Cat hit by car.

[Rhythm Thief]

Our cat Joe, who has featured on these forums before, was hit by a car this morning. I was woken up by the driver phoning me. He's gone to the vet and he seems to have a broken pelvis, but seems ok apart from that. He certainly had enough energy and spirit to make a noise about it, I've never heard such piteous yowling. Poor old Joe, he's spent more time at the vet since we got him than at home.

 

[dan_bo]

Good to see the driver did the decent thing eh. Get well soon (again) Joe.

 

[tyred]

Oh bad luck.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Good to see the driver did the decent thing eh. Get well soon (again) Joe.

Yes, I was pleased about that. I was asleep when he phoned, and he waited outside the front door with Joe in his arms while I got dressed and came downstairs. Top bloke.

 

[ttcycle]

God RT- I opened this up expecting the worst but glad little Joe is ok and at the vets. Poor thing must be in pain but so glad the driver came and got you. Hope he gets better soon.

Back in October my cat was run over and killed in quite a nasty fashion so just very glad Joe is alright

 

[wafflycat]

Oh no!

I have experience of this - several years ago Waffles had an altercation with a motor & her pelvis was broken in four places so it was completely detached from her spinal column.

So this is with that experience in mind.

Go to a pet superstore, such as Jollyes or Pets At Home and hire a dog/cat crate for six weeks. You know - the wire sort. Get one big enough to take Joe on a blanket, with his food/water dishes nearby and a small litter tray but not so big as he can move about a lot. Keep Joe confined to the crate for the duration. This way the break gets the chance to heal *properly*. Towards the end of the six weeks, Joe WILL be going stir-crazy, but long term it's best. The confined area is *essential* as it means the cat - at the start, doesn't have to move too far to get at food/water/litter tray. Plus, once the break(s) start to heal, animals can become over-confident and try to move too much/start jumping about and all too easily re-break the bones and cause a fracture to become unstable. This is seriously NOT GOOD long term if this happens.

I've heard too many times of cases where the cat/dog has a fracture and the owner doesn't do the cage/crate rest thing and the animal ends up having to be euthanised or have a limb amputated due to re-fracturing or the bonmes beoming unstable. And I'm so very glad I did put Waffles through cage rest as she healed *properly* after, as well as the multiple fractures of the pelvis, an open fracture of the femur, broken ribs and a fractured skull. She came out of it much better than too many with less severe injuries. She didn't appreciate the enforced cage/crate rest towards the latter stages, but I'm convinced it made a real difference to her recovery.

Hoping Joe recovers 100%

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Cheers Waffly, that's useful to know. I'll see what the vet says after he's been x rayed, but he did seem to think it'd heal up by itself, given time. But I'll look into hiring a cage for when he (Joe, not the vet) comes home. It was bad enough with him in a lampshade collar, he'll be insufferable in a cage.

 

[wafflycat]

Pelvic fractures do heal by themselves over time - one key to a good chance of proper healing is the cage/crate rest.

 

[wafflycat]

This is the sort of thing Waffles spent six weeks in..

One big enough, but not too big. Line it with newspaper - then put in a folded blanket for her to lie/sleep on, her food/water bowls and a litter tray. It did the trick.

 

[mr_cellophane]

We have a large one from Argos for our cats £65, but it gets plenty of usage

 

[Slowgrind]

How many lives has that poor cat had now?
Hope he makes a speedy recovery!
Ma's kitten has taken to sitting in the kitchen sink waiting for the tap to drip!

 

[postman]

Sorry to hear this .Two years ago i came back from a ride out .To find our next door neighbours cat dead on our drive .Looked like it had been hit somewhere else and tried to get home .Only to fail .
Trouble was they were away on holiday.And the house and cat were being 'sitted'.
I spoke with the young lady who told me he had been missing two days .
The wife, when they came back .Was so upset .I have never seen anyone that distraught over an animal.

 

[Arch]

This is the sort of thing Waffles spent six weeks in..

I trust you took the dacshund out first?

All the best for Joe, RT. Cats (and most animals) are tough buggers, with a bit of good care, I'm sure he'll be fine. You might want to leave him a copy of the green cross code to read while he's in the cage.

 

[ComedyPilot]

Poor Joe, get well soon

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

We re-homed a cat which had had it's pelvis broken (unknown to us). Unfortunately the hole in the pelvis through which the the cat poos began to close up. It eventually closed up to the point where we had to say goodbye at the vet's

I do hope Joe gets well. You didn't want to hear my story but do as Waffles suggests and Joe will have the best chance.