunky little guy who wants to come through this and it is good news that his spine is intact.

 

[Kflowers]

sending good energy and prayers for Pepper and your other cats.

I know this isn't close to what Pepper did, but I would warn you that cats don't always learn from seeing others or from their own experiences. We had one take four falls, not nearly the distance Pepper took, but repeatedly. Twice off of columns, once off an 18 foot ladder, and once off a shelf near the ceiling. He kept falling asleep and turning over.

I only mention this to suggest that you might want to keep busy while waiting by enclosing the balcony with latticework, or window screening. Both work well for grown cats. I'm pretty sure that Pepper and the others will want to go back on the balcony and even if they are careful, you will find it trying.

 

[Jcatbird]

The injuries you mention are pretty much what I expected to hear. The best thing is that those are all things that can be recovered from! Also great that no internal injuries! Cats are tough and amazing. I am so very relieved to hear all you reported. I know you were feeling very stressed this morning and I would have been too but your vet is doing everything needed. It sounds like he is a very caring vet. I have had a cat in a leg cast before. He will require time and care but pain meds and love can get him through. I know that the jaw may need special care too but that can be handled. I hope you will keep us updated and if you have questions, we will all try to help you to find the answers. I agree that keeping yourself occupied will be helpful during this time. Cat proofing the balcony is a great idea. Mesh metal hardware cloth, chicken wire of anything to be a barrier that can’t be pushed out will prevent a repeat occurrence. Maybe even a catio with a cat only entrance if the kitties must go on the balcony. I have just been building similar things here. I had a cat get out and , although she didn’t experience what your kitty did, she did have some trauma and scared me. If you need help figuring out a barrier or a catio, we will help. I am just so very happy that all is so much better than you may have feared and that you feel better about the vet care now. My heart is with you.