Misc Can Cats have concussion?

turtlegent

Contributing Member
Driving into town from the homestead, I saw a dead kitten in the road. When I drove over the kitten I saw a leg move, and bingo I saw it was alive. I backed up carefully, and checked it out, not a lot of traffic on these back roads. Kitten was having a spasm , and bleeding out the nose, but alive. I took it home, and put it in a box with waster and food. Kitten did take some water. I got my wife involved, and she fed it with and eyedropper, milk and cream. Kitten appears to be about 6 or 7 weeks old. She is not real interested in soft cat food, but the wife made some gruel, and she lapped it up. The poor kitten can walk, but only in circles. I fear brain damage or swelling. Today is 3 days since finding her, and no other problems, aside from dilated eyes. she likes to sit in the sink, with warm bathwater, unusual for a cat. This evening my wife said she saw the kitten manage to walk in a straight line. Wondering what to do, we live way out, and aside from the dog, spending a ton of money on a kitten is just not an option. We have been keeping her in a dark place, to keep stimulation down for her. Any ideas on how to speed or help her recover?
 

BeeMan

Just buzzin along
Short of spending money by taking her to a vet, the only other option I can think of would be to talk to an animal rescue place, if you have any around there. Around my area there are a few and they once paid to take care a stray dog we found, They paid to have him checked out, treated for heart worms (not cheap), neutered him, and then begged us to keep him. We kept him until his treatment was done and they could find a permanent home for him (about two weeks). Might be a source of help if you can find such a place.
 

summerthyme

Administrator
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Actually, you're doing just fine. About the only thing a vet might do different (assuming you aren't going to shell out thousands for an MRI and then brain surgery to remove a clot!) Would be to give some steroids to help reduce swelling.

Since she has survived 3 days, her chances are decent. There's reason the old wives tales say cats have 9 lives... they truly can survive terrible things.

So... keep her quiet, consider feeding a slurry of milk, *hard boiled* or scrambled eggs and some tuna, all blended together in a blender. Make sure she has access to fresh water at all times. You can try a bit of "physical therapy"... just encouraging her to walk, and gently holding her so she walks straight(er). If possible, see if you can figure out if she has vision in both eyes.

Even if she has some permanent damage, she'll learn to adapt, and likely will have little residual effects by the time she's grown. Worst case, a clot may let go and she may pass quickly... the longer she lives, the less likely it is. In my experience with kittens with head injuries, if they survive 24 hours, they usually do well.

My "recipe" for tiny kitten food is 1 cup whole milk, 1 hard boiled egg, 1 can tuna in oil and 1 tsp butter... if available, 1/2 tsp kitty vitamin paste (or follow the directions on a container of kitty vitamins). Blend in a food processor or blender... the smaller the kitten, the smoother. As they grow, you can leave it more lumpy. Feed to appetite... for small or injured kittens, several times daily. Keep the extra in the fridge, and warm the fresh meal up to body temp or a bit Warmer in cold weather.

Give her a snug spot away from commotion to rest, and give her time. She looks like she's going to be gorgeous!

(In a week or so, once she's past the original trauma, I'd worm her. And then definitely vaccinate her for the usual issues... distemper, leukemia, etc. But let her recover a bit, first.)

Summerthyme
 
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Signwatcher

Has No Life - Lives on TB
DH had a kitten in the family and they took it out to their cottage. It was constructed with repurposed wood and windows (done on the cheap back in the early 50s). Next to the front door was a window at floor level.

Little kitten was running full force and hit the window. It about knocked it out. He told me it was never the same.
 

Wildwood

Veteran Member
Years ago one of our cats had brain damage and did the same thing. We almost had it put down because there was nothing the vet could do for her but one of our son's friends we helped raise begged us not to. We were so soft hearted that we couldn't stand to see the poor thing suffer but the boy, around 12 at the time, had been through a rough time so we agreed to give it a few days and sure enough it did recover to about 90%.

We were always so thankful we didn't let the vet put her down. She had years of mousing ahead of her and lived to be an old girl...with a slight hitch in her get along at times. The boy turned out pretty good too and is still a blessing to us...he'll be forty soon.
 
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