# malnourished kitty i found outside...



## lashes006 (Apr 23, 2011)

i found a severely malnourished little kitty outside toward the end of last week. she is so thin and bony! you can literally feel each vertebrae and ribs. she barely has any muscle mass left. she seems dehydrated as well. i read the posts from another member who asked for advice on a malnourished cat (Scruffy, i think). 

i have been feeding her canned food with water mixed in, about every 2 hours... sometimes every hour if she seems hungry. she is not a small kitten, per say. i don't believe she is over 6 months. she is very small, even her bone structure. maybe i am use to my male cat's large fluffy head though! 

at first, the little lady could not even lift her head up. she could only take 5-6 steps at a time, then would sit and rest. she is lifting her head quite a bit more, and able to walk about 4 feet before resting. i try not to let her walk all over though... to hold on to some of the calories. she is walking around with her down. she lifts her head up when she is sitting, but can't seem to while she walks. i was not sure if this is because of being malnourished and weak, or if something else is wrong with her. she also seems to be vision impaired. she cannot follow objects in front of her. she also does not seem to be able to see her food. i think she goes by shadows. also, she does not seem to walk around when it is mostly dark either. she walks a little, but stays close. 

i am by NO means a vet, but did study cats/cat anatomy my first year of college. since she had more energy Saturday, i did the best i could with a physical exam. it did not seem like she had any enlarged organs. she does have a fast, but regular heart rate (what i could observe). she does have a few well-healing cuts. i think she may also have a respiratory infection. her breath sounds seem good and regular... nothing like pneumonia, for example. she is weak and somewhat unsteady. she has been laying on her let side when she lays down. this is the bad thing, i am positive she has 3-4 broken ribs. her front left leg seems to be slightly weaker than the right. the leg itself did not feel broken, but i am not sure about a hairline fracture. i can understand that leg being weak, since her ribs are broken. she laid down on her right side a few hours ago, so i could rub her belly. the broken ribs were obvious... at least 2 of them were jutting out, about an inch below her left from leg. i am taking her into the vet as soon as they open in the morning. i do not have the money to do that, but she needs to be evaluated and treated. it is just breaking my heart!! she is so sweet, despite her condition. she fell asleep earlier, laying in my arms purring. my dog does not scare her... she does know the dog is there too! 

i am wondering if i have hurt her more than help her? i think she could be in pain, now that i know she has broken ribs. i do not know how long they have been broken, but still. at first, i thought she was weak and unsteady because she is so underweight. now i wonder what else it could be. i know they only thing i can do is to keep doing what i am, and to get in her ASAP. i just hope she can be treated and have her get/feel better. i do not want to have to put her down, but if she is suffering that much... :-(

has anyone been through this? or can offer any insight? i really want to help her.


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## lashes006 (Apr 23, 2011)

one more thing, she has not had any diarrhea or vomiting. she is urinating, but very little. her abdomen is not distended. she did poo once, but very small amount.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

What has the vet said about her condition?


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## MinkaMuffin (Apr 1, 2011)

There is no way you have hurt her more than help her. She's in good hands with you.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

She sounds very lucky for you to have found her and taken her in. I have to agree with Minka ... anything/everything you are doing for her is *helping* her, even if it has caused some pain in the process. Your willingness to take her to the vet to help her is the very best thing.

I had a super-skinny cat collapse on our patio in 2007 that I tried to help. Unfortunately for him, a vet exam, bloodwork (normal) and 6wks of great food did nothing to help him. In fact, he lost an additional 1/2 pound. My vet suspected a form of cancer and we helped him over the Bridge.

YOUR kitty, appears *vastly* different from my Rusty-cat's situation.

It sounds like her injuries have severely hampered her ability to feed and fend for herself. The vet will be able to tell you the extent of her injuries and how they may affect her healing and the rest of her life. Good food and care should have her up and bouncing around in no time. 
Best of luck to you both,
heidi =^..^=



This was Rusty.
He had to lay down to eat and Louie 'helped' him with moral support:









This pic shows how thin he was. My baseboard is only 3" tall.


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## MinkaMuffin (Apr 1, 2011)

I have never in my life seen a cat so skinny... O____O


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## Husky42 (Sep 28, 2008)

omg that tears me up inside, a least you tried and at least he is not suffering anymore.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

I was *very* happy to have been able to love and pamper him for the last 6wks of his life. He knew he was loved and that was the best thing I could do for him. 
I hope lashes' rescue-kitty has a good update.


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## lashes006 (Apr 23, 2011)

Heidi, that is so sad! i am glad he was with you. it sounds like he was happy with you and Louie. 

i took the little lady in Monday morning. the vet did x-rays and tests. she did have broken ribs. there was a fracture in her neck as well. the vet said it looked like a rib may have punctured her lung. she said the kitty was suffering too much and it would be better to put her down. i stayed with her and cried. they did weigh her... she was about a year old and barely weighed 2 lbs. i should have taken her to an emergency care center right when i found her! the one i live by is not a good place. i took my other cat a few years ago when her incision split open from infection -- they said it was nothing and sent me home with amoxicillin. i took her to our regular vet the next morning and she had emergency surgery to clean out the incision and close it. she also got a stronger antibiotic. i did not trust them because of that incident. 

my dog and cats keep sitting in the front windows, watching where i found the kitty. i feel bad for them too!


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Oh, I'm so sorry. You made her last days better and she went feeling loved and cared for.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

I have a lump in my throat reading about her. Im so grateful you found her and gave her love and food and medical attention. You took her out of her suffering. 

She would of been out there, stressed, trying to protect herself and find relief from her pain and she would of died a horrible horrible death. You are an angel to take her in and help her to the other side with love.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

I'm so teary right now and I'm at work. I agree with Mitts, you did all that you could, giving her food, water, shelter and most of all love and companionship. She did not have to go to the bridge alone.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

I agree with Merry ... your love, care and support of her, and especially you not abandoning her alone at the very hard decision to end her suffering was The Very Best Thing you could have done for her. (((hugs to you)))


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## lashes006 (Apr 23, 2011)

thank you all so much. i feel like if i would have taken her right when i found her, maybe there would have been a better outcome for her. i am glad that she came here. it would have been even more terrible for her to suffer alone. i live by woods and a lot of water, which could have been dangerous for an animal with her condition. i guess it is possible that she was dropped off. the 3 cats i have, i found in this area. the two were just tiny kittens too. people may think i am becoming the cat lady


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