Fractured Pelvis

[hattymatilda+george]

My baby boy George was hit by a car sometime between 10pm on Wednesday and 9pm on Thursday. It was one of those things where I kept telling everyone that it wasn't normal for George to be out so long. Normally he goes out when we go to bed and is home by breakfast a 6am. Anyway, he eventually made his way back to our back garden. He couldn't have got there easily as there are high fences all the way around. He normally comes in through the window but couldn't jump so he walked in through the back door and hid under the bed. He was walking a little gingerly but he sometimes done that when he's been scared by another cat. The next morning we realised how bad things were as he had started dragging his legs. The vets initially thought he had just been badly bitten on his hind legs with no skeletal damage but later discovered he had actually been run over, had a 'bad fracture' and a wounded foot.

He came home to me on Friday night. With pain meds and antibiotics for his foot. The vet said cats usually (with a big emphasis on usually) recover with bed rest but to make sure he is toileting normally. He finally did a big wee yesterday (Saturday) but we're still waiting for him to do a poo. I'm really, really worried about this. Could this mean internal damage? We rung the vet yesterday and he said a poo will usually follow a wee but it hasn't. George is eating and drinking plenty and is bearing his weight and wandering around his cage fine. He's getting himself to his tray to urinate. He tries to escape everytime I open his cage door to sort out his litter and food. It's just the poo we're waiting for. I'm also quite worried about the amount hes moving as the vet said limited movement.

He is 2 in December so is still very young. If he needs surgery I cannot afford it. I was struggling to afford insurance for both him and his sister as she has a pre existing condition which makes her insurance sky rocket. I couldn't bring myself to only insure one of them. I realise now how stupid it was. Please don't give me grief about it in the comments, because whatever you say I've undoubtedly said to myself.

This whole thing is torture. I dont have children so him and his sister are my babies.

[fjm]

If he is moving freely and bearing weight on his hind legs, plus eating and drinking and peeing and showing no signs of fever, I would think there is a very good chance he will recover. It can take some time after a major shock for the digestive system to get back to normal - if he still has not pooed in another 24 hours I would talk to the vets about whether he needs something to gently move things along, but if he is eating you will quite probably find an enormous one tonight.

Limiting jumping and climbing is really important - if he is just walking around the crate I would let him, but if he is climbing up the sides I would try to put in a false ceiling of some sort to prevent him.

Stay strong and calm - cats survive the most appalling accidents, and thrive, although you may need to watch for arthritis as he gets older. And no one here is going to blame you - we can none of us get every decision right every time. Do let us know how he gets on - we will celebrate the poo with you!

[Mollycat]

I'm quite outspoken about what a rip-off insurance is for most of us and full of horror stories of people who thought they were covered until something happened and the insurer refused their claim, leaving them furious and finding thousands of pounds to find after paying hundreds in premiums for years. So much for peace of mind. Going forward, just put a little aside each week or month, what you can afford, and you'd be surprised how quickly it can add up to a real difference when it comes to a large vet bill or other emergency, and it's all yours to use, none of it has gone to the cost of running an office or paying staff or glitzy advertising or shareholders' profits.

My dog had an operation this year and afterwards it took nearly a week for the first tiny poo to materialise. It really can take quite a while after a trauma.

[hattymatilda+george]

Hes definitely not off his food. He just started purring when he saw me walking towards his cage with his bowl only to stop instantly and glare at me when he realised it was just some fresh water.