Can cats get really bad head injuries from falling?

[DodgerGirl]

This morning my mom and dad were watching TV when suddenly our cat fell off our couch and when my mom and I examined him we found a bloody mark on his forehead and now since his accident he has shown no interest in food and yowls only to be held and when we tried to get our cat to eat he only takes tiny bites. I wonder if when cats get head injuries they sometimes can get real bad and will my cat develop later injuries later in life? My mom and I first witnessed this with one of our outdoor cats at our old house when a garden statue fell on his head and he had to recover for a long time. The other thing Mom and I found with our cat is that one of his eyes was weird and could that be caused by the injury too. Mom and I plan to feed our cat broth mixed with his cat food and hope he recovers swiftly
Do cats get really bad head injuries when they have a bad fall?
Dodger

 

[Earstou]

Please take your cat to a vet.
We can't tell over the internet if your cat has a head injury, but a vet could tell you after an examination.

 

[DodgerGirl]

Mom tried to search our living room for what caused my cat to fall and the only thing we found was that he fell off the couch and landed on our computer desk but Mom doesn't take our cat to a vet for fear that he will get sick but as I mentioned we are gonna try to put broth in his food to see if he will eat it. My mom was very scared when my cat did this because he's never been injured like this before and has been healthy
Dodger

 

[SirDuff]

Please take your cat to the vet or give him up for adoption by a family that will properly take care of him. Trying to treat a possible head injury with broth is gross neglect of its health.

 

[AgentMama]

Your cat sounds like it needs a vet appointment asap. For the welfare of your cat, I hope you take him. He's clearly telling you something isn't right.

 

[sam_gordon]

The cat needs to go to the vet.

My first thought is concussion. https://www.petmd.com/cat/emergency/accidents-injuries/can-cats-get-concussions

The part about the eyes jumps out at me...

Oppenheimer adds that a cat’s eyes can also indicate that something’s not quite right. One symptom of brain injury is nystagmus, or repetitive, uncontrolled eye movements. “Think of the eyes from the old cat clocks, the way they move—that’s classic nystagmus,” he says. Other red flags he mentions are anisocoria, or different-sized pupils, and “deficits in pupillary light reflexes,” which means pupils are not constricting and dilating normally in response to light and darkness.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

This really scares me!

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Mom tried to search our living room for what caused my cat to fall and the only thing we found was that he fell off the couch and landed on our computer desk but Mom doesn't take our cat to a vet for fear that he will get sick but as I mentioned we are gonna try to put broth in his food to see if he will eat it. My mom was very scared when my cat did this because he's never been injured like this before and has been healthy
Dodger

What?!? Does this mean your cat also doesn't have vaccinations like feline leukemia and rabies? Take the cat to the vet yourself.

 

[disneychrista]

Why would you think a cat couldn’t get injured by falling? If the cat is acting hurt, please take it to the vet.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Maybe the bloody injury happened before the fall or in a separate incident and caused the disorientation that lead to the fall? Check around the house is anything out of place?

Cat could have hit it's jaw and have a break, or have another bone like tooth or invisible mouth injury which could explain the not eating. Jaws are not particularly strong. Pretty sure eye sockets are very strong but the eyes are not, maybe an invisible eye injury or infection you can't see could lead to bleeding?

I would go to a Vet before the weekend, weekend emergency visits are hundreds more expensive, I say from experience.

 

[BrianL]

He really should go to the vet. It's hard to know exactly what happened, but he's clearly agitated. It may indeed not be serious, but it very well could be too. You need to know and the vet can tell you. Please take him as soon as possible.

 

[mom2rtk]

Please take your cat to the vet. It could be in pain. If you aren’t willing to take an injured pet to the vet, you need to find it another home.

 

[DLgal]

Please stop coming on here to ask for medical advice and then saying you don't go to doctors, dentists, the veterinarian, etc.

 

[JulieBeeRN]

Please take your cat to the vet if he had an injury and isn’t acting right.

 

[Mle8308]

Your cat could get A LOT sicker (like dead) if you don't take him/her to a vet. It could have a serious head injury, especially if you are saying it's eye is looking strange. Don't wait.

 

[leahgoogle]

Please take your cat to the vet!

 

[OneOftheB's]

Yes, cats can get injured falling. My understanding is that short falls can be as problematic as very tall falls because the cat cannot right itself in time to land on its feet. Please make a vet appointment asap for your cat.

 

[DodgerGirl]

My cat is feeling great now and the only thing he has is a little tiny scar but my cat is back to his old self again and very happy
Dodger

 

[sam_gordon]

The magical powers of broth!

 

[SirDuff]

The magical powers of broth!

I still think the cat deserves a home where people take care of it properly.