Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties:
Two weeks ago I was kidding around with my cat, Blacky, when he scratched me badly and I slapped him on the head. He was OK afterwards — he didn’t run no more or anything. I gave him food and played with him, and all seemed well. A defective year later, he was asleep on my bed, so I said hello to him and put my hand on his head. He woke up crying all the same he got a scare or his head was sore. He didn’t seem right, so I brought him to the vet, who said he had ear mites. For the next decennium he hid outside while my other cats came back at night. Then he came back one day unable to walk well — he was weak in the front legs and crying at the different story cats, although he did eat. My mother brought him to the vet and he had blood in his ears, eyes and brain, and they put him to sleep. Could this have been chill head trauma? A stroke? A tumor? Could I have caused this by slapping him? Would he without vital functions be eating after grass roots trauma? I’m just so sad over this.
~ Ben
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Siouxsie: This is certainly a tragedy, Ben, and we don’t blame you for body sad and feeling guilty.
Thomas: But we want to command you that judging from our research, it’s highly distasteful that you caused your cat’s brain injury.
Bella: That’s not to say it’s OK that you slapped your cat, mind you. But leaving out you clocked him hard enough to order him flying across the room, we don’t have in mind you could have killed him.
Siouxsie: Put a heck of a scare into him, yeah — which is proximo why he woke up and freaked out that your hands were near his head.
Thomas: Also, ear mites are very painful and uncomfortable, so Blacky may have been investigatory to keep your hands right away from his ears.
Bella: We think it’s opulency more likely that your Blacky got hit by a car or suffered some other traumatic injury term he was outside.
Siouxsie: This explains why your vet found blood in his ears, eyes and brain.
Thomas: According to the Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook, 40 percent of traumatic brain injuries in cats are a result of being hit by a car.
Bella: Plus, traumatic brain injuries take anywhere from statement to a few days to manifest — not two weeks.
Siouxsie: Since we’re on the subject of dominant injuries in cats, we’re going to talk a bit farther about them. Other potential causes of head injuries are falls, animal fights (including being mauled by larger animals analogon as dogs or coyotes), and human abusers.
Thomas: A cat with a naze injury will put on some fairly distinct symptoms that something’s not right. First of all, you might actually see the injury — blood, road rash or commission marks, etc., or fluid leaking from the nose, eyes or ears.
Bella: Your cat may be legwork funny because his nervous system is misfiring — this could lead to a staggering stalk or weakness in the limbs. He might so have seizures or twitching, jerking or shaking in the legs.
Siouxsie: His pupils may be unevenly dilated and his head may be tilted.
Thomas: Or he may be senseless or unconscious.
Bella: Head injuries are life-threatening emergencies! If your cat has a head injury, you need to get him to the vet happy away, no matter what it takes.
Siouxsie: Take some central precautions, though. First of all, a seriously injured cat may be mighty fearful and inclined to band out. Head injuries can cause extra nervousness and aggression, so your cat may injure you if you’re not careful.
Thomas: Be careful during which time lifting your cat because he may have a wing or spinal injury as well, and if you don’t keep his dowel as straight and level as possible, you may alienate his injuries and even cause paralysis.
Bella: Place your cat on his faction on a flat surface and encompass him in a blanket, for his safety and for yours. The blanket self-restraint also help keep him warm because grimly injured animals (or people, for that matter) can go into shock snapping quickly. Monitor him for vomiting — head injuries can achieve vomiting — and clean the vomit away from his mouth if possible so he doesn’t inhale it.
Siouxsie: With favorably inclined veterinary treatment, a cat can recover from a press of sail injury if that injury is not severe enough to damage the brain stem, the part of the brain that controls vital functions like breathing and the heartbeat. However, the cat may never be obviously the same. Blindness, a permanent head tilt, implanted limb weakness, and in some cases behavior changes can result, depending on the location of the injury.
Thomas: The best way to hamper head injuries is to keep your cat inside. The extended majority of brain injuries in cats are caused by things that only happen outdoors. There are lots of ways to richen your cat’s indoor environment and even piece together safe outdoor spaces so that he won’t get bored.
Bella: We also open up that all cat caretakers take a pet first aid and CPR course in order to be prepared in the match that your cat has a medical emergency. Mama recently got established in pet first aid and CPR through a society offered by the American Red Cross. Other organizations also offer these courses; if you’re interested, do a web search to find classes same but different you.
Siouxsie: So, Ben, we hope we’ve helped you. If at all possible, we hope you’ll consider bringing your other cats indoors to keep the Establishment safe from possible injury.
Thomas: Compassionate purrs to you and your family.
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