Leg Injury

[Brooke_101211]

This morning my brother and I heard my cat meowing, and we found that he got stuck in a small space in the night. There was something blocking his way out so we moved it and had to pull him out, since it looked like he couldn’t move. We brought him upstairs and layed him on a pillow, then cleaned off what dust we could. He can’t stand or walk, and he tries to drag himself around, which causes more pain for him. Hopefully we’ll be taking him to the vet soon anyways, but I wanted to see if I could find out what’s wrong. There was nothing on his legs when we found him, so I’m not sure how he could’ve hurt them.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Welcome!!
He either got hurt in the process of getting stuck, and/or got hurt trying too hard to get out. Poor baby - let us know what the vet says.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. If he can't use his legs, there is something seriously wrong whether you can visibly see it or not. If you have an emergency vet you can take him to, I would do it NOW. He's in pain, and the injury could be a sprain, broken bones, or a spinal cord injury. Best to find out ASAP. And, they will be able to treat the pain as well.

 

[Brooke_101211]

Furballsmom FeebysOwner
As much as I would love to take him to the vet ASAP I’m the only family member home right now and I can’t drive, so I can’t. Is there anything I can do to help him while I wait?

 

[Furballsmom]

Can you Uber or Lyft? or a neighbor?

Keep him warm, but not hot. This is usually for kittens but give him a sock partly filled with dry rice (or beans) that you've gently microwaved and cover that with a soft cloth.

And/or give him a heating pad set on low and covered with a couple of towels.

And, other than that, don't move him. Can you finger feed him? He needs nutrients to help the healing. These are typically for kittens but work just as well for cats; there are homemade recipes on the internet for kitten glop and also for Pedialyte.

 

[Brooke_101211]

Can you Uber or Lyft? or a neighbor?

Keep him warm, but not hot. This is usually for kittens but give him a sock partly filled with dry rice (or beans) that you've gently microwaved and cover that with a soft cloth.

And/or give him a heating pad set on low and covered with a couple of towels.

And, other than that, don't move him. Can you finger feed him? He needs nutrients to help the healing. These are typically for kittens but work just as well for cats; there are homemade recipes on the internet for kitten glop and also for Pedialyte.

I can’t Uber so I’ll have to wait until they get back in a couple hours. I’ll try to give him a heating pad and see if he’ll eat. I tried giving him a treat earlier but he wasn’t interested. Right now he’s laying on a big pillow with a blanket to support his head. He seems pretty calm so hopefully he won’t try to drag himself around and hurt himself when I can’t stop him.

 

[Furballsmom]

"He seems pretty calm"
He's a smart cat, and you're doing a great job with a challenging situation!

If getting the heating pad underneath him is too much moving, maybe just have it positioned so that it's along his side, with a couple towels over it, something like that.

let us know what happens, and I'm sending every good healing thought I have your way!!

 

[Brooke_101211]

"He seems pretty calm"
He's a smart cat, and you're doing a great job with a challenging situation!

let us know what happens, and I'm sending every good healing thought I have your way!!

Thank you! He moved over to a mat in front of the door and is now laying there. He moved there before too so I decided to have him stay there and put a blanket on him.
And thanks aa unfortunately this isn’t the first time he’s been hurt, back in February he got an abscess, but we got him to the vet and he’s all healed from that now!

 

[Furballsmom]

Bless your hearts - hang in there!!

 

[Kflowers]

Whatever you do, do NOT give him human pain killers as they are likely to kill him. Be patient, and try to be calm. Being calm is something he can pick up on. If you're calm, he's less likely to panic.

 

[Brooke_101211]

K Kflowers Furballsmom
Yea I’d never give him human painkillers!! My family is back but it looks like every vet and hospital is closed today because it’s sunday

 

[Kflowers]

I feel your scream. I don't understand why the bigger vets, those with more than one vet, aren't open on Sunday. I mean they have to have noticed pets get hurt on Sunday. Makes you really wonder about them.

 

[Brooke_101211]

K Kflowers i know right, it’s so fustrating

 

[Jem]

They might be closed but you can still call and the prerecorded message will provide you with the number for the emergency ER vet or "on-call" vet.

How is he doing? Have you noticed any improvement?

 

[Rooneyzoe]

When he moved, did he walk or drag himself? Is he crying? Our cat fell and broke his pelvis when he was young...he howled like crazy. Managed to drag himself into a plant pot. We called the vet at 5am and took him in. We had no idea what had happened.

If he seems in distress call the vet emergency number.

 

[Brooke_101211]

Jem they gave a number but my dad left a message saying they’ll take him in tomorrow, they never take anything as seriously as they should. There’s nothing I can do to convince them so we have to wait until tomorrow.
R Rooneyzoe he dragged himself. He’s been meowing, more so when he tries to move and it causes him more pain.

 

[Kflowers]

You might want to spread some cat litter on a newspaper or another flat surface like the plastic lid for under bed box. this way he won't try to climb in the litter box and further hurt himself.

Does he have a carrier? If so you might make a soft bed inside it and encourage him in with treats. Even if you don't close the door it might keep him from moving around as much. It would also give him a 'safe safe' place secure from everyone.

 

[Brooke_101211]

K Kflowers he doesn’t, but I can try to find a box with some blankets.

My family has done some research, and we think it is a blood clot which terrifies me. Especially since he can’t see a vet until tomorrow.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I have no idea how they arrived at the conclusion of a blood clot? It's more likely, based on what information you've provided, to be a spinal cord injury. Which I suppose could lead to a blood clot...
But, nonetheless, keep him as comfy as possible, with food/water and a make-shift litter box nearby. I don't know if you can manage this, but I would NOT leave his side until he can be seen by a vet. He needs to be monitored and helped with any issues about eating/drinking/etc. until then. Is that possible?

 

[Brooke_101211]

FeebysOwner i believe it’s because of his legs being very cold compared to the rest of his body, and I can only hope they’re wrong. I can try my best to up throughout the night to monitor him.