Kitten With Hip Dysplasia

[cute_sunny]

Hello everyone,

I rescued Sunny( 2-month old male kitten) who seemed not to be able to stand and walk on his hind legs. Took him to the vet, no broken bones on X-ray. Vet diagnosed him with hip dysplasia and said there is nothing he can do to fix it. Anyway, I could not bring myself to return him to the courtyard where I found him. I took him in, set ups litter box, toys and food...And that's where the struggle began. He pees and poops everywhere but the litter box, and I have to clean after him every day. it's so tiring...Due to my schedule, I'm away most of the time (grad school :/ ) during the week. I am hoping he can clean after himself and cooperate until I find him a suitable adopter.
When I put him in the litter box, he quickly run away from the box.
my friend thinks it's maybe because he cannot stand on his back legs so he just poops on the spot and then starts limping and pooping as he walks away from the spot...
Anyone with a similar experience to share? How to train this kind of kitten to use litter box? this is the first time I am taking care of cat and it's very exhausting.

Thanks so much for your feedback!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! I don't know if there is anything here?

How To Train Kittens To Use The Litter Box

 

[silkenpaw]

If you can’t litter train him because he can’t get into the litter box, don’t despair.

I have a paraplegic cat who can’t get into the litter box and is incontinent anyway. He wears diapers during the day and is locked in his own room at night. You can buy dog diapers that fit a cat.

 

[cute_sunny]

If you can’t litter train him because he can’t get into the litter box, don’t despair.

I have a paraplegic cat who can’t get into the litter box and is incontinent anyway. He wears diapers during the day and is locked in his own room at night. You can buy dog diapers that fit a cat.

must be very tough!
yes, I thought about diapers as a last resort... I want to try teach him to go to the litter box and do it, before I give up

 

[cute_sunny]

Hi! I don't know if there is anything here?

How To Train Kittens To Use The Litter Box

Thanks tryings some of these tips...hh sometimes feels like he's in another universe and doesn't get it

 

[silkenpaw]

Actually, he’s a joy! He doesn’t know there’s anything wrong with him and he’s the happiest cat.

Definitely, the best thing would be for your cat to use the litter box. I once set up a shallow cake pan (about 1” tall) as a litter box for a very sick cat. It wasn’t very tidy but she was able to get into it.

Have you considered that he may not understand what litter is for? My Rufus was an outside cat before he came to me. He kept pooping outside the box until I made him one filled with mulch, which was what he was using outside. He understood right away and I gradually changed the mulch to litter.

 

[cute_sunny]

yes, but where I found him, it didn't seem like he was making any effort to hide his pee/poop...it's possible his mom didn't show him/care or that he just cannot do it like a normal kitten...he also pees and walks, other time poops and walks. possibly because his butt is usually on the ground, so by walking he can relieve himself...I'll go to another vet soon to get a second opinion.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[cute_sunny]

If you can’t litter train him because he can’t get into the litter box, don’t despair.

I have a paraplegic cat who can’t get into the litter box and is incontinent anyway. He wears diapers during the day and is locked in his own room at night. You can buy dog diapers that fit a cat.

Hello~can you please tell me a little bit out your routine with the cat? and do you take him with you when you travel?

 

[1 bruce 1]

yes, but where I found him, it didn't seem like he was making any effort to hide his pee/poop...it's possible his mom didn't show him/care or that he just cannot do it like a normal kitten...he also pees and walks, other time poops and walks. possibly because his butt is usually on the ground, so by walking he can relieve himself...I'll go to another vet soon to get a second opinion.

We've had dogs with hip dysplasia, and they never seem to just walk along and pee or poop like that. It's very possible his hips are bad, but I would be concerned that there's something else going on (neurological) that would cause this. It's quite rare for a kitten to just walk along peeing and pooping. A poorly formed hip joint should not cause this.
Poor little cat. I'm sure you can figure something out for him, I think a second opinion is a great idea.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Also, did the vet do X-rays on the hip (there's really no way to know if a hip is bad or how bad it is just by looking or feeling), and if so, do you have a copy you could share here?

 

[cute_sunny]

Also, did the vet do X-rays on the hip (there's really no way to know if a hip is bad or how bad it is just by looking or feeling), and if so, do you have a copy you could share here?

Yes, attached. but something tells me the vet we saw first might not be very experienced with these cases. just confirmed nothing broken and that it might be neurological. Then he wrote, hip dysplasia...
oh he also noted that Sunny had a good appetite "his stomach is filled with food and little stones."

 

[1 bruce 1]

I stand corrected. That left hip looks pretty bad, and the right one isn't so hot either. Poor little cat. I wonder if he was born this way or if he just didn't get proper nutrition from being outside while growing and the hip joint didn't form properly.
I get the feeling our little Baby Girls hips aren't so good either.
Did they talk to you about giving him a good, higher powered joint supplement? They might not be available locally, but you might be able to order them from something like pet meds, or amazon. I've heard good things about adequan injections, if it's available.
Sending you all the good wishes I can. I wish I could help more. The good news is they adapt so well to this kind of thing!

 

[cute_sunny]

Thanks! I am not sure. he doesn't seem to be in pain. plays every day. hmm might have to wait. last week could not deworm him or start his vaccination due to its weight/age. hoping he can be trained to use litter...but so far doesn't look good. my friend thinks he cannot control his bladder because he was peeing while playing with us yesterday and didn't seem to be aware it was happening. his belly looks distended too. hopefully will get some good news soon from the vet. thank you for the good wishes

 

[1 bruce 1]

Thanks! I am not sure. he doesn't seem to be in pain. plays every day. hmm might have to wait. last week could not deworm him or start his vaccination due to its weight/age. hoping he can be trained to use litter...but so far doesn't look good. my friend thinks he cannot control his bladder because he was peeing while playing with us yesterday and didn't seem to be aware it was happening. his belly looks distended too. hopefully will get some good news soon from the vet. thank you for the good wishes

If he has a swollen belly he may have worms, so the vet can help you out with that.
I'm wondering it there's a chance he has something like a pinched nerve that could be helped. It just seems so odd he's so unaware of his own incontinence.
Whatever happens, we're pulling for you all