Hurt kitten - questions

[IceQueen777]

Yeah, I could do a search on google, but thought people here would know...

I found a kitten lying in the middle of the road today. He (or she?) was only moving the top half of his body. I felt so bad for him. I got out and nervously approached him. I thought I was going to see a gruesome sight, but wanted to at least comfort him in his final moments and move to the side of the road so that he wouldn't get run over again.

Well, he looks ok except for a hurt leg. I took him home until I can figure out what to do with him. What should I feed him? I have never owned a cat. I do have a dog and I suppose I could give the cat some dog food. Could I give him some milk? I know milk isn't usually good for dogs, but they always show cats on tv drinking milk.

Poor thing is terrified right now. I've put in a call to the vet to see when I can bring him in to get his leg checked out. Of course they are out to lunch, so I left a message. He's a cute little cat, though!

 

[Serena]

I wouldn't feed it anything until the vet looks at it. Poor thing. Just keep it warm, and I think I'd be sitting at the vets office when they got back.

 

[missy28]

Get a cardboard box and put some old towels in it and make the poor baby comfortable. I wouldn't give him anything to eat, but a little milk shouldn't hurt, and definitely see if you can get him to drink some water. If he doesn't have any movement in his hind quarters, it's likely a spinal cord injury, and there may not be anything the Vet can do. But keep him comfortable and love him. Also, if your vet can't see him right away, you may want to see if you can find an emergency vet clinic in your area. I wish I was there to help the poor baby!! Please let me know what happens...

 

[Bumbles]

I would also just go to the vet's office and wait

Good luck

 

[Rajah]

I agree. Don't get him to eat or drink anything but water and get him to the vet ASAP

 

[Bumbles]

And another thing..cow's milk is horrible for cats....even tho they show them drinking it, it is not good for them.

In case they need to give the kitty any kind of anesthesia to work on the leg, it's best to not give any food or water

 

[IceQueen777]

Unfortunately I live in a small town, and there are no emergency vets. The nearest one is the next larger town over, about 25 miles away. I figured it would be better to wait at home the 30 minutes until my vet returns than get on the road with him for thirty minutes. We don't even have an animal shelter here, though the town just recently purchased a building for that purpose. The vet is literally just down the road from me, so I better go now. They should be back from lunch at 1:00, though sometimes they are late.

Oh, he is moving his legs now, but limping, and drinking milk.


*Aack, just saw the posts about no milk. Took it away and am leaving now to go to vet. Will post later.

 

[Bumbles]

DO NOT LET HIM DRINK MILK!

Seriously, it can give him diarrhea and make a bad situation worse

 

[BedKnobbery2]

Ditto on the no milk. Very bad for kittens particularly. If he is so young that he still requires milk, you can actually get kitten formula. Your vet will advise. Hope the little feller is okay, and bless you for taking the time out of your day to care for him. I think that is very sweet.

 

[Bumbles]

ditto the blessings for taking care of this little one

And, if it is young enough to still require milk, keep in mind goat's milk is a great milk replacement. I raised 4 orphaned kittens with goat's milk instead of the KMR stuff (got the idea from my vet) and they've grown up to be fine cats

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Call a different vet. It sounds like he has either had a nasty fall or been hut by a car or bike. He probably needs emergency care and may have internal bleeding.

I have never heard of a vet that did not have someone available to answer a phone. Call a different one or your local humane society.

You are a wonderful person for taking him in. Much pixie dust and well wishes sent his way...

Keep us posted!

 

[catsrule]

Poor little thing. Hope Vet is able to make kitty all better.

 

[Serena]

You are so very kind to do this for the little baby. I hope it will be ok.

Are you thinking about keeping it?

 

[AuroraluvsPhillip]

Let us know what happened. If the kitten can return home with you, please don't feed it dog food, kittens need kitten food. And water is the best thing for cats to drink. I have never fed my cat milk and she does fine without.
Hope everything turns out ok.

 

[IceQueen777]

Originally posted by EsmeraldaX
Call a different vet. It sounds like he has either had a nasty fall or been hut by a car or bike. He probably needs emergency care and may have internal bleeding.

I have never heard of a vet that did not have someone available to answer a phone. Call a different one or your local humane society.

I only have one vet in my town, and they take a lunch hour. My choices were to either sit at home for about 25 minutes until they reopened, or drive 25 miles to the next vet/emergency vet/animal shelter. Either choice would mean a 25 minute wait for care for him.

My DD8 is so loving...she wants to be a vet so that we have more vets in this town. She really felt bad for the little fellow.

 

[IceQueen777]

Originally posted by AuroraluvsPhillip
Let us know what happened. If the kitten can return home with you, please don't feed it dog food, kittens need kitten food. And water is the best thing for cats to drink. I have never fed my cat milk and she does fine without.
Hope everything turns out ok.

Thanks for the tips. Of course I will buy some kitten food, but I just wondered what to give it in the mean time. But the vet did give me some sample kitten food, so I will probably go buy some more tomorrow.

 

[wishuponastarforever]

This thread started a few hours ago. Any news about the little kitty? Please let us know.

 

[IceQueen777]

Now for the update:

The kitten does not have any broken bones, just a sprained leg. The vet thinks that someone either dropped the kitten from a car (or he jumped from a moving vehicle), and sprained his leg when he landed. That would explain him being in the middle of the road (but not run over). I must have come upon him right after it happened, as he looked stunned at first. Now that a few hours have passed, he is moving much better and you can tell that it is only his back left leg hurting him, not both legs as it looked like at first. He is actually moving around pretty well considering, and he is very curious about my house. He is black with the most beautiful green eyes.

The vet gave me some kitten food, but I will be sure to send DH to go buy some more. My DD will be making some "Found Kitten" posters to put up in the area where we found him just in case he has a loving home already. If no one claims him, my DD will definitely want to keep him. I've never owned a cat, and never particularly wanted to (I'm a dog person), but if he gets along fine with my sheltie he may be a nice addition to our family.

Thanks everyone for your well wishes for "Cutie Pie", as my DD has named him.

 

[IceQueen777]

Originally posted by wishuponastarforever
This thread started a few hours ago. Any news about the little kitty? Please let us know.

Yes, see above. I must have been typing as you posted. I'm not a fast typer!

 

[EsmeraldaX]

What kind of sick person could drop a baby animal out of a moving car ????



You are so kind to have taken him in and giving him a home.