# Kitten hit by car... broken pelvis



## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

So, I finally found a home for Cindy Lou's sister, Marley (who was abandoned by her old owner). I drove her the 5 hours to my aunt's house, and spent a couple days there getting her all set up. Things were looking so good- my cousin's and the rest of the family simply adore her, and she made herself right at home. Things couldn't have been better... until my mom called.

We finally got Marley adopted, but the cat number wouldn't stay down for long. At the intersection of two highways, my mom sat at a red light and suddenly saw a kitten darting around, dodging traffic. Of course, she leapt out of the car and ran perilously into the intersection (putting herself into danger too, the crazy woman!) to try and catch the kitten but sadly, he was hit right before her eyes. He ran under her car and got inside her wheel well. After some coaxing, she finally got him out and rushed him to our vet. Nearby, a larger cat of the same coloration lay mangled and dead on the road- my mom believed this to be his mother. :-( The vets were so kind- they rendered all their services for free, gave him pain meds and did x-rays. His pelvis is broken on the left side. I get a call from my mom, and I spoke to her and to the vet and we agreed to ask if the shelter I work for would take him in. They said yes.

So I brought him to our shelter's clinic (a spay/neuter clinic that recently expanded) and they looked him over, did a few more x-rays, and they set him up with pain meds and dewormers. I brought him back home to my mom. The first day he was eating ravenously, but he had diarrhea that was quite bloody. It was pretty bad, and we were all very concerned. But the blood cleared up within a day. But as a few days passed, his appetite declined and his diarrhea worsened.

Fast forward to yesterday- he was listless, refusing to eat, and crying in pain whenever touched. His diarrhea was so severe that it came out almost like water whenever he moved or meowed. I brought him back to the shelter. We immediately hooked him up to fluids, and while he was getting them he actually decided to eat some baby food. Now I'm fostering him instead of my mom. Last night I discovered that he rests more easily when I keep him very nice and warm, so I've been keeping him wrapped up in towels and fleece (changing them as he soils them) and putting him on warm rice socks. Every three hours I either let him lap some plain meat baby food, or syringe feed him a mixture of Royal Canine Recover, colostrum, and water. Feedings are usually followed by a booty rinse, and then fresh warm rice socks and blankets. About three times a day I hook him up to his IV bag for 30 to 50 mL of subQ fluids. Today, his diarrhea is less watery but still pretty bad. He's soiling himself about every two hours. He was up several times last night- I found him standing up in his litter box (filled with paper pellets) and meowing loudly. He was a mess, but at least he's feeling well enough to stand up- he hadn't been able to rise at all for the past 2 days or so. 

I'm just wondering if anyone has any advice for this little kitten. He sure demands a lot of work, care, and attention. I want him to recover, as does everyone at my shelter. We believe his diarrhea is due to his sudden diet change (he's about 4 weeks old) , stress, and injury. He came up negative on his recent fecal, negative for FeLV, and negative for distemper and giardia. His temperature has been good, but we believe he has an inguinal hernia. If anyone has dealt with something similar, please send along any words/advice you might have!

Here's a picture. We call him "Nibbler"


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

_*no advice, just closing my eyes to send good thoughts and healing wishes*_


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## paperbacknovel (Jun 9, 2010)

No advice either, but what a precious kitten. You're such a wonderful soul for doing what you do.


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## StormChaser (Aug 3, 2010)

How heartbreaking!!  And what a sweet baby...

I'm sorry - I have no advice either, but I'm hoping with everyone else that the little sweetheart pulls through. It sounds like you're doing all the right things. Thank goodness there are people like you out there who care enough to help nurse this baby back to health.


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone. I'm so grateful to work where I do, so that he can get everything he needs... I really couldn't afford this all if I didn't have Shelter From the Storm on my side! He's improved a tiny bit since I last posted. He's eating more and more on his own, actually asking for food now. His diarrhea is still bad, but slightly more under control; he's able to hold it enough to tell me he has to be taken to the litter box.

Last night I let him out of his blanket wrap and he sat up for a while. Cinder and Chica hung out nearby and he seemed to genuinely enjoy watching them play. He purred like a little motor and mewed to them. Their presence encourages him to eat more  My dog loves to sit near him and nuzzle him, and this also makes him erupt into loud purrs, it's very cute. I'm glad I have wonderful animal helpers too! 

I'll keep you guys posted on little Nibbler if anything changes <3


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## Darkcat (May 27, 2010)

I know it's hard work, but you are so wonderful for doing it! 

I rescued a malnourished older kitty recently, and he's had some potty issues in addition to his major problem, bad teeth. He would pee/poop himself wherever he was. After numerous tests, the vet decided it was behavioral, and I think I've finally got him figured out. He's been afraid to move around the house on his own so I just have to get him comfortable with his environment. I actually found him moving around by himself this morning, sort of exploring. I take him to the box every few hours, but before I got all this figured out, I had to keep towels under him and I did more laundry than I ever thought possible. 

Keep it up, and my thoughts and well wishes are with you and the little one. Keep us updated.


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

> I take him to the box every few hours, but before I got all this figured out, I had to keep towels under him and I did more laundry than I ever thought possible.


Talk about laundry! I'm doing a full load of scrap towels every day! Luckily, I got plenty of them from my shelter, so I'm not ruining any "human towels". 

Does anyone know if physical therapy would help him? When I interned at Badger Vet this summer, we would often teach owners some exercises to do with dogs that had torn ACLs repaired, and I'm wondering if it would benefit Nibbler to gently move and bend his left leg (the side the pelvis fracture is on). He's coming into the clinic with me when I work on Saturday, so I'm also going to ask the shelter vet what she thinks.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Poor baby!! GOOD FOR YOU! If I'd been 30 seconds later, Jonah would have been flattened by an F250, so this just chills me. I'm thinking good thoughts for the little guy!


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Just woke up from a nap! <3


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Ok is this strange or not? Nibbler was completely feral when we first rescued him. But he is in love with Jerry, my dog. I let Jerry into my room today when Nibbler was out (he was actually grooming himself, yay!) and Jerry laid down and put his head on his paws. Nibbler went straight to him and they started nuzzling each other. Now Nibs is asleep between Jerry's paws. He purrs so loud when he sees Jerry!


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## LilRed (Jul 16, 2008)

Awwee, that is so sweet!


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## StormChaser (Aug 3, 2010)

So glad to hear Nibbler is doing better!! And it's great that you've got the other kitties to encourage him. I love how Jerry is - sometimes dogs just know... Sounds like Jerry understands that Nibbler is hurt and knows that he needs some animal nurturing (much like we humans do too!). 

Growing up we had a Sheltie that was amazing with my Mom's hoard of cats. She would herd them, snuggle them, scold them... It's funny because I KNOW she knew she was a dog, but she really loved their company.


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## katlover13 (Apr 15, 2008)

I'm so glad Nibbler is doing well. His story reminds me a little of my son's cat, Wiki. She was so sick when he first got her, she had almost constant diarrhea and for the first few weeks we didn't know if she would make it. She's a healthy little terror now. 
Nibbler has such a sweet little face. I'm glad he has found such a good friend in Jerry.


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Hey everyone, sorry for not updating sooner. School started and things have been crazy with that, and also caring for Nibbler.

He almost didn't make it, but about 4 days ago his condition turned around. It all started with him having a solid poop when he came with me to work at the clinic. He was just a little angel the whole day, sitting quietly and watching the going-ons around the clinic. Starting that night he got frisky, and sat in his box pawing at my aquarium all night. Since then he's completely turned around. He's totally frisky now, and he wants so bad to be a "normal" kitten, and run around and play. He's infatuated with my other cats (especially Nito) even if they don't really feel the same. I was letting him have some supervised time to walk around, and Nito actually came over and tried to entice some play out of him. I can't believe how mature Nito's gotten, and how good he is with kittens these days. (Some of you may remember what a terror he was when I first got Chica)

He still only wants to eat baby food, and consumes up to 3 cans a day. My mom bought be several cans, but I ran out and it's definitely not cheap to be feeding him all that, especially since he only likes gerber. I've been topping off bites of kitten soft food with baby food, and he'll eat it when it's hidden like that. 

He still has runny poo, but all the swelling down there has gone down, and he no longer soils himself, which is really good! He's even grooming himself now, which he definitely wasn't doing before. On Saturday, everyone at the clinic told me they didn't think he was gonna make it when I brought him in a couple days previous. They told me they'd considered euth, but they didn't want to discourage me so they didn't say anything to me, deciding to let me go ahead and try to turn him around. They were very impressed with how well he's doing, and the vet now thinks he has a 99% chance of making an almost-full recovery! His pelvis will always be slightly misshapen, but even now, while it's still not healed, his walking isn't even severely altered. They don't think it will interrupt his day-to-day functions at all, just a slight gimp. 

Jerry's been great. He's such a good dog. I think he maybe thinks he's a cat though, because he loves cats, acts like one, and wants to be around them all the time. He's being so cute with Nibbler, he walks past and kisses him every chance he gets. Off subject, but last night my roommates had accidentally let Cindy Lou out, and she was missing. Jerry sniffed around a bit, and found her right away. He stared her down, and on my command he chased her out of the bushes. I asked him to "bring it here" and he actually herded her right to the back door, where I captured her. He dodged left and right with amazing skill, blocked her escape attempts and forced her back towards the house. I would have never caught her if it wasn't for Jerry. I've never seen anything like it before! Border Collie/GSD mixes are awesome! 

So hooray! I'll post more pictures soon.

EDIT: I forgot to mention... Nibbler has pretty much doubled his weight since last week. He went from under a pound, and being nothing but skin and bones, to 1.6 pounds. I can see a dramatic difference in his body condition, and while still skinny, I no longer feel like I'm petting a furry skeleton.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Wow, that was a very nice update to read and Jerry sounds awesome ... both with the Nibbler and his herding skills in rounding up lost cats!


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

It's so wonderful to hear this! I'm so happy for you! Nibbler is just so adorable. We seriously need more of people like you on the planet. You have school and you work, yet you found the time to take care of him. It sounded like a lot of work, certainly tiring both mentally and physically.

Jerry sounds like an intuitive dog. He seems to know what to do all the time!

Anyways, I can't wait to hear some more updates! You're such an angel!


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## LilRed (Jul 16, 2008)

Thanks for the update and the great news! I was trying not to worry but was wondering how Nibbler was doing. Hang in there little fella! And Kudos to you & to that amazing Jerry!! He is just so cool!


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## ardubs (Jul 21, 2010)

I love the updates - I'm so glad Nibbler is doing better! I have been crossing my fingers that he has been doing better. Go Nibbler go!


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## StormChaser (Aug 3, 2010)

So happy to hear! I've been wondering about Nibbler too  I'm glad the vets decided to let you try to nurse him back!

BTW (off topic) - I've actually been looking for a Border Collie/GSD mix; two of my favorite breeds! Herding dogs are so intelligent.


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

I'm glad too. I'm also glad they didn't tell me how bad they really thought he was because I was already really sad and stressed at how terrible he seemed, I might have lost the hope I needed to wake up every two hours to take care of him when he cried at night. It truly was very mentally straining, but the worst is finally over and I really think he's gonna make an awesome recovery. Now I just gotta stop falling in love with him! LOL

Ooh, StormChaser, if you find one that would be great. I LOVE the combo of Border Collie and GSD, Jerry is such a smart dog! They just need a lot of exercise is all, but that's the way it is with most dogs as I'm sure you know anyways 

Nibbler still has the runs, and he still has sores on his hocks from when he was soiling himself while he slept. But I've been cleaning him with cotton balls, keeping him tidy, and applying cream to his sore skin and it's definitely improving. It's all I can do to keep Nibbler from running off with the other cats every chance he gets. He doesn't even want to use his paper-pellet litter box any more. He's a "big boy" and wants to use the "big boy box" like the other cats do. Oh, and he finally is starting to eat normal canned kitten food, hopefully he'll wean off the baby food soon because he's eating me out of house and home with his 3 to 4 cans a day!


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

So Nibbler's been spending more and more time out of his cage. Last night I let him wander while I was doing homework and he had a great time following Nito around and swatting toy mice. He was out of his cage when I fed the big cats, and he actually joined them! He eats so much when he's eating with them, so he's now permanently joining them at meal time, with his own little bowl  When I tried to put him to bed in his cage he threw such a fit, and tried to squeeze through one of the bars. I was worried he was going to hurt himself! Since he's using the litter box so well, I let him spend the night out of his cage and he actually did great! I even brought him up on the bed, wrapped him in a blanket, and he cuddled with me in the early hours of the morning. (He was crying because he was cold from me blasting my window AC lol)

I'm wondering if he's over exerting himself. It's been two weeks since his accident and the worst is obviously over. He no longer seems to be in any pain at all- his limp is almost invisible, the only thing that tells me he's not normal is his slight unbalance- he tends to be a bit wobbly and clumsy in his hind legs. He'll stumble a little when he shakes his head, and sometimes he trips when he's swatting and following a toy. But he just wants to run and play, and he even gave a tiny little jump today when he was attacking Nito's tail. He even put his front paws against the couch and stood with even weight on both hind legs. He doesn't attempt to climb, or do any major jumping. Should I trust that he's self-limiting himself based on what kind of pain he's in? He seems to be feeling really good, and really frisky, and I'd hate to keep him locked up if I don't have to. He doesn't actually have any cracks in the bone, it's more like the left side of his pelvis is dented in.

Here's his radiograph. What do you guys think? Am I letting him get away with too much?


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Rach, this is such good news! It certainly looks like he's on the mend. You did such a fantastic job with him and never losing hope. Do you have more pics of him? 

I suppose if he doesn't look tired out and in pain, just let him out to be a 'big boy'. He certainly sounds happy now, romping around with the other ones.


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## mimitabby (Apr 20, 2010)

amazing! best of luck to you. I'd let him out of that cage for good.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

I nominate you for kitty sainthood! What you have done is extraordinary! Caring for a seriously ill cat is so stressful. Plus you were doing it by yourself! My hat is off to you. What a wonderful person you are!


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Hehe, Alpaca, he certainly thinks he's a "big boy" now. He wants to use the big litter box, and eat with the big cats! He sure has a lot of personality, I need to stop falling in love with him!

I'll have more pics at the end of the weekend, when my sister gives my camera back to me 

Thanks Merry. I wasn't completely alone though! My boyfriend was really awesome with helping me out, and don't forget about the help I had from my wonderful friends at Shelter from the Storm, and Badger Veterinary hospital. I'm lucky to know such great vets who are willing to help out a stray injured kitten at no cost. Nibbler wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them.


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

*sighs* His diarrhea is back, full force again. He's still eating, and really REALLy wants to come out of his cage but he's gotta stay in there when he's leaky. We're in discussion at the clinic about possible solutions, but for now we are sticking to a feeding and fluid regimen. We're doing some more parasite checks today, even though he came out clean last time doesn't mean he is clean (kittens, especially strays, are almost never parasite free) They still worry about his possible hernia, and giving him something for the diarrhea might cause more problems. Constipation is something that needs to be direly avoided, because he's at risk for prolapse and that would not be good.

Send him good wishes you guys, I imagine he has one heck of a belly ache.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Aw poor guy! I hope the vets can find out what's wrong soon. He seems so eager to learn and explore.

It's so amazing that the shelter and vet hospital are helping you out at no cost. I'm sure Nibbler knows all these nice people are helping him out!


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

When we walk into the clinic, Nibbler wants to meet all the animals there. He calls out to them, thinking that the meows and barks are calling to him. Hehe, silly boy. 

I don't know if this is good news or bad news. Good because we at least know the potential problem, bad because well... he has a parasite and diarrhea. We found just a few coccidia in his fecal, perhaps they were missed during the last dewormer because he was vomiting, or who knows. They can be tricky, stubborn little things. So we'll be doing metronidazole this time, which also sometimes helps deal with diarrhea cases like this. We'll see how that goes.

I really am truly lucky to work for such an amazing place. Technically, *I* am helping *them*, because SFTS took Nibbler in and made him a shelter cat. Now I'm just fostering him. But it was amazing, they didn't even ask questions when I told them about the kitten we'd found. "Bring him on in" they said.


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

More updates. His diarrhea is once again seemingly on the mend. Still, he's not pooping great, but he's at least holding it until he gets to the box. He absolutely soiled himself in his cage the other night, rolling around and trying frantically to escape. I just can't keep him in the cage. Luckily, I have a nice random room attached to my bedroom that has tile floor. I keep the litter boxes and a cat tree in there (it's the "cat room") and I put up a baby gate and he can't escape from it. So now he's able to roam about, and Cinder hangs out with him in there and he's quite content. I think keeping his morale high is a big part of his recovery, and it's great to see him getting to swat toys, interacting with my cats, and being happy and not constantly crying- without having to worry about him escaping and soiling my carpeting.


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## StormChaser (Aug 3, 2010)

Well, that is good and bad news. At least you were able to find the cause! And that's good that he's making to the box now. Hopefully you can nab those nasty parasites once and for all! It sounds like it's best to keep him in the tile room - actually, it sounds like a regular kitty condo in there!


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Ugh! He keeps escaping from the room! I keep walking upstairs to find him suddenly darting past my feet. I blame Cinder- she's always with him. She's getting him into trouble, taking him on tours of all the rooms they are NOT supposed to be in, like the band room, and my roommates room. 

He can't jump, and his back legs are still a little weak, but boy, can he "shimmy" and climb. He can make it to the top most levels of the cat tree, climb a baby gate, and get into all sorts of nooks and crannies. He's a naughty boy now! But he's coming alive, trying to pounce and wrestle with Cinder, and always looking for new things to swat. 

I'm a little concern, because he's starting to get a little constipated now. This whole poop thing is a drama I want to just become normal! Now, instead of dribbles, he's got dingle berries. XD


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Well, I always say a naughty boy is better than a quiet one. If they're quiet, you start getting concerned that they're ill.

Oh I know what you mean about the poop drama. <sends lotsa luck and best wishes>


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Nibbler is still doing well. Still naughty and frisky, eating me out of house and home, and unfortunately he's still runny. We did another fecal and found some unidentified larvae in there so he's being dewormed again. He was doing well enough to get his first distemper vaccine too!

As promised, I finally have a picture of him to share with you all. Here he is visiting my mom's house with me, he had a grand old time running all over and he even found a long-lost mouse under the couch!


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

What a sweetheart! I'm so happy to hear he's continuing to do well.


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## LilRed (Jul 16, 2008)

He looks so sweet and precious, and alert!!! Thanks for the pic!


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## Fran (Jan 9, 2008)

Wonderful story - sorry I am so late to come in on this, but I am so impressed at what you (and Jerry) have done for little Nibbler!!

 Fran


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## melysion (Mar 12, 2007)

so pleased the little guy is doing well


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Oh lord he's cute! I'm glad he's doing better! Hopefully the darn larvae will friggen go away and leave him alone!


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

He's had some solid poops the last few days, and I don't know which is worse. His little butt is still tender with a possible hernia so he seems to strain and gets major turds stuck under his little tail. That means more cage time and less run around time (I don't really enjoy him smearing his poo on the cat tree, nor do the others I reckon) poor guy. He still gets at least 2 hours a day of free time which he enjoys greatly. 

He's even wrestling with Nito and Cinder now!


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Poor little guy. But at least his mood seems upbeat. That's very encouraging!


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## kittywitty (Jun 19, 2010)

Thank you for saving this little one!!! He is a cutie and very lucky to have you and the vet to care for him. Looks like he is going to have a lot of fun once he feels better. Bless you and your new furbaby!


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## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Alpaca- So true! He's such a happy boy when he's out of his cage, he immediately purrs like a little motor and enthusiastically runs all over. He'll play with any toy you give him but he goes crazy over this big furry colorful weasel toy of Nito's  It was when his friskiness slowly started to return that I knew he was going to make it. 

Kittywitty- Thank you! He's a foster though, and although I love the little guy, he belongs to SFTS now. I have enough cats at this time, so he will be finding a loving home. My parents might even adopt him, or my little sister's best friend. I would love it if he went somewhere that I could check in on him. He's really such a wonderful little kitten, he's gonna be a good kitty.


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## StormChaser (Aug 3, 2010)

You did such a good job with little Nibbs! How is he doing now? Poop all in order? I'm going through the drama with my pup right now... My gosh I never knew how relieved I would be when my animal has a normal stool! And then he goes back to being constipated or the opposite spectrum and it's back to the nervousness.

I wish I could adopt Nibbler! He's so darn cute, and what an amazing story! I hope your Mom does adopt him. Since she's the one that initially saved him, that would make this come full circle.


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