Traumatic week - don’t want to give up hope

[Goggles]

Last Monday my 9 year old neutered male cat TinTin didn’t come home in the evening.

I have 4 cats and they usually come and go during the day but sleep on the beds / sofa at night. Occasionally they’ll disappear all day / night and come back. So first night he was out I wasn’t overly worried. Come Wednesday lunchtime we were all seriously worried. We went out calling him again and again. When I was making a cup of tea I noticed his sister standing on top of the shed looking down behind it - I went out and started calling his name and he was there, hiding under a load of branches. Eye hanging out of his head. The shock of that site will never leave me.

I took him straight to the vet and the vet said probably hit by a car then climbed under those branches to hide. Don’t know how long he was there. He spent 2 days in the vets - eye removed, blinded (hopefully temporarily) in the other eye with blood in the front chamber, on pain killers, antibiotics etc - no other obvious injuries.

I took him home 2 days later and I could not get him to eat anything. After a couple of days of eating barely anything (like 10ml of convalescence liquid food total) I brought him back to the vet who put a feeding tube in. He pulled it out overnight. I now have him home again after the vet said there is no other drug or treatment they can give. It’s now just a waiting game to see if the other eye - the only remaining eye - will clear of blood. He is on steroid drop and a lubricant drop for that.

He is sooo loved in this house and it is breaking my heart. We cannot get him to eat a thing. He is making weird noises swallowing his own saliva and his tongue almost looks twisted trying to deal with syringes of food or water. I asked the vet about broken jaw but she didn’t think so.

Ahhh, I really don’t want to give up hope. I want to give the eye a chance to heal but without him starving to death in the meantime. My head is all over the place, not sure what to do for the best.

Does anyone have any experience / advice on this?

[fjm]

I have known cats make remarkable recoveries from very severe injuries. Could the swallowing and mouth problems be bruising? Has your vet given you any advice on helping him to eat? I would continue with the liquid food, a drop at a time, keep him warm and quiet, keep telling him he is loved, and see how things are in 24 hours. Thinking of you, and hoping for good news.

[Goggles]

Thank you so much! The vet is really at a loss as to what to do with him and suggested we may have to make a difficult decision. I was swaying that way myself a little, seeing him blindly try to make his way around the room - so reduced from his former self. I can feel every vertebrae in his back. But we love him and want to do our best for him. He is so loved. Lots of headbuts, sleeping in my lap purring right now x

[fjm]

The hard decisions may still be there in the future, but if he is not in pain there is time to wait and see if he improves. Cats can adjust well to blindness, and there are many things you can do to help him, but the immediate need is to keep him hydrated and nourished so his body can heal. And then, if the damage proves too great or he is in too much pain, you will at least have the comfort of knowing you did your best and gave him every chance.

[Ruth B]

I'm so sorry for you and for him for what he is going through, to see him like that must have been horrible.

Personally my worry is more for the jaw than for the eye, if he has permanent problems eating and drinking then I feel that is going to be harder for him to handle long term than permanent blindness. However it is still early days, and it is quite possible whatever happened to him as damaged his jaw and throat even if it didn't actually break anything, severe bruising can be just as painful. Keep with the liquid food and water to make sure he stays hydrated and give it time to heal. In the worst case scenario your vet could always admit him and have him on a drip to keep him hydrated and provide nutrition.

As for the blindness, try and keep him confined to a single room while he heals up. Don't move things around in there so he can learn where they are. You might want to exchange cat beds regularly, or anything else that your cats sleep on so they all stay familiar with the scent of each other. Leaving an item or two of your own unwashed clothes with him should also help make him feel at home as they will be soaked with your scent. Cats rely far more on scent for recognition of people, places and other animals than we do and while he can't see familiar scents will be far more important to him. Talk to him as well, again the sound of your voice will help reassure him as he gets used to not being able to see.

A couple of years ago I had to take in my Mothers old cat when my Mother had to go into a nursing home. Stroppy, her cat, was virtually blind, I hadn't noticed when I had been house sitting when my Mum was in hospital, but when I brought her home ot new surroundings it soon became noticeable. At first seeing her almost walking into things was hard, but she soon learn where things were, litter tray, food bowl and water I think she could find by smell, furniture she learn the position of. She would even jump on furniture as long as she could get her front paws and nose over the edge to know she had a landing area. There were times when something like a dining chair had been moved adn she would almost walk into it but stop at last minute as her whiskers came into contact with it and warned her it was there. My Mother died 4 months after moving into the nursing home, and Stroppy joined a few months after that, but in the 8 months I had her I never felt her blindness really held her back. I have also heard several examples of blind cats rebomed from shelters and living full and happy lives, including one person who took in 3 cats from my local shelter, with just 1 eye between them.

One final thought, his jaw might be ok, but are his teeth. If he has had a blow to the head it could be that some of his teeth have been knocked about. If any have been knocked out that could explain why his tongue seems to act weird when you try to syringe feed him, the teeth aren't there to stop it. Again it isn't something that needs urgent attention, but it might answer why he is having problems eating and swallowing.

[Mollycat]

So sorry for this awful experience for you and Tintin, and the ongoing worries for him.

As long as you can get enough into him to keep dehydration and hepatic lipidosis at bay, cats like most animals just want to lay up somewhere dark and quiet when they feel unwell. Food isn't a concern because in nature there would be no way to get it while laid up so it's unlikely you would be able to persuade him to eat while he is still feeling so rough. He won't starve himself to death in days, but do stay watchful for the slightest sign of HL and keep him hydrated. In really desperate times, desperate measures - when I was a child my gran's cat Domino who just loved me beyond words, was ill with typhus. He was at death's door for weeks, his fever was so high and he was so weak, he would drag himself across the tiled bathroom floor (we kept him in there as it was coolest) and somehow tip over his water bowl to lie in the water. I have never seen a cat in such a poor state and I have put to sleep cats in better condition. For several weeks we (I, basically, I had the patience to sit with him for hours on end) syringed a drop at a time into his mouth of water with sugar, and that's all he could take. But he survived and returned to his magnificent self.

I agree with Ruth, at this stage adjusting to being blind is probably not a concern. I would certainly keep him in one room though or maybe even a crate if you can so that the others can still be around, if they get on well it might reassure everyone while you are so worried. But somewhere dark and quiet is the main priority and let him sleep as much as possible, sleeping helps healing. Is he able to purr, or does he try? Does he rub your hand if you put it in front of him? Basically, is he showing any sign of knowing you're trying to help? This is important too, how he feels about living and healing. Convalescence food is really good, very high calorie and nutrient rich, so you'd be surprised how little they can manage on, specially while he is still in critical condition, which if there is still talk of difficult decisions, he is. Making a weird noise and struggling to swallow might not have been helped by the tube feeding, it sounds to me like the vet is much more concerned with seeing if the eye will settle first. I know it's horrible to think these things but to lose one eye and bruise the other and survive with no other serious injuries, he has had a very serious trauma to the face and is extremely lucky to be here at all, he has a lot of healing to do now.

[Goggles]

Thank you all for your responses, I certainly do feel a little more relaxed. What a thoughtful and kind bunch you are!

He has been scratching at the sitting room door where I’d been keeping him with me while I worked so we allowed him to walk through the house and have kept the other cats outside while he does this. Not sure about the other cats, they don’t appear to fully recognise him as yet, but will try the swapping of beds and blankets for scent.

We managed to string about 15ml of the convalescence food today without too much fighting. We do have to hold him tight to get it in. I was so surprised to find this morning that he’d jumped into the bath and was licking water droplets off the bath so I slowly put the plug in and ran the cold tap as quietly as I could. He stood there lapping it up for about 5 minutes and I allowed myself to hope that this was the start of the turnaround!

I’m going to book in with the vet now on Monday and I’ll ask about his teeth and for her to have a good look at them, his jaw and his tongue for anything out of the ordinary. I’ll persevere with the eye drops and food until then.

Forgot to add that he is a very vocal and affectionate cat - he will be in no doubt that we are trying to help him - he’s currently snoozing on my chest. Purring away xxx

Thank you all for being so kind!

[Mollycat]

Don't underestimate the power of feeling ill, so regardless of how vocal and snuggly he is when he feels well, being curled up on you right now and purring is a HUGE good sign, not to mention getting into the bath for his drinks. Sounds really really positive!

I think we've all had or at least known cats that won't touch a water bowl and will only lap from a dripping tap, it was all right in the days before water meters and now we have to buy them a water fountain ... cat slaves that we are.

[fjm]

That all sounds very hopeful and positive. If he is lapping water would he perhaps lick something delicious like Lik-e-Lix or pureed chicken in jellied stock or one of the cat soups from a spoon? Might be worth a try.

[Ruth B]

That does sound good.

Not being able to see obviously was no barrier when he decided he did wanted a drink. staying hydrated is extremely important, far more so than eating enough and if he is showing an interest getting to in water himself then that is a sign he hasn't given up and is willing to fight to get better, which in a way is half the battle over. As has been mentioned things like cat soups and Lick e Lix might well be something that could tempt him to eat a little himself.

I'm not surprised the other cats are a little unsure of him at the moment, he will no doubt smell of the vets and the treatment, but I'm sure they will soon get used to him again with a little help from yourself.

[Goggles]

Thank you all, yes you are all helping me to look at this more positively! I must have been living under a rock because I’ve never heard of the lix-e-lix- I will definitely be trying every variation of that on him! Thank you!

Oh quick question - any ideas on the best way to clean him up a bit? He has had stuff oozing from the wound where his eye was and it’s all stuck to his fur on his face - looks bad. I’d like to clean him up, so tips on a product / method that he would tolerate would be great thank you.

Good news on the cleaning front is that my husband saw him grooming a bit! That’s progress isn’t it?

[fjm]

Warm boiled water on a freshly washed cloth, or clean piece of kitchen towel, damp rather than wet, may be the best cleaning method, but I would keep it to the minimum needed to make him comfortable. A pinch of salt dissolved in the water while it is hot, then leaving it till cool, may help make it antiseptic.

[Mollycat]

Yep I second that from fjm, just salt water. One teaspoon of salt for a pint of boiling water, let it cool to body temperature ie a little warmer than room temperature, and be very very gentle and careful as he is likely to have lots of bruising around.

Keep in touch with the vet about anything oozing from the eye socket, I'm not sure how much is normal after that kind of trauma and surgery.

[Goggles]

Thank you so much - I will do that

[Goggles]

Just to let you know that I went to B&M bargains this morning at 8:30 and bought every type of Lick-e-lix available. Have successfully got 10ml into TinTin with an old Calpol syringe! Will keep building it up, alternating with the convalescence food.

[Goggles]

Appointment made for Monday at the vet. I’m going to ask them to look at the wound exudate, remove his stitches, examine his mouth and tongue and teeth, and check the existing eye for improvement. Anything else I should ask while there? Thank you all for your help so far. I literally have no one else to ask about this, bar the vet, so your experience and friendliness has been so helpful

[fjm]

Lick-e-Lix have got many a cat eating again, and soothed their owners by doing so! It may be rather like feeding ice cream to a sick child, but there are times when that is the very best thing to do. And they work as a topper on other foods too, helping the transition when you get to that stage.

I'd also ask the vet for a few syringes suitable for food and water while you are there, and whether he thinks TinTin would benefit from pain relief.

[Mollycat]

I'm astounded that a cat can suffer a trauma big enough to pop an eye out and make a bleed into the other, without some kind of jaw and/or cheek fractures. But then again my neighbours' dog had an argument with a car years ago that did similar so perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised.

Not everyone likes lick-e-lix don't worry. My girl loves all things dairy including Laughing Cow cheese triangles and strawberry Carte d'Or ice cream, but has no interest in these or cat milk. Had one years ago who I could reliably get to drink just by giving her pea cooking water, worked better than any chicken broth.

Really just be sure to write down everything you want to ask or talk over with the vet, it's easy to forget once you get in there!

[Goggles]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to come on again to thank you all for the tips you have given me for TinTin. It’s really unbelievable how much he has come on with that lic-e-lix. On Sunday evening after his syringe feed he walked over to the cat food bowl and ate of his own accord! The sound his teeth made was like nails on a blackboard to me, like the teeth were not aligned properly, but my husband and I were absolutely amazed watching him - like a child taking it’s first steps! I would have thought none of this were possible last week! He went outside to the garden with my husband and went to the loo. It’s like he’s decided right, it’s time to get better!

I took him to the vet yesterday and a different vet and a different nurse also came in to see him, they’ve obviously been involved in his care when he was an in-patient. They couldn’t have been lovelier and were so delighted to see such an improvement in him. There is some progress with the eye clearing of blood, you can see the whites of his eyes emerging on both side, but no promises that he’ll get his vision back soon / ever. But still, it’s hugely positive and I couldn’t be happier.

He’s fully back to normal eating away at the sachets! Thanks again a million times for your advice and encouragement for TinTin!

[fjm]

Lovely news! Give him a gentle tickle from me, and tell him to keep up the good work.

[Ruth B]

That is wonderful news, cat are so resilient that a little bit of love and tlc can work wonders. I hope he keeps on improving for you you and for him, and if the eye doesn't clear fully he can still have a long happy life, whether fully blind or partially sighted.

Give him a gentle fuss from me.