Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Purrs

1. 

   we have a kitten who was born sometime last night or early this morning, who is missing most of both rear legs. it looks like they were chewed off. we are still getting a little bleeding it looks like from both of the legs. it looks like it starts when the kitten is trying to move around. mama cat abandoned them, and has refused to do anything with them. we found her this morning on the other side of the property.

   we have the kittens in a plastic tub with a heating pad and towels, we've gotten them to eat a little, but mostly trying to warm them and keep them warm. what, if anything, can/should we do about the legs?

   Posted 1 year ago by robk0220 #

2. 

   I'm sad to say this, but a vet is probably the best thing. Sounds like the kitty may need to be euthanised.

   Posted 1 year ago by Skyron #

3. 

   Poor, poor baby. I agree with Skyron.

   Posted 1 year ago by jcat #

4. 

   i'm not sure where to find a vet around here, we're kinda out in the woods a bit… and then would have to find one on a saturday night that is open?

   Posted 1 year ago by robk0220 #

5. 

   The odds are heavily against this little kitten making it without some very heroic measures. Hand-raising orphan kittens is a huge task without them being injured. A vet will be able to guide you in what is best to do for this tiny kitten.

   Welcome to TDK. Please keep posting to let us know how all the kittens are doing. How many do you have?

   Posted 1 year ago by Kitten Whisperer #

6. 

   2 kittens that we found from this mama... we have another 1 who is about 5 weeks old from another mama cat…

   Posted 1 year ago by robk0220 #

7. 

   Are the mama cats feral/strays? Any chance of catching them so they can be spayed?

   Posted 1 year ago by Kitten Whisperer #

8. 

   Just keep the poor wee thing warm and comfortable and fed until you can get it to a vet. Ring around to see if anyone's open.

   Posted 1 year ago by jcat #

9. 

   anyone have any ideas on what we can do to stop the bleeding?

   Posted 1 year ago by robk0220 #

10. 

    Is it more than a little bleeding?

    From the AVMA first aid page:
    Press a clean, thick gauze pad over the wound, and keep pressure over the wound with your hand until the blood starts clotting. This will often take several minutes for the clot to be strong enough to stop the bleeding. Instead of checking it every few seconds to see if it has clotted, hold pressure on it for a minimum of 3 minutes and then check it.
    If bleeding is severe and on the legs, apply a tourniquet (using an elastic band or gauze) between the wound and the body, and apply a bandage and pressure over the wound. Loosen the tourniquet for 20 seconds every 15-20 minutes. Severe bleeding can quickly be life-threatening—get your animal to a veterinarian immediately if this occurs.

    Posted 1 year ago by jcat #

11. 

    The other worry with wounds like this is infection, which would be horrible for the kitten so again, get it to a vet as soon as you can.

    Posted 1 year ago by jcat #

12. 

    The protocol would be the same as for humans, but on a smaller scale. I would cut gauze into small squares, fold it over the stub-ends, and then secure the gauze with small strips of bandage, or cotton. Please dont try disinfecting the wounds or rinsing them, you could remove any existing clots on the wounds.

    Posted 1 year ago by Skyron #

13. 

    Thank goodness you're here, Skyron. I didn't know that about the disinfection, I'll edit my previous post.

    Posted 1 year ago by jcat #

14. 

    thanks for the advice, i'm gonna run to the garage and get a pack of gauze… I will keep you updated on the little ones condition. chickens are so much easier to deal with i swear LOL

    Posted 1 year ago by robk0220 #

15. 

    keep the kitty warm, and get some pedialyte into it (jcat, whats the recipe for home-made pedialyte?). I'm thinking really unpleasant thoughts here, if i seem unkind or nasty, i'm sorry, thats not my intention.

    I dont know if you should feed the kitty kmr. In my heart i would say fight for this kitty, but the odds are against him. For such a tiny kitty, he would grow so fast that i'm fairly sure his wounds would heal very well and very quickly, and then once he/she is old enough for surgery, propper amputation of the stumps could be carried out. The issue for me would be providing pain relief for such a small kitty. It would be so easy to give too much. Infection I wouldnt worry about too much, since the wounds are fresh, and as long as there is antibiotics present from the start, infections would hopefully not have a chance to set in. I just dont know if it is a good thing trying to sustain a life faced with the amount of pain the kitty would be in up to the point where he/she heals.

    Posted 1 year ago by Skyron #

16. 

    we have chickens, ducks, and geese, and I can handle any procedures that go with them, including surgical that we perform here. I've just never dealt with cats/kittens, and the anatomy is totally different. with the chickens, if they are bleeding, we just use regular flour and cake it on until the bleeding stops. and before anyone says it (the thought went into my mind also) bleeding chicken + flour DOES NOT EQUAL frying pan lol at least not at that point. :)

    Posted 1 year ago by robk0220 #

17. 

    for humans the protocol is stop the bleeding, cover the wound, and get to a hospital. If you really want to do anything to a wound, dab it with some saline solution, but even that could compromise clotting in cases of severe bleeding. How badly is the kitty bleeding? Is it just bloody smears on the towels? Dribbles? Seeping into the towel? Or spurting? Spurting isnt good. Then I'll have to give you a crash course in tourniques . . .

    Posted 1 year ago by Skyron #

18. 

    ok i called the vets that we found, and of course none are open, or will be open tomorrow. so I am gonna do what I can tonight and we are gonna have to go to the SPCA tomorrow morning when they open, and see what they can do. I know they have a vet there every day.

    Posted 1 year ago by robk0220 #

19. 

    Home made pedialyte:
    * Pedialyte formula (from World Health Organization)...no preservatives so short life-span
    * 1 cup water (boiled then cooled)
    * 2 tsp sugar
    * 1/8 tsp salt
    * 1/8 tsp baking soda
    * (this Pedialyte formula gives needed electrolytes & some sugar for energy)

    Combine all ingredients and warm slightly.

    I only suggested feeding as part of palliative care -- ie keeping the kitten as comfortable as possible until you get him or her to the vet. I honestly think that it would probably be kinder to put the kitten to sleep; the mortality rate for orphan kittens is high enough without such major wounds. But of course your vet will be better able to advise you. But I wasn't thinking long-term.

    Posted 1 year ago by jcat #

20. 

    it's not a gushing or even a dripping. it's like the kitten is trying to move around and it rubs what's left of the legs on the towel, and a little bit of red appears on the towel. I wish i could post a picture of this, it would be a whole lot easier.

    Posted 1 year ago by robk0220 #

21. 

    I think Sky's advice about gauze around the stumps is the best idea. If it's ooze, then kitten is not likely to die from it, poor little one.

    Posted 1 year ago by jcat #

22. 

    from the bleeding you are describing, the flour could work.

    Posted 1 year ago by Skyron #

23. 

    this is so different than what we're used to dealing with… chickens are easier, way easier. we have almost 60 birds, and have dealt with all kinds of their "incidents", but this is our first kitten emergency. the 5 week old we had to hold his mama down so he could start nursing, but once she got the idea of it, she did everything right and took care of him.

    Posted 1 year ago by robk0220 #

24. 

    Is that mother cat still around? (Not sure from your description if she was feral or a bit more friendly.) It's possible she would accept these kittens as well and be a great foster mum for this litter and that would help their chances (and lessen your work) considerably.

    However, if she is feral then she will bring the kittens up feral as well. If you're happy to trap, neuter and return these cats then that's not such a problem. If you want to socialise these kittens and find them good homes, then you would be best hand-raising.

    Posted 1 year ago by jcat #

25. 

    yes the other mama cat is still around, mostly friendly, until we tried to introduce her to the kittens. we had already thought of foster mom, but it's apparently not to be. the real mama is around too, we tried to get her to at least nurse them, and that was another no way.

    Posted 1 year ago by robk0220 #

26. 

    That's a shame. But, on the bright side, if you hand-raise, these kittens have a better chance of finding a good home.

    Posted 1 year ago by jcat #

27. 

    we have a bunch that hang around. they keep the mice away from the chicken feed, and they don't bother the chickens, so we really don't mind them. plus it's entertaining to watch them chasing each other and jumping into the trees and such…

    Posted 1 year ago by robk0220 #

28. 

    you should have them spayed/neutered. A few kitties can translate into a huge problem over a year or two. I've seen a feral colony start with one lone female, and reach a number of 58 within two years. And its horrible, the diseases they get and die of.

    Posted 1 year ago by Skyron #

29. 

    i would love to, but at $350 each x 5 cats…

    Posted 1 year ago by robk0220 #

30. 

    Definitely a spendy proposition! Are there any low-cost spay/neuter clinics in your area?

    Sorry to hear that the other mom cat wouldn't foster your new little ones.

    Posted 1 year ago by Kitten Whisperer #

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