Worried about kitty

[Eireann]

I was watching TV this evening when my older girl jumped off a chair and landed awkwardly on the floor. Then she stayed there. I thought she was just stretching on her side, but she wasn't moving much, and one little paw was held to her head (the way a human with a headache would act).

I hurried over to her, and she let out a long, low meow. I ran to turn off the TV, and came back to her. I was afraid to touch her. She rolled over, got up, and hid behind another chair, doubtless realizing that I was thinking vet ideas.

I sat and kept an eye on her. After a minute or two, she limped over to the cat carrier, which she uses as a bed and refuge, and went inside. She's now lying in there with her eyes closed, meditating.

She seems okay - but that was SCARY.

[draggar]

She could have sprained something. Just watch how she walks for the next few days.

Touch her legs a little, if she reacts as if she was in pain then something may be wrong (broken / fractured bone).

[Eireann]

Her rear legs are a bit on the wobbly side anyway. When she got up, her tail was poofy; I think I scared her.

[Seshat]

Or the fall did.

Watch her for the next couple of days, as Draggar said. Keep an eye on how she walks and acts, and feel anywhere that worries you. If she's normally touchy about you touching, say, her paws: is her reaction the normal one? If not, vet time. If it is, I wouldn't worry.

For the future, get your animals used to you stroking them all over at least once a day. That way, when you NEED to check their legs or whatever, their body language will be more informative.

[Sonoma]

Hope kitty's feeling better now. Seshat has great advise about getting them used to being handled. When my cat & his sisters were babies, we would hold them bellies up, brush every inch, play with their ears, and all of their feet. Today I can still hold him like a baby, and if I rub my fingers underneath the pads on his feet, he stretches out so all of his claws are visible. Being brushed is relaxing to him - he purrs at the sight of it.

[Eireann]

She's used to me petting her, fortunately. It took a long time, because she came from a shelter and was scared shitless of people for months. She's only sat on my lap a few times. I can walk right up and give her pets now, and she's okay with it.

Last night, I began petting her and ran my hand gently along her legs. She started biting me - not in a "You're hurting me" way, but as if to say, "Here's a hand. I think I'll take a chunk out of it."

Today, I felt along her back, which it occurred to me may have been hurt, and as I ran my hand toward her tail, she lifted her butt, the way kitties do. No adverse reactions from either leg. I hope she was just shaken by the fall, and embarrassed.

[draggar]

Sounds like if anything she was shaken up (well, annoyed / embarrassed) and maybe sprained something from the fall. We do it all the time, so do animals.

[Sonoma]

Glad kitty's feeling better. It's no fun when they're hurting & can't tell you what's wrong.

[Eireann]

Last night, I heard that dreaded sound:

HURK HURK HURK HURK HURK HURK

When I went to check, I found that there was only some saliva on the floor. Which means someone hadn't been eating. This happened once before, when she was deeply traumatized by surgery and refused to eat. That time, the vet had to insert a feeding tube so that she wouldn't starve.

So, she had gone back into the cat carrier she uses as a bed, so I put some food into a dish and put it right in front of the carrier. She sniffed at it, then retreated into the carrier.

Oh, goody.

I stretched out on the floor and dipped my finger into cold, jellylike, disgusting, smelly kitty food and smeared it on her face. I did this two or three more times, then just held my gross, food-caked finger out to her.

She licked it off.

I did it again, and again, and again.

As I did, I felt Other Girl sniffing around the back of my head. A few minutes later, she started head-butting and rubbing my head. I couldn't help giggling at the absurdity of the situation.

Finally, I got up, and kitty came out of the carrier and ate some of the food in the bowl. She's too thin, though; I'm going to try giving her ghee and see what happens.

[draggar]

vanilla ice cream?

[Eireann]

Just a few minutes ago, she went to the litterbox, gave a meow, and heaved up saliva. I don't want to take her to the vet. She hates it, and she gets horribly stressed. I don't know what to do. I don't want to lose my baby.

[Dreamstalker]

I've heard no to ice cream, depending on what's in it.

Will your vet give consultations over the phone? Ours did sometimes. I would at least call. It can get serious quickly if cats don't eat (but you probably know this). When McGriff wouldn't eat we would use sardine oil or baby food (make sure there is NO onion; we used Gerber).

[Eireann]

Oh, I certainly won't give her ice cream. I brewed up some Essiac tea and smeared several drops on her nose, so she had to lick it off. I've heard of some very good results being achieved that way.

My vet, when I've called him, has always suggested bringing kitty in. It makes sense - I mean, how can you give an accurate diagnosis if you can't see the patient? I still don't want to bring her in unless I have to.

I did give her more food by hand today, but she wasn't that interested. However, when Other Kitty was slutting up around me and getting pets, she jumped off the chair and walked over to get in on it. I hope that's a good sign.