Paralyzed Stray Black Kitten

[nahui]

Thanks everyone for being interested in Fetén. I think he is one lucky cat to have so many people interested in him.

I don't know what they put into him with the last procedure but he has just been one crazy cat for the last two days. It's just playing and playing and playing non-stop. He even took out one of the stitches from the neutering surgery! He is doing fine and of course we are keeping a close eye on him.

We now have to wait a couple of weeks to see if there is any further progress.

 

[golondrina]

I forget how I came across this thread today. i have read it right through from the first to the last post. I have no words capable of expressing my admiration for you nahui and your husband. It feels so wonderful to encounter people with your kindness and dedication and the courage to do what you have done and are doing for a little sick kitten. May the results of the last procedure be as rewarding as expected.

 

[nahui]

I forget how I came across this thread today. i have read it right through from the first to the last post. I have no words capable of expressing my admiration for you nahui and your husband. It feels so wonderful to encounter people with your kindness and dedication and the courage to do what you have done and are doing for a little sick kitten. May the results of the last procedure be as rewarding as expected.

Thanks golondrina ! We are already seeing great progress, especially when he is outside. He gets so excited that he stands with the upper part of his legs, as if trying to stand up and his tail moves as well, so we are hopeful!

 

[golondrina]

I am very happy nahui to hear of Ftetén's progress. It must be so rewarding and encouraging for you and your husband. It is a great thing that Fetén himself is happy as this ensures his cooperation. He is very lucky kitten to have found you.

 

[ArchyCat]

Is another update possible? How are you and Fenten doing? Still doing therapy?

 

[nahui]

Hi everyone,

A little update: Fetén's physical therapist is very happy with his progress. She is cautiously optimistic, but it is still a long road ahead. Today he was very uncomfortable during therapy. This is highly unusual because he normally sleeps through the therapy and does not mind us handling him during therapy.

His therapist thinks he might be starting to feel the electrical pulses when he is connected to electrodes for muscle stimulation. This is good news! It's awful that he has to feel uncomfortable of course, but the fact that he might be feeling something would be great news.

We are also contemplating a possible extra round of the platelet-rich plasma treatment, but that is something still to be discussed with all the vets involved. I see progress, but also do not want to keep putting Fetén through procedure after procedure just for the sake of it.

Finally, a picture! Fetén all grown up and gorgeous as can be!

 

[walli]

He's wonderful!

 

[tabbytom]

He's beautiful!

 

[ArchyCat]

A fine specimen of black cat! Archy was my only blackcap.

Thank you for the update! Hope the progress continues!

 

[msaimee]

Thanks for the update!
Would it be possible to give him pain meds for the muscle stimulation?
What a wonderful job you are doing with him! I just wish the person who did this to Feten could know everything you've done for this cat, maybe he would feel shame and grow a heart.

 

[Kitty Mommy]

He is such a handsome fella. He's had such a hard road and it's wonderful to hear he is doing so well.

 

[nahui]

Thanks for the update!
Would it be possible to give him pain meds for the muscle stimulation?
What a wonderful job you are doing with him! I just wish the person who did this to Feten could know everything you've done for this cat, maybe he would feel shame and grow a heart.

He does not really feel pain. It is more of an uncomfortable feeling. I've already tried those electrical impulses and they are not painful (not to me at least) but they are indeed uncomfortable.

He has an appointment on Saturday and I´ll make sure to discuss with his vet if this means he is feeling pain to see if we can make him more comfortable. I have also been told that we should try again with therapy in a pool, but the only time we tried he got extremely agitated and distressed that I am afraid to try again.

Maybe if I buy a kiddie pool or a large plastic bin and fill it with warm water and try at home little by little he might get used to the water, but I still haven´t thought through how to best approach this and make him at least tolerate being in the water.

 

[nahui]

A little update about Fetén's progress. Last week we had a small setback because all of a sudden he started having diarrhea. Very bad diarrhea. Turns out he had giardiasis. He is a lot better now and almost at the end of the treatment, but I did have to stop all therapy because even the slightest movement caused him to poop all over himself. We think it must have been from being outside in the garden chewing on the grass.

But there's also good news: He can now move his legs!! I've included a short video where you can see him moving his legs back and forth:


This is great progress! He is also now able to move his tail and twitch his legs when touched. We are now working on getting him used to placing his legs in a normal walking position, which is now our next challenge, but little by little we are making progress!

 

[maggiedemi]

That's amazing! It makes me want to cry.

 

[golondrina]

It is marvellous to learn how well Fetén has progressed. I admire your courage as well as your dedication and generosity nahui. Judging by the video Fetén is determined to progress. His energy is there to prove it. Congratulations to both of you.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

How is Fetén doing?

 

[nahui]

How is Fetén doing?

HI! Fetén is doing great. He keeps moving his legs back and forth and at times even lifts them up, but not consistently and we are still working on that.

He now knows every step of therapy, so that he'll get out of his carrier and go straight to position himself inside the electromagnetic ring. Once this is done, he gets into position for the next thing, and so on. Once he is done with the last thing, he goes back to the carrier. Just like that. It's really funny to watch.

 

[tabbytom]

 

[Avery]

What a smart little guy to know his therapy routine! And so handsome!! I just spent yesterday evening reading this entire story and, along with everyone else who is following it, I wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you and your husband are doing for Fetén.

I am in the process of bringing two semi-feral cats inside and have gotten lots of great advice and support from this site. Reading about Fetén and his hopeful little life and all the work and love you are investing in him helped me put my own "project" in perspective and appreciate even more all the dedicated and courageous people who do so much to help these wonderful creatures.

 

[nahui]

What a smart little guy to know his therapy routine! And so handsome!! I just spent yesterday evening reading this entire story and, along with everyone else who is following it, I wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you and your husband are doing for Fetén.

I am in the process of bringing two semi-feral cats inside and have gotten lots of great advice and support from this site. Reading about Fetén and his hopeful little life and all the work and love you are investing in him helped me put my own "project" in perspective and appreciate even more all the dedicated and courageous people who do so much to help these wonderful creatures.

Thank you Avery ! I just started reading your thread and I think what you are doing is wonderful. It's true, it takes a lot of time and patience, but if you are determined, all that is needed is to be consistent and go little by little. With Fetén we try not to think about the long-term outcome, but instead focus on what is needed now. This is of course not to say that we don't have a plan or that we don't look for new things that might help him, but instead that we don't think about how much work it takes . We just do it and know that whatever we are doing now will (probably) show results sometime in the future.

Now that I look back on the last 9 months, all those little steps where we barely saw any progress have accumulated to the point where he now has recovered the muscle mass in his legs, has no incontinence, can move his legs back and forth, and is able to move his tail. Yes, he is not yet able to walk, but he is much farther than what the first vet who saw him thought he would get, so, to me, all of these are gains, so just hang in there! You are doing all the right things for Lucky and Ruby.