a traumatic attack- looking for support and ideas to help nurse my cat back to health

[kitty waltz]

my cat was attacked by a pit bull. And no Im not anti- pits, thats how this happened... I found the neighbors dog in the street and was trying to protect it from the road or animal control. Its a pretty long story, I wrote it all out on my blog at www.xanga.com/freethinkingmom
I actually think its a nice dog that just wasnt trained out of its instinctual drive to attack small animals. anyways, my cat now has a broken leg and cant even move about. Ive been giving her pain meds every 4 hrs and giving her water, and gravy from cat wet food in a dropper. I was thinking of making her a mixture of cat food, water, and a little bit of milk in a blender, as she isnt interested in solid foods right now. Any ideas out there would be much appreciated. I bought her the most expensive, nutritionally complete natural food there was, but she doesnt want it. any support would be much appreciated, too. Im still pretty traumatized myself, as well!

[ediesmom]

Years ago my sisters cat, Cosmo, was hit by a car. She had to have him in a dog crate so he wouldn't try to move around. Anyway...... he lost a ton of weight even though she fed him liver 'pate' (not really, just processed in the food processer). He was sick and hurt and did not feel like eating. After almost a week he started taking food. not much but some. After a few weeks he was eating without prompting.

I am so sorry this happened to your little one. Hope she feels better soon. Just make sure she gets plenty of water.

[shannon0218]

I'm assuming he's been to the vet right? What pain meds are you giving, some can add to the feeling of not wanting to eat. Was the cat overweight at all before this happened, if he was, there is an increased risk of fatty liver disease if he doesn't start eating.
At this point it's not about what, it's about just getting him to eat, so offer up some fancy feast, offer up pureed jarred baby food meat (this is also very easy to syringe into him. Don't give milk unless he drinks it all the time already, if he doesn't then he won' thave the digestive enzymes to digest it adn that's just not good for a sick kitty. Catnip will stimulate appetite as will injectable valium if he won't eat still after a few days.
I've always had luck with catst that won't eat using those roasted chickens you buy at the store, they like the salt and the meat.

[MamaAllNatural]

OMG, I am so sad for you and your kitty.

I read the whole blog entry on the incident. That is so traumatic. So you know for sure whose dog this is, right? And you say that now she won't return your phone calls? I absolutely think she needs to at least split the bill with you. You let the dog into your house but she had her dog out wandering the streets (which you get fined for here and you have to bail them out of the shelter - not to mention you're responsible for whatever trouble they find while they are out and about). If my dog had done that I would feel so awful, I would pay *at least* half the bill.

Did your kids witness all of this too? Are they doing okay? You need to take care of yourself too mama! You deserve a massage and a glass (or two!) of wine.

I was also thinking about when I broke my foot. Calcium supplements speed up the bone healing and some vitamin C will help the wound and tissue heal. GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract) is good. I think it would benefit her in a lot of ways right now.

I think that's a good idea to try the roasted chicken. Also, if she'll eat the cheap crappy cat food just feed her that. Whatever she'll get down at this point is a good thing. I wish her a speedy recovery and I'm glad she will be okay.

[kitty waltz]

oh yea shes been to several vets before we found one that knew how to help, and didnt want to rip us off. apparently thats really common her in AZ- vets that overcharge for unnecessary or incompetent services. very frustrating. shes on torbogesic {sp?} and Ive been slowly reducing the dosage and spacing it out more to try to encourage her to want to eat. so far Ive been giving it to her when she starts to seem uncomfortable again, and that's about every 5 or 6 hrs, when the recommendation was for every 4 hrs if necessary.

yea she does have milk on occasion, in small amounts. I only put a tsp in a blended cat food mixture I made earlier but she didnt want that either.

no the kids didnt see it, this actually happened in my bedroom, he hopped the gate while I was filling the water dish. they're alright, they just want to see the cat and see that shes ok but I have her in a bathroom tucked away. I showed them the pic of her w/ the cast that I put on the blog. besides that they just want to go about their business, the whole upsetting thing didnt seem to affect their routines. my older dd has autism and doesnt really understand what happened, and my ds is so young he doesnt fully understand either. he seems to get the cause/effect thing tho. thats always a toughie for my dd, even when she's the one who hurt her brother.

[shannon0218]

try the roasted chicken, and some junk food, tuna is good too, especially if you get the stuff canned in olive oil. Even try that horrid semi-moist stuff, tender vittles (don't knwo if they still make it) basically anything to get something into her. you can also make her some broth, preferably beef broth from a marrow bone, lots of marrow and see if you can get that into her--there's a good bit of nutrition in beef marrow broth--much better than the gravy from the canned cat food.
What kind of food does she eat normally?

[kitty waltz]

she normally eats dry food all the time as she prefers it to wet food. I buy the better grade of purina, the anti-hairball kind. she has no interest even in freshly cooked salmon right now! Ive been giving her the catmilk they sell for kittens, in a dropper. I just hope I can get her eating tomorrow cuz the vet said if shes not eating by her appt on monday then she will want to keep her and give her a feeding tube.

[thekimballs]

When you bring her in on Monday, see if the vet will open a small can of i/d for you. I am no Hill's fan, but I think they do a good job making their specialty foods (i/d is for digestive problems and is very, very attractive to animals). It got a puppy that I had who had pretty bad coccidia and was refusing all of my food (and I was offering liver, chicken, ground beef, tripe--the other puppies were screaming with lust as I was trying to get this poor little thing to eat) to eat semi-eagerly, and kept her eating while the sulfa drugs worked their magic.

If you can get her eating i/d, it avoids the stomach tube. I would also see if you can get some pedialyte into her--it helps promote intestinal motility and can stimulate good digestion and therefore hunger.

[boongirl]

I agree with Joanna about asking the vet about Hills food. My kitty takes the GD because he was getting too skinny (he has kidney disease.) Ask about the valium but be aware that some cats don't react well to it. My mil went 1200 miles in a car with a cat having a bad reaction to valium. She just kept giving it to the poor kitty until they reached their destination, found a vet, and realized the problem. It was a helacious trip for all! Also, tuna is an ok treat but it is not an adequate source of food for cats by itself. Hills special diets are better. Tuna is like kitty crack. Cats sometimes become tuna addicts and want it all the time and your kitty needs more nutrition right now.

I've had to deal with cats with major injuries before. It is hard on everyone. The first few days and week are hardest because kitty is in so much pain and kitties are not the best patients. A good sedative and an appetite stimulant might be the best way to go for the first few days. Other than that, kitty needs someone to watch her 24-7 so she won't make her wound worse by moving too much or licking it. I've dealt with two kitties with major wounds and both of them did damage to themselves when left unattended that led to complications. Expensive ones!

Best wishes on a difficult situation. I know this is not the best time to be thinking about this, but when your kitty is better, you should talk to the neighbors about having your vet bills paid by them. I would bet they are legally liable for that under AZ law or at least morally liable.

[2swangirls]

I read the blog, how sad. To you and your kitty, I hope your both feeling better soon.

[kitty waltz]

thanks for all the support. I will definitely ask about the hills diet food. Ive been trying everything.. and so far shes just licked at some salmon and licked the gravy from the nutro wet food. I have a kit the vet gave me- subcutaneous injections of IV type electrolyte water. I dont like doing that! I know that about tuna but at this point if she had any interest in anything that would be great. Im so anxious that the vet is going to want to keep her there- I like caring for her here and Im sure she feels better at home with me than in a vets office. But if she wont eat I see the need... its frustrating. We have to go there first thing in the morning.

I am very frustrated with the neighbor. She said she was going to pay for at least $$500 but then she wouldnt return any of my calls and it appears that she has been away for a few days. My ex husband and I are so pissed.. but he says that if she doesnt contact us soon he's going to sue her. For the whole vet bills and 'pain and suffering'. I hear that. : I have bruises and that dog couldve attacked outside just as easily. She shouldnt leave her dog outside when she goes out if she knows he can hop the fence. She should at least show some d*mn concern here. I just want her to pay half the bills, I think thats reasonable.

[thekimballs]

Is there a reason you don't want to do the subQ fluids? They are GREAT and they are very easy to give. I don't know what set the vet gave you, whether you have to deal with a bag and whatever or if he just gave you some big syringes, but giving subQ fluids is seriously easy. Just make a "tent" of skin anywhere on her and push the needle through the first side of the tent but not out the back door. Gently push the fluid in until you raise a bubble the size of a golf ball, then withdraw. Watch the bubble--if she's dehydrated it will go down almost instantly. Give her another bolus in this case, and continue until a golf ball-sized bubble stays more than a minute or two. And you're done! It's saved the lives of countless animals and it really is easy.

[kitty waltz]

oh I have been doing the subcutaneous injections for her but I just dont like it! she meows at me and is obviously uncomfortable. this cat is usually a grumpy, stubborn cat so of course her temperment is magnified in this situation. she growls when touched, etc. I usually call her my snooty cat cuz she only allows run-by-pettings, etc.

well we're getting ready for the vet right now- Im on here mapquesting it for the best directions. Ill update after the appt. thanks for all the concern and ideas.

[familylove]

I'm so sorry for you and your kitty, mama! Poor little sweetie...that pink leg cast is something else!

Everybody has already give such great advice. I just want to I'm sorry you and sweet kitty had to go through this. I wish her a very speedy recovery. I hope the vet visit when well.

[boongirl]

Originally Posted by kitty waltz

I am very frustrated with the neighbor. She said she was going to pay for at least $$500 but then she wouldnt return any of my calls and it appears that she has been away for a few days. My ex husband and I are so pissed.. but he says that if she doesnt contact us soon he's going to sue her. For the whole vet bills and 'pain and suffering'.

Can you ask for pain and suffering for a cat? You can at least take her to small claims court and ask for the vet bills. You should definitely look into that. My cats were always injured by wild animals, which is why they don't go out at night anymore, so there was no one to sue.

[SleeplessMommy]

I am sorry this happened to your cat. I hope she is better soon! I get a product called "cat milk" (in the purple box) for my cats .. is has the lactose removed and a special smell that cats love.

And about your nasty neighbor. Small claims court is sounding like a good idea. Sue for vets bills, gas, special food, lost work, etc.

In some areas, if a dog attacks a human or animal, they get a "record". 2 or 3 bites and the dog is "out". (And you know what kind of "out" I mean!) So maybe you can report this attack (or threaten to) as leverage to get the owner to pay. Especially if there was any injury to you!

Dog owners NEED to be responsible and keep their dogs behind fences.

[Girl In The Fire]

I am very frustrated with the neighbor. She said she was going to pay for at least $$500 but then she wouldnt return any of my calls and it appears that she has been away for a few days. My ex husband and I are so pissed.. but he says that if she doesnt contact us soon he's going to sue her. For the whole vet bills and 'pain and suffering'. I hear that. I have bruises and that dog couldve attacked outside just as easily. She shouldnt leave her dog outside when she goes out if she knows he can hop the fence. She should at least show some d*mn concern here. I just want her to pay half the bills, I think thats reasonable.

Its a shame your cat was attacked but I am not sure why you think that some one should pay you for your indescretion? No one forced you to bring the dog into your home let alone let it roam loose in your house with your other animals. I saw a similar case on Peoples court and the judge tossed it out and in any other court I doubt you would have a legal leg to stand on.

[thekimballs]

Unfortunately, I have to agree that there's no legal liability. If the dog had come over from his house and attacked your cat in your yard, yes. But you brought the dog in on purpose, without permission from the neighbor--it's not the neighbor's fault. Pits are often small-animal aggressive; it's entirely possible that the neighbor usually takes great pains to keep the dog separate from cats.

I am eager for an update on the cat, though--how is she doing?

[MamaAllNatural]

That's true. I guess for me though I'd feel so bad that it was my dog who hurt her cat so badly, I'd want to help out financially, kwim? And yes, sometimes $hit happens and dogs get out. It seems a little weird that she won't even call her back though.

I think pits can only not be cat aggressive if they are raised with cats, and even then maybe they'd only not mess w/the cats they live with. It's not their fault, just an aspect of their breed, which many other breeds share as well.

Is the kitty eating any better?

[kitty waltz]

well the neighbor said this was not the first time he hopped the fence. and she hasnt taken great care with this dog at ALL. In this state I think I would win, as the courts lean so heavily against pits here{most people who have them dont care for them properly, and there are ppl who fight them here as well}, and she *was* negligent, and I had no idea this would happen. the dog was in my house a total of 5 min. Yall dont understand that its over 105 every day here, I felt mean leaving it outside. My intention was to give him water with my dog then put him in the garage. I turned my back for just a min while I filled the water bowl and this happened. well whatever. my ex husband is the one who wants to sue, as this is very expensive and I live off of his child support. the pain and suffering was referring to me. I am bruised up and was very sore for days afterwards from pulling that dog off of my cat, etc.

I insisted the vet keep her there. she was not eating and was peeing inside the cast which could lead to infection, and amputation. I am not able to care for her 24/7, I have to leave the room to watch my kids and I didnt feel I am capable of providing adequate care. They said if all goes well she should be willing to move about in a few days and I can bring her home.