Rescued Stray Tortoiseshell: So Many Health Problems!

[Skittles0414]

Skittles is about 1 to 2 years old, judging by the lack of tartar on her back teeth. She came to me pregnant and on the brink of starvation, so when she returned several times, I took her in. She had some broken ribs, which must be calcified, because she shows no evidence of pain or distress when touched or squeezed lightly in that area. She ran away for about 5 days. In that time, I called for her until 2am every night, tried doing that with and without food (because of tons of other cats in the area) and put her litterbox out. I checked the crawlspace several times, but she must've hid, because on day 6, I heard meowing directly below me and found her in the crawlspace, so weak she could not lift her head to even eat or drink. I knew about refeeding syndrome, and fed her small amounts of high protein, low carb foods, mostly meats. I did as several of the most well-respected cat health websites recommended and she is no longer emaciated. She has gone from paper-thin skin and bones to nice and filled out. She still has some fat-to-muscle conversion to make, but she is mostly recovered. Her stools look healthy and she urinates normally.

Skittles has something embedded in her paw, but I have been broke for over a month and completely unable to get it removed. It has pretty much healed over, but I know it is still causing her tremendous pain. I have medications I can give her to sedate her, but is it a good idea for me to get it out myself? Even if I disinfect the area, sterilize the materials, clean it very well, and sew and dress the wound, would it still be a bad idea for anatomical reasons? Or even lack of experience? Please be honest, cut and dry. My concern is that I won't have the money in time to help her.

I have noticed she sometimes has improper pupil dilation. This is why I'm so concerned with her paw. It could be neurological, but I'm very worried it is because of infection. if this was the case, how quickly would I notice more severe signs, or even death? She has been lethargic, but may just be a lazy cat. She has one hell of an appetite, cleans herself about 7-8 times a day at least, and is extremely friendly and responsive. I have noticed behavioral changes in her when her pupils dilate improperly. They don't usually do it too dramatically, but it's enough that myself and others notice it. She has only hissed twice at people and these have been when eyes aren't dilating properly, usually calms down when she sniffs us, like she isn't able to see properly when this happens.

HERE is the biggest concern I have for her. She WAS pregnant, I am 100% positive of that. When I found her in the crawlspace, she had lost her babies. I don't even have a dollar right now. I am stressing about it because I have no idea if she lost all her babies or if one or two made it (I am in extreme doubt of that), I don't know if they all aborted. There could be dead kittens in there, because sometimes her stomach seems larger and bumpier, and other times it appears completely normal, but that could be from stomach or intestinal problems, or fecal matter moving through her bowels. If they were dead kittens, would it be likely for them to move around in her uterus and disappear from sight? Or would they be visible, as though she were still pregnant? What kinds of things should I look for? She is definitely sad about the loss of her babies, she is very sweet and even maternal toward Dalilah (my queen) and Ygritte, trying to groom both of them, even trying often to groom my hands when I pet her. Ygritte is very antisocial, and I have noticed anytime she rejects Skittles' affection, Skittles gets noticeably upset and will try to lay as close as possible to her.

 

[Willowy]

Do NOT give a cat any medications without a vet's guidance!

She really needs to see a vet. That's about all there is to it. Are there any farm vets in the area? They tend to be a little more affordable and might let you run up a tab.

 

[Norachan]

I have medications I can give her to sedate her, but is it a good idea for me to get it out myself? Even if I disinfect the area, sterilize the materials, clean it very well, and sew and dress the wound, would it still be a bad idea for anatomical reasons? Or even lack of experience?

No, please don't try that. It's a terrible idea. You could make the injury and infection much worse if you don't know what you are doing. If you sedate her enough to perform surgery on her the medication could quite easily stop her heart or stop her from breathing.

Please don't do it.

HERE is the biggest concern I have for her. She WAS pregnant, I am 100% positive of that.

If she was very emaciated she could have had a still born litter. It's common for cats to eat dead kittens and after birth.

She really needs to see a vet though. You could either surrender her to a No Kill shelter, although if she is very sick they may well have to put her to sleep.

You could try and find a vet that will let you start a tab.

You could start a GoFundMe account for her and ask for donations to raise money for vet care.

 

[Skittles0414]

No, please don't try that. It's a terrible idea. You could make the injury and infection much worse if you don't know what you are doing. If you sedate her enough to perform surgery on her the medication could quite easily stop her heart or stop her from breathing.

Please don't do it.



If she was very emaciated she could have had a still born litter. It's common for cats to eat dead kittens and after birth.

She really needs to see a vet though. You could either surrender her to a No Kill shelter, although if she is very sick they may well have to put her to sleep.

You could try and find a vet that will let you start a tab.

You could start a GoFundMe account for her and ask for donations to raise money for vet care.

There is no reason to beg, I asked for a reason and said I wouldn't if it weren't a good idea. I have taken first aid, and done hours and hours of research on official veterinarian websites about giving cats medications. I know tons about what I can't give her, how much to give or not to give her, and how to care for her while she is medicated, but if you still think it's a bad idea, I won't do it.

I do believe she had her litter still born. I was just wondering what might/could be left, because I have heard of cats giving birth to stillborn litters but some kittens surviving, sometimes even up to a month after in one case I read about. I have also read that when cats have stillborn litters, because they are dead when they're born, they aren't always properly positioned for birthing and may become stuck. I'm sure she ate the litter she birthed, because I can't see how she would've survived that long down there if she hadn't . Also, unless I'm mistaken, she is more likely to have a kitten stuck in there because of her broken ribs.

Here's my problem.... I'm in a mostly rural area. ALL the shelters for 3 hours around me are kill shelters. There are only two vets in my town and they are both very expensive and require money up front. So my best option would be a gofundme. My concern is, does Skittles have the time to wait?

 

[Skittles0414]

Do NOT give a cat any medications without a vet's guidance!

She really needs to see a vet. That's about all there is to it. Are there any farm vets in the area? They tend to be a little more affordable and might let you run up a tab.

There is nothing like that in my area. I'm in a very rural area and the vets require money up front. ALL kill shelters.

 

[maggiedemi]

Try the Humane Society or ASPCA.

 

[Skittles0414]

Try the Humane Society or ASPCA.

Humane society? I'm not sure they do anything in this area, but I'll try. ASPCA? I don't know much about them but I'll do some research first. I want my little Skittles to get the treatment she needs ♡ even if it means I have to give her up.

But how do I know they won't just put her down anyway? What if, like someone (maybe you) said in a previous comment, she just has too many issues anyway? I don't want to give her up just to see her put down and given up on.

 

[Skittles0414]

Here's some extra information about Skittles:

She is a very happy cat. She purrs often, meows for food, and will do cute things for food and treats. She is quickly becoming best friends with my queen, Dalilah, and works very hard to become friends with Ygritte, the angry antisocial kitty (but still cute!). She grooms more than any cat I've ever seen, she tries to groom other cats and my hands when I pet her. She is seldom playful, but she does play. She loves to cuddle with Dalilah and her owners! She comes when called and urinates and defecates normally. She is sweet, but also the dominant cat.

I just wanted to clarify that she is not living miserably! She does have pain in her paw, but she manages with that. I'm sure she would play a lot more if I could get her paw fixed

 

[maggiedemi]

Humane society? I'm not sure they do anything in this area, but I'll try. ASPCA?

See if they have an email address for your area. Then you can ask them all the questions you want before they even touch the cat.

 

[Skittles0414]

See if they have an email address for your area. Then you can ask them all the questions you want before they even touch the cat.

Thank you I will

 

[Norachan]

There is no reason to beg

I wasn't begging. "Please" is just a word people use when they are being polite.



Even if you have taken a First Aid course and read a lot on the internet it's never a good idea to attempt to perform any kind of surgery on an animal yourself. You're not a vet and there are so many things that can go wrong.

As she has so many issues, the broken ribs and possible dead kitten still inside as well as the paw injury, she really needs medical attention soon.

From another site;

However, if a kitten dies in the mother’s uterus and the mother can’t expel the dead kitten because it is too big to fit through the birth canal or because the mother is too exhausted, the mother and any other surviving kittens will die within hours to days. This is not a survivable situation for her. She may die from bleeding or trauma, or she may die more slowly as an infection spreads through her body; either way, she will die without medical attention.

If this is a domestic cat, she needs to be taken to the veterinarian for an emergency spay/C-section. Kittens delivered by C-section have a high mortality rate; the longer you waited, the lower their chances of living; however, without the C-section, they have no chance at all, and the mother will die too.

https://www.quora.com/What-happens-when-a-kitten-died-in-the-womb-of-the-cat-and-she-cant-give-birth

M maggiedemi gave you some good advice above. Call and ask. Maybe if you explain that you want to keep the cat and would be willing to adopt her after she's had the treatment she needs a local shelter could help. Would a shelter be willing to give her the initial treatment she needs and let you pay back their vets later?

Keep us posted. Please.

 

[Skittles0414]

I wasn't begging. "Please" is just a word people use when they are being polite.



Even if you have taken a First Aid course and read a lot on the internet it's never a good idea to attempt to perform any kind of surgery on an animal yourself. You're not a vet and there are so many things that can go wrong.

As she has so many issues, the broken ribs and possible dead kitten still inside as well as the paw injury, she really needs medical attention soon.

From another site;

However, if a kitten dies in the mother’s uterus and the mother can’t expel the dead kitten because it is too big to fit through the birth canal or because the mother is too exhausted, the mother and any other surviving kittens will die within hours to days. This is not a survivable situation for her. She may die from bleeding or trauma, or she may die more slowly as an infection spreads through her body; either way, she will die without medical attention.

If this is a domestic cat, she needs to be taken to the veterinarian for an emergency spay/C-section. Kittens delivered by C-section have a high mortality rate; the longer you waited, the lower their chances of living; however, without the C-section, they have no chance at all, and the mother will die too.

https://www.quora.com/What-happens-when-a-kitten-died-in-the-womb-of-the-cat-and-she-cant-give-birth

M maggiedemi gave you some good advice above. Call and ask. Maybe if you explain that you want to keep the cat and would be willing to adopt her after she's had the treatment she needs a local shelter could help. Would a shelter be willing to give her the initial treatment she needs and let you pay back their vets later?

Keep us posted. Please.

Thank you so much! If that's the case, maybe she has gas and that's what I'm feeling on her belly? If it's an hours-to-days thing, I should be alright, it's been about a month and a half, maybe longer. Her ribs should also be fine, though they could be causing some pain. They don't move when you apply pressure, and she doesn't seem to react as though it hurts when she's touched on her ribs. Her paw concerns me the most, as does her pupil dilation, but as you said, I will need to wait for a vet. I'll let you all know what happens!

 

[Skittles0414]

Hello, everyone. I am here with some unfortunate news. I went to the vet recently after Skittles started to show some troubling signs. I couldn't really afford it, but I did it anyway.

Here's the basic: Skittles has a bad tooth fracture that was severely infected. She has been given antibiotics and fever reducer by the vet, but she needs further treatment, including the removal of some of her small front teeth. If I dont get this done soon, she will get reinfected and possibly die. I don't see any possible way for me to afford the visit and I refuse to just give up, so all I could think of to get her help was to make a gofundme account. The link to the SOS thread is here: Gofundme: Medical Help For Skittles!