Hi mx5rush. what happened to your kitten now? i've been reading a lot of articles about head traumas on kittens. mine fell this morning from the balcony and we are on the 2nd floor. i brought him to the animal hospital and then to the smaller clinic (too expensive in the hospital) and then back to the hospital again, since the clinic cannot administer the IV (Mannitol) because she's alone and needs assistance. now we have to wait until tomorrow morning because he hasnt made any significant improvements yet. i hope he can survive this. im quite positive and holding on positive articles in this site. thanks a lot.
My kitten Bubbles just got diagnosed with head trauma today... she didnt get as bad as tail twiching or anything like that, just swelling of the eyes and blood in her eyes.... I think I may have caught it in time before it got to those points. Poor little thing wouldnt even move off my lap from her blanket. Thing is, I am stationed in Germany and we had to take her to a German vet off the military post, and she has to stay overnight. I am just worried about the cost because we are also expecting a baby too!!
Oh I am so sorry to hear that, I truly do hope your kitty comes out of this ok and many DO...sending some prayers for Choco and a few ((=^..^=)) kitty hugs for you dear, welcome to our forum, please keep us updated....♥
I really sorry to hear ur kitten died :'( I'm seriously crying here! My kitten in currently in the vet she has brain swelling my vet told me every time she is excited she has seizures!! she can't walk properly and she falls alot! <----- that's an improvment that she moved the first day she couldn't move! :'( please pray for her!! to be fine her name is choco :(
I have worked in the veterinary feild for some time. I have fostered many kittens whom were sick or injured. Anytime there is a possibility of head trauma, time is of the essence. Trauma to the head causes swelling to the brain in the skull. There is not enough room for the brain to swell so it can cause seizures and death. Steroids to keep the inflamation down are a must if the animal is going to survive severe head trauma. If you ever suspect head trauma immediate veterinary care is crucial to stop swelling. No amount of supportive care can stop the brain from swelling. If you do not have the financial means to pay for such services, take them to a no-kill animal shelter and explain their medical circumstances. Shelters will have them evaluated by a veterinarian, and many shelters employ veterinary technicians with animal medical backgrounds. Never assume the animal will come out of it on their own. Internal swelling and bleeding inside the brain is not easily detectable by sight. If a cat or kitten shows signs of head trauma such as tilting of it's head, falling down or difficulty walking, sporadic movements, difference in the size of it's pupils, blood coming from it's eyes, ears, or nose, then get veterinary assistance immediately! You may just save it's life!
thanks for the write up on your experiences....I truly hope your kitty will pull through this and be alright after this last episode...its so hard to know when to go ahead or to back off!! I hope the Vets will give you their honest opinion and not just be looking at the $$$.
this post you added onto was 2 yrs old so may get missed by the majority. when you post again click on the green button on the top of the forum that says 'post a question' give yourself a topic such as 'update on kitty' (just an example)
than post your news, it will than be at the top of the threads and visible to all.
I wish kitty my prayers and the best of luck, he has a good mommy that is trying hard to save him.
Oops... sorry... I just re-read my silly long post. His tail was twitching, not his head. The tail twitching erratically and uncontrollably was a sign of a neuro problem according to the vet.
Last weekend we had a 5 or so week old kitten go from 'zoning out' to totally lethargic and obviously having trouble... the emergency vet diagnosed it as possible head trauma... since by the time he was checking the kitten out, he couldn't see, and wouldn't walk forward at all... his head was also twitching a bunch like the kitten described above... all signs of a neurological problem according to the doc.... our little kitten was not expected to make it thru the night. We left him and they put him on a IV drug (steroid I believe) called Mannitol. This causes them to rapidly excrete fluid reducing pressure on the brain. The cranial pressure is what was causing all the symptoms. Our little kitten was now worth $551 from his overnight emergency vet visit.. but operating like a brand new one! We kept him from the other kittens for 3 days like the vet recommended, as that should be long enough for him to heal up...
...but 55 hours later... another quick and obvious meltdown was occuring. This time he went to our 'normal vet' and they quickly put him on Mannitol again because of the previous positive results. Presto, 3 or so hours later he was acting normal again, but they went ahead and kept him overnight... this time he's on a antibiotic, because they had to put the IV in a BONE (gnarly huh?) since the carotid wasn't 100% healed up... (and I think he put up a pretty good fight!)
He is also on prednisone after this second 'crash'... Now we've eclipsed 80 or so hours (maybe more than that....) and he seems fine. Oh, another $250! We are of course walking on eggshells. We are hopeful that he simply hadn't totally healed up from a 'concussion' at the 55 hour mark when he went downhill again. We are of course hoping this second dose will give him enough time to heal properly. But we are worried he is being assisted along by the prednisone... and may go downhill again (right as the weekend approaches again! durn emergency vet clinics are $$$) or that maybe he has some sort of congenital problem and we've blown $800 on a kitty who's not going to make it in the long run.
I'll try to remember to update this in a week or two... but if you're sure your kitten/cat has a head trauma... I'd highly recommend asking the vet about Mannitol... both vets said it's a particularly effective diuretic for spinal/brain fluids... it's seemed like a miracle drug both times our little no-name kitten has had it...
I just took my 5 week old kitten to the vet. He was 3 weeks old when this lady found him at the post office and brought him to me. I have grown SO attached to this little guy..... Levi... His name is Levi. Anyhow I fed him this morning and he was fine . He fell off my bed ,AGAIN, but this time his head hit my metal bill box. He still acted fine. He ate again but not as much. By 4pm he was so lathargic and had thrown up everywhere. My vet is taking him home with him tonite and giving him round the clock care. It is all a matter of time now, he says. The swelling has caused him to be blind right now. He is very disoriented and won't stop twitching his tail. No signs of seizures though. Won't eat or drink. I love this little guy so much. I seem to read about worse concutions and the cats lived through them. So, as my heart is breaking , I am praying and would like everyone to pray for him. The vet will be calling me tonight between 8-10. I hate waiting... Thanks for your prayers! Robyn PS I could really use some positive feed back if you have any...................Thanks
I just took my 5 week old kitten to the vet. He was 3 weeks old when this lady found him at the post office and brought him to me. I have grown SO attached to this little guy..... Levi... His name is Levi. Anyhow I fed him this morning and he was fine . He fell off my bed ,AGAIN, but this time his head hit my metal bill box. He still acted fine. He ate again but not as much. By 4pm he was so lathargic and had thrown up everywhere. My vet is taking him home with him tonite and giving him round the clock care. It is all a matter of time now, he says. The swelling has caused him to be blind right now. He is very disoriented and won't stop twitching his tail. No signs of seizures though. Won't eat or drink. I love this little guy so much. I seem to read about worse concutions and the cats lived through them. So, as my heart is breaking , I am praying and would like everyone to pray for him. The vet will be calling me tonight between 8-10. I hate waiting... Thanks for your prayers! Robyn PS I could really use some positive feed back if you have any...................Thanks
Like the others, I'm sorry as well. I would have loved to help that kitty.
Sorry to hear about that. It's a pity vets aren't required to provide emergency service in any emergency.
I'm really sorry to hear that you lost her. :(
I know that there are many people who skip out on paying their vet bills, but I really see red when a vet will not help, and will leave an animal suffering because someone doesn't have enough money to pay. If a human being cannot afford medical treatment, they have the mental capacity to understand why. An animal cannot. They just know that they are suffering. I really wish that vets would look at things differently, and help animals that are badly hurt, even if their people don't have enough money to pay. It's just so unfair.
Ghilly
i live up around tallahassee so i wouldnt be able to bring her that far...but she got really bad and didnt come out of her siezure so we ordered a shot and had her put down ='( i was so sad i really thought she had a chance
You live in FL. So do I. Can you bring the cat over to me so we can take her to a vet? We have a lot of good opportunities here in Palm Beach Gardens. I can help you with the vet bills. I just can't stand the thought of having a kitty suffering like this.
If you find a hurt animal in the road and there's no ASPCA about or similar organization...I'd suggest just dropping it off at the vet. They are vets and as far as I'm concerned they have a moral obligation to do their part and deal with the situation.
see thats the thing there is nothing like that around here i have no problem at all surrendering her over and it got really bad earlier and i called one of the vets offices and they charge just 180 to walk in and then what ever else needs to be done... i honeslty think that she should be uthinized as of right now... shes not doing good at all and with that last siezure she had i would think she would have some perminant damage i feel so bad that i cant do anything for her i dont understand how a vets office can sit there and let an animal suffer because you dont have the money... and thats basically what these ppl told me they would do... they wont even uthinize without money
Maybe try contacting some cat rescue groups near you via www.petfinder.org and surrender her to one of them. They will be able to have her vetted and see if there is anything that can be done for her. You will have to sign her over, but it would be best for her right now if you cannot afford to take her to the vet yourself, because it sounds like she certainly needs one with all the seizure activity she has been showing.
Ghilly