Caring For Abandoned and Feral Cats

Baby Kitty has had 3 meals today. She hasn't eliminated any, though. Her hind legs continue to be weak and unused other than to sit while eating. After that she rolls on her side.

Here is a pic of her on my chest. It's so bittersweet. I always have wanted to be able to hold her and love her but not under these circumstances.

I guess it's true that you should be careful what you wish for and always explore the ripples.




Here's another of her laying on a towel after eating.




This is from October, when she was still well and wild.

 

Baby Kitty shat all over herself so she got a bath tonight. It's taken forever for her to get dry enough to put back in the carrier. She did very well in the bath and enjoyed all the extra pampering and petting while she was getting dry.

 

Baby Kitty seems to be improving! She walked around the the outside of the carrier and pottied. Her diarrhea is clearing up, too.

 

Do you think a spider (like a brown recluse) could have bitten her? It almost sounds like something bit her leg. Even though the recluses are known to cause some to lose a limb or even death, I actually know 2 different people that had relatively no affect from a recluse bite. Well, one had what seemed to be an infection in the bite area...but after taking antibiotics it cleared on up within a week! The other person had the area around the bite turn darkish, but that went away in about a week and he never even took a thing but some pain pills he got off of a friend. Both people kept the spiders (after killing them) so there was no doubt about what bit them.

I also know a lady (my closest neighbor down the road) who almost lost her leg and her life. Before all was said and done she wound up being taken by ambulance to the Medical University in Charleston. I'm just saying all that because I figure that since people can have such varying reactions to what could be a lethal bite, perhaps the same can be said for kitties.

It sounds like Baby Kitty was going through hell for a time, and there was a specific area (her hind leg) from which her trouble was originating.

When my cat babies have gotten sick (and gotten well) I've always given them salmon juice and then as much salmon as they would eat.

I so happy to hear Baby is getting better! I'm also thinking that amber bracelet helped.

 

Lynn, I have gotten to thinking that she may have eaten a blue-tailed skink.

She gave me two nose-to-nose cat kisses tonight, and she played with the leather string of my necklace.

She's acting kind of angry. I think she is getting over the really, really sick part and she's pissed that she can't move right. At first I thought she was starting to get well and was embarrassed that she'd been sick enough to have to depend on a human, but after those two nose kisses, I don't think that's the case.

 

We have loads of lizards here. I haven't seen any skinks just lately, but I saw lots of them just before it began getting chilly (since it is yet to get cold). So, that sounds highly likely. She looks like a wonderful little companion. Apparently she realized she would be safely and lovingly cared for by you.

Isn't it a wonderful thing to know you have been singled out by an animal...to be the one to help them and love them? This may sound totally ridiculous, but in the past being "singled out for that opportunity" made me feel worthwhile and needed when nothing else did.

 

I don't think that sounds silly at all, Lynn! :grouphug:

 

Baby Kitty's update is slightly better than yesterday. The diarrhea is completely gone and I think it was only caused by me wanting to upgrade her from dry food to canned food. Her legs seemed stronger today though she still isn't really wanting to use them except for a quick lunge from one place to another. She still seems angry and confused about her legs not working properly. If she gets off balance she just quickly lays on her side like "Fuck It". As she was laying on her side she was swishing her tail in slight disgust. I'm encouraged. I don't think she has moved her tail at all since I brought her in on Friday. Both her hind legs are ticklish and respond to being touched.

 

I'm soo glad she's getting better!

 

Thank you, Chrissy!

 

When This Happened To My Cats It Was Either Spider Bite, Or Snake Bite.

Both Cause A Partial Parallisis Of The Hindquarters....

In The Case Of Snake Bite It Takes 21 Days To Fully Recover, I Have

No Idea How Long Spider Bites Take...



Cheers Glen.

 

Oooh, that's interesting, Glen.

We have the one cat, Stacy, who I believe was bitten by something because of the abscess she had on her foot. She was in great pain and very ill with nausea.

She's all better except for a bit of tissue loss around the tendons in the foot.

I have checked Baby Kitty over and find no external wounds.

I'm really encouraged to hear about your cats' partial paralysis of the hind quarters resolving!

 

I am glad to hear she is doing better.

 

She's just not interested in moving around at all. It's like sitting up to eat just exhausts her. I did get two more kitty-kiss-nose-nudges this afternoon. :love:

 

Sorry to hear that... usually they bounce back by now. Wonder what's up.

 

I don't know Ty.

She's skinny. I'm hoping rest and regular meals will strengthen her but I worry about her muscles atrophying from non-use. It's not like I can make her exercise, though. If she'd just show some signs of wanting to move, then I'd encourage and entice her.

 

Is she drinking water, or only when you force it?

 

She is drinking water herself, now. And she is voiding solids and liquids.

 

That's a good sign...

 

I think it's just going to take some more time. She is much stronger than she was on Sunday and Monday.