I'm Not Sure What Happened To My Cat!

[Margret]

I've heard of heavy duty pain meds causing diarrhea, though I haven't heard anything specifically about Tramadol. If that's it your vet may want to change him to a different pain med, but I seriously doubt that doing without it entirely is an option.

If he had the surgery I think he did then he definitely needs pain meds. Did he have something called a Femoral Head Ostectomy, or FHO?

Also, I had surgery in March to repair the bones of my wrist; trust me - I needed pain meds after, and I was in a cast. Many years ago I had a bone bruise in my foot that was so painful I thought I'd broken it. Bone injuries of all sorts can be extremely painful.

Margret

 

[tabbysia]

Yes, the femoral head osectomy is what he had. The way the vet explained it, the surgeon was just going to remove a little piece of bone. She even showed me on the x-ray which piece of bone was going to be removed. I don't quite understand how he is going to heal with everything not being "connected" though, if that makes sense. The bones don't fuse themselves back together, as far as I know. I just assumed he was not in pain because he has been eating well and resting comfortably and not showing any signs of distress.

 

[Margret]

I just ran into femoral head ostectomys recently, and the description is quite appalling, but it actually seems to work okay for cats.

What the vet did was to cut off the ball joint from the top of the femur. Rather than replacing it (which would be essential in a two-legged animal, like a human) they rely on scar tissue to form a new socket for the top of the bone. Your cat needs to walk (very gently, and just a little at first) to form the scar tissue. When he does so the cut end of the bone will damage tissue, which will then heal to form scar tissue. This is why he absolutely must have good pain meds - so he can walk and do the necessary injuries that will end up becoming scar tissue. This is the website I found that has the best explanation, which you should read carefully in order to understand how you can best help him. Homework for cats after FHO surgery- successful cat FHO rehabilitation

It appears that your vet has, indeed, found an effective pain medication for him, which is good, but you should talk to your vet about the loose stools, which are an added aggravation that your cat doesn't need right now.

Margret

 

[tabbysia]

Thanks for the info. Right now he is still confined to a kennel. He gets his stitches out in a couple of days, and then he is supposed to be let out of the kennel and start walking/exercising. I'm kind of afraid of him getting injured again. I'm considering getting rid of anything high up that he likes to jump on, including his cat tree. Since I don't know how he broke his hip in the first place, it seems like everything could be a potential danger!

 

[kmbishop111]

I'm so sorry you and your kitty are having to go through this!! I've assisted with many FHO's and honestly the results are usually remarkable. It is a tough surgery and will be a lot of "healing time". I'm sure your vet has went over range of motion exercise's and such that you'll need to do with your baby.

 

[Margret]

It's absolutely essential that he not be allowed to jump or pounce, basically until he's finished healing, as far as I can tell. Any motion like that can result in too much scarring, which could lead to further surgery. The only movement he's allowed is gentle walking, and using the litter box. You need to be sure that he can get into his litter box by stepping; it can't have sides that are high enough that he needs to leap into it. If you want to let him sleep on your bed you'll need to give him some kind of ramp or steps, because he mustn't jump onto it. Ditto the living room furniture. His cat tree is right out.

Really and truly, please check out the website I gave you a link to; that's where I got all this stuff. It will tell you what you need to know to keep your cat safe while he's healing. And your vet should give you detailed instructions; follow them.

Margret

 

[tabbysia]

I thought I'd give everyone an update on my kitty. He seems to be doing well, but he does still walk with a limp. The vet said that this is normal, and that he could be limping for several more months, but it is not a painful limp. She also said that he might always walk a little differently because his right back leg is now slightly shorter than the other.

Although he seems to be doing well, I am still very nervous about him jumping on things because I have concrete floors. The vet has said (last week) that he can be left out all the time and unsupervised from now on, but I am doubtful. I fortunately am able to stay at home with him and watch him because I work for a school and we are out for the summer. I do however kind of go against the vet's directions and put him in his kennel if I have to leave the house for a while. He seems to know his limits and hasn't tried to make very high jumps yet, but I am afraid that he could injure himself again.

I was following him all over the place yesterday because he was running and jumping while chasing a fly. I kept saying "Little jumps, only little jumps!" as if he could understand me. He is relentless when pursuing a bug! His personality is starting to slowly return to normal. He has started chasing and pouncing on his "sister" again.

My house looks very funny because I have put folded up blankets and/or bath mats on the floor under all his favorite jumping spots to hopefully cushion the blow when he does jump. I have disassembled his six foot tall cat tree because it is just too scary.

I don't know how long it will be before he is in the clear and I don't have to worry about him getting injured again. I plan to ask the vet about it at his next appointment tomorrow.

 

[tabbysia]

This morning he has been trying out all of his new "beds" that are strewn all over the floor. I really despise carpet, but maybe I should consider it?

 

[furmonster mom]

D'awww... thing is, he won't really need the extra padding for much longer, especially if he is learning his limits as you say. He will adjust his jumping habits accordingly. Installing carpet seems to be a rather permanent solution for a temporary situation.