# New kitten fell and landed on his back...



## pinkegg (Aug 6, 2015)

I have adopted a three month old kitten last week, and the shelter people told me to cage him for a while. So I only let him out of the cage when I'm at home, and I also put him in the cage at night when I'm sleeping. I live alone in a studio apartment and his cage is overlooking my bed.

Last night I was blow drying my hair and took my eyes off him for five seconds, and he climbed onto a 4foot tall drawer and fell down, landed on his back...I didn't think he would be able to go that high! I have tried my very best to cat proof my apartment. I just didn't think he could reach the top of this drawer! After that I checked for obvious broken bones, he seemed fine, but 5min later he started to get wobbly and his hind legs appeared to be strengthless. He can't walk properly.

So of course I called emergency vet service immediately as it was 11pm on a Friday night, took him in to have him thoroughly examined. The vet found no broken bones, my kitten did not scream in pain during the examination and I think the doctor has squeezed every inch of his tiny body. I wanted to have him X-rayed in case there were cracked bones that can't be felt by hand, but the doctor said he needed an empty stomach as they will need to put him under anesthesia for the X-ray. The doctor gave us some pain meds and some inflammatory meds or something, said to monitor the kitten for two days and if he doesn't get any better, we will go for the X-ray to check for cracked bones. The doctor put him on the ground to see how he walks, and he was walking fine, just extremely freaked out. They said to go see them again in two days of the kitten is uninterested in eating or drinking.

The doctor said I need to cage him for a week and do not let him out for playtime in case there are injuries that can't be felt by hand.

The kitten has been eating drinking and pooping normally, except he appears to be sad and freaked out. He's been meowing to get out of the cage but I want him to get more rest and try to heal whatever muscle or or bones he's injured.

I feel so terrible.......


Questions.

1) I will cage him for a week (with food and water and litter box of course) and won't even give him any playtime out of the cage. But what can I do to entertain him during this week? I put a lot of toys into the cage but he seemed uninterested. He likes to run and chase things (obviously) but I don't want to risk aggravating any hidden injuries.


2) I have a large litter box setup both inside and outside the cage so that he can relieve himself during play time. He has been using both boxes quite well, no accidents so far. I was about to let him out of the cage unsupervised while I go out to grab a coffee for an hour or so, but then this happened. I work full time but I go home for lunch everyday to let the kitten out for an hour, so the kitten is in the cage alone at home at two x 4-hour intervals while I'm at work. I really don't want to keep him in a cage but I don't feel comfortable letting him out unsupervised after this accident. How do I know if we are ready to get rid of the cage? I can't possibly throw away all of the furniture that is taller than 2feet, although I feel so terrible I am actually thinking if this is the only solution. I need advise on how to prepare to let him roam freely unsupervised.


Thank you!


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Hi Pinkegg,
I'm so sorry about your little guy...hopefully he'll be fine in a day or two!
Usually, kittens are pretty resilient! 
It is in the nature of kittens to climb and explore, a three month old kitten, is a rambunctious age!
They do learn from their mistakes, what works, and what doesn't...
This is how they develop their climbing, and balancing skills!
If you don't have carpeting, you could put some throw pillows, or something else down, soft throw rug? Just in case of further oopsies! 
You can leave a radio on an easy listening station, set to a low volume for him when you're gone...
Hang in there!
Sharon


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Pinkegg,
Another thought...how does your little guy's ears look on the inside?
Are they clean? Do you see any 'gunky' stuff?
Sometimes it's hard for shelters to treat for everything, and if your little guy, happens to have ear mites...or an ear infection, it could possibly account for a lack of balance...
This is only a thought, and you can easily check the inside of his ears!
Sharon


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## DebS (Jun 14, 2015)

Oh I hope your baby feels better soon. Amelia takes some pretty good spills herself!


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

He'll be fine! At 3 mos old I would no longer kennel him. I keep my fosters out all day now with me since I only have six right now and they are all over the house but are fine! DO keep an extra litter box here and there though. A Dollar Tree dish pan works really well as a temporary box and you could toss it when done.


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## Nuliajuk (Oct 25, 2014)

This happens more often than you think. Kittens don't always land on their feet. 
My second pair of cats consisted of a brother/sister duo and they fell on their backs quite a few times in the first year of life as they explored. At one point they learned to climb trees, starting with lilac bushes out on our patio. Despite falling and landing on their backs a few times, they graduated to real trees, even learning to come down by themselves from about 20 feet up. They eventually gave that up after about 18 months. The female lived to 15 years, the male to nearly 19.


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## pinkegg (Aug 6, 2015)

*On Cage rest and getting angry*

My 3mo fella just took a nasty fall and landed on his back. Doctor has not detected any broken bones but ordered a one-week cage rest for my kitten. 

Today is day 2, kitten is eating drinking and pooping as if the fall never happened, but he is increasingly impatient in the cage, which is understandable..

I didn't get an X-ray as the kitten had food in his system when I went to the doctor, and the doc suggested against getting X-ray as the kitten needed to be under aenesthia, he could vomit and choke to death. Hence the one-week cage rest so that I can monitor and decide whether we need the X-ray to detect any fractures. So far I have to say, he is jumping and bouncing as if the fall has never happened.

Problem is my kitten is starting to get very impatient and angry in the cage, not to mention the boredom. But I don't want to risk aggravating any hidden injuries that was not detectable by hand.

Shall I follow the doctors orders and continue to keep him in the cage 24/7? Today is just day2 and I don't know how much longer he will tolerate the cage before he is forever angry with me.

And what can I do to keep him entertained in the cage? He has plenty of toys but he likes to run and jump around.

Thanks!


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Ooh boy, I hope someone will have some ideas for you about how to keep him entertained in there...How big is the cage? 

I guess I would err on the side of caution and, as hard as it is, keep him in the cage for at least another couple of days. He may be miserable, but kitties are very forgiving, so you don't need to worry about his being angry with you. If anything, he'll probably be more affectionate than usual once he's liberated.


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## burt (Jun 2, 2014)

What about a empty room, thats the same as a bigger cage with walking room?


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

OP lives in a studio apartment...


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Pinkegg,
If he's acting that feisty, I would probably let him out for a little bit...
Ultimately, you are the only one who can decide....
You know him best!
(((HUGS)))
Sharon


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## pinkegg (Aug 6, 2015)

*3mo kitten on cage rest - does he rather play in pain than not play at a*

He's been eating drinking and pooping normally, bouncing around in the cage attacking his toys. Meowing to get out of the cage of course.

Today is day 3 of cage rest, I let him out for 5mins to roam around in a small area of my studio apartment, with me staring at him every second and refraining him from jumping. I don't know if it's psycological but I just felt very uneasy. We didn't get an X-ray so I dont know if he has any fractures that were not detectable by hand.

Question -- if he indeed does have a fracture, will he want to stay still instead of jump around? He's quite an opportunist so I don't know maybe he'd rather play in pain than not play at all? We have a checkup on Saturday, should I get the X-ray? My concerns for the X-ray is he will need to be put under anesthesia which comes with certain risks, and of course it is very costly. What do you think? Is he fine without the X-ray?

From watching him out of the cage, and again I don't know if it's in my head, I just felt very weird and uneasy.


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

Kittens generally heal quickly, BUT they do NEED time to heal. Kittens tend to be ruled by their instinct to be active and play, no matter what. Many kittens will play unless they're on their death bed, so I don't think a cracked bone or slow internal blood leak will slow your kitten down until and unless it worsens to the point of medical emergency. As difficult as it is, I'd keep that boy caged until it's time for his recheck ... UNLESS you keep him on your lap for some snuggle time while out of the cage.

If the vet recommends x-rays on Saturday, I'd get them done. If not, then not.

Laurie


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## pinkegg (Aug 6, 2015)

I have been waving his favourite feather stick in the cage to keep him entertained for maybe 15mins a day. He does pounce around and attack the feather quite intensely. And because of the limited space in the cage, he started standing up on his hind legs against one side of the cage and then pouncing towards the feather. Should I stop playing with him? I'm very worried that he will hurt himself but at the same time he is so terribly bored and angry :-(

He runs away when I try to snuggle with him. He's desperate for some floor time.


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

Prompting him to play and pounce intensely after a feather toy inside the cage COMPLETELY defeats the purpose of his vet-prescribed cage REST. If your vet intended him to pounce and play during his recuperation, he wouldn't have prescribed cage REST. I know how difficult it is to keep a kitten quiet, esp. those rowdy male kittens, but if he does have any sort of internal injuries or bone cracks that are trying to heal, you certainly aren't helping that along by playing with him. 

You need to give that kitten some tough, RESTING love.

Laurie


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Pinkegg,
I re-read your initial post...
Because he did lose control of his hind quarters, I have to defer to Laurie's experience, she has owned, and taken care of many cats!

Perhaps you can call your vet, tell him what you're seeing, and get him in for an x-ray sooner, just to be on the safe side...
Then if everything looks good, he can be out of 'house arrest' a lot sooner! 
Sharon


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## pinkegg (Aug 6, 2015)

Thank you all for your input! I will stop playing with him. Is he OK to just be left alone all day everyday in the cage? I'm away from home 5-7 hours a day. when I'm at home, what can I do to keep him from going insane? 

Sorry for the multiple posts..he must hate me now :-(


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

He is very unhappy, frustrated, and has an abundance of pent-up energy right now, but it's all temporary. As soon as he is medically cleared to be freed from the cage, he will lose no time making up for his incarceration. He'll forgive you very quickly.

While you're gone from home or unable to spend time near him, place his cage in front of a TV and leave it on low volume for him. That will provide him with some auditory and visual company in your absence.There are even videos for cats that contain footage of birds and other small prey animals to keep a cat interested. You might see if you can find such videos at a large pet store or online.

There are balls and other toys made for dogs that you can put treats or kibble into that the dog has to work to get out. I don't know if there are cat-sized treat balls or toys, but if so, that might be a good thing for your kitten, as well.

Laurie


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## pinkegg (Aug 6, 2015)

Thank you! I will do that. I have played YouTube videos for him to watch, he seems to be uninterested in birds but seems to get rowdy when a squirrel jumps into the screen. Poor baby


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## pinkegg (Aug 6, 2015)

*Can a kitten be overly exhausted after playtime?*

Hi y'all! I've just adopted a 3mo kitten a few weeks ago and he is, I believe what yall cat people call it, "psyco". He's cuddly and is quiet at night when I sleep, but during daytime he seems to have all the energy in the world.

So today I brought home a new battery operated toy -- the undercover mouse tail machine. He was on it for over an hour non stop. I tried turning it off after 5mins, he started meowing for me to turn it back on. Another 10mins I turned off again, he meowed again. And another, and another.... An hour has gone by and he is still at it. Whenever I turn it off and walk away, he meows for me to turn it back on.

Is there such thing as too much stimulation?

I'm worried coz he's still a baby and I don't know how good they are at determining when their body is too tired to continue to play?


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Today is what? First day off cage rest? I would think you'd be easing his transition from cage rest to being out of the cage more slowly.


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