I'm so upset and feel like a terrible kitty mom.
A couple hours ago I finished a reply to a post here and went to get a drink. As I was walking down the stairs I saw that Nora was chasing Milo and he was all excited.
(In our house the stairs go up to the second level and then the railing turns 90 degrees for about 2 feet before it hits the wall.)
They ran up the stairs and Milo made an abrupt turn and I think he intended to go into my son's room but the door was closed so he would have been cornered. He instead turned towards the railing, of which I have never seen him go near so I don't think he knew what was coming. He ran through the spindles and didn't stop. He flew over the edge of the landing and started falling to the floor. Of all the worst luck in the world, he landed on the handle of the vacuum, which was sitting next to the stairs.
I saw him twist and contort, and he let out a huge scream. Then he fell onto the floor and just sat there. I ran to him and assessed the damage. At this point I was in panic mode. I almost forgot what to do and froze. He tried to move, but only his front legs worked, and he was having trouble breathing as I could hear him wheezing. I went to get his carrier and put it next to him. I picked him up as gently as I could, trying not to move him much. I slid him into the carrier and he didn't fight me. I rushed him to our vet, which luckily today is their night to stay open late, as fast as I could with it snowing outside. Never at a time other than this have I been so grateful that the vet's office is 3 blocks from my house.
They took us in right away, and they did a quick check of him. At this point he was barely moving and breathing. They took him in the back, and a while later came back and told me that his back was broken a bit behind his shoulders and they thought there was some internal bleeding. They asked me what I wanted to do, but told me there probably wasn't much they could do for him. I didn't want him to suffer any more, so I opted to just have him pts.
We only had him for a month, and he was finally starting to warm up to us and act like a normal kitten. He was so cute, round, and fluffy.
We looked forward to seeing what kind of cat he became, but now we will never know, and he will be sorely missed.
I can't type anymore right now b/c I'm bawling too hard. I'll come back later.
Rest in peace little buddy.
A couple hours ago I finished a reply to a post here and went to get a drink. As I was walking down the stairs I saw that Nora was chasing Milo and he was all excited.
(In our house the stairs go up to the second level and then the railing turns 90 degrees for about 2 feet before it hits the wall.)
They ran up the stairs and Milo made an abrupt turn and I think he intended to go into my son's room but the door was closed so he would have been cornered. He instead turned towards the railing, of which I have never seen him go near so I don't think he knew what was coming. He ran through the spindles and didn't stop. He flew over the edge of the landing and started falling to the floor. Of all the worst luck in the world, he landed on the handle of the vacuum, which was sitting next to the stairs.
I saw him twist and contort, and he let out a huge scream. Then he fell onto the floor and just sat there. I ran to him and assessed the damage. At this point I was in panic mode. I almost forgot what to do and froze. He tried to move, but only his front legs worked, and he was having trouble breathing as I could hear him wheezing. I went to get his carrier and put it next to him. I picked him up as gently as I could, trying not to move him much. I slid him into the carrier and he didn't fight me. I rushed him to our vet, which luckily today is their night to stay open late, as fast as I could with it snowing outside. Never at a time other than this have I been so grateful that the vet's office is 3 blocks from my house.
They took us in right away, and they did a quick check of him. At this point he was barely moving and breathing. They took him in the back, and a while later came back and told me that his back was broken a bit behind his shoulders and they thought there was some internal bleeding. They asked me what I wanted to do, but told me there probably wasn't much they could do for him. I didn't want him to suffer any more, so I opted to just have him pts.
We only had him for a month, and he was finally starting to warm up to us and act like a normal kitten. He was so cute, round, and fluffy.
I can't type anymore right now b/c I'm bawling too hard. I'll come back later.
Rest in peace little buddy.