k9angel

I have contacted the police, they cannot do anything and told me to report it to the RSPCA which I did. The RSPCA couldn't do much (as we don't have any info/leads on who done it), but still took details (an intel?) incase other cases are reported, then an investigation will be done. I have contacted my local paper and waiting for the editor to call me back. I am even thinking of printing out leaflets warning people and doing a letterbox drop of the surrounding streets because I am sure it would of been a local. And I will also be contacting a few of the local vets incase they've had any cases bought in. I am missing little Cookie lots. Last night before bed Jack says to me "When's Cookie coming home?" Then he went and sat infront of the heater where we used to sit with Cookie and he wheeled her little trolley out from under Baileys train table. He pulled out all her things, her blankies and hot water bottle covers and then her toys. He looked at them, looked at me and burst into tears. It broke my heart. I just cuddled him and told him Cookie was ok now. He took her toys to bed with him to keep them warm. The first thing he did when he got in from school yesterday was go running to her room to see if she was there despite me telling him on the way home that she was still at the vets and that I had to go get her. We were all expecting her to come home yesterday when I left to pick her up but when I got to the vet and the nurse says to me "Has the vet spoke to you yet?" I knew it was bad. Then when I went in to the consult room and she put the xrays up - I was speechless. I knew in that instant, Cookie was not coming home. I asked to see her and the vet took me down to her. Cookie recognised my voice straight away and as soon as they put her on the table, she started purring. I asked the vet if there was anything, anything at all that could be done for her and she said no. Not even with the pellet removed, the damage was too great. I told Cookie how sorry I was and how much we loved her as I cradled her little head and she drifted to sleep.

Yes Minimax. They shot her. That was my first thought too, I didn't believe it until I saw the pellet still in her. She was only a baby, what kind of person could do that? seriously? And I wonder how many others they have shot at?

I am so so sorry to have to write this, but Cookie was put to rest tonight. She passed peacefully in my arms. :cry: The vet did further Xrays this afternoon and it turned out Cookie had been shot with an air rifle. The pellet shattered her spine and was still lodged in her chest. I saw the x-rays and could not believe my eye's. There was nothing that could be done for her. She was so happy to see me when I arrived and purred and held her little head against my hand as she passed. It's so unfair. It explains the little gash she had on her neck. They obviously did try to drown her afterwards then. When I got back from the vet the kids came running to the door all excited thinking Cookie was home. :cry: They loved her and she loved them. Cookie was a special little cat who touched all our hearts. I will never forget that little face. R.I.P. beautiful little Cookie xxx Run and play and chase all the mice & butterflies you like across the Rainbow bridge. Know you will be dearly missed and never forgotten. x x x A huge thankyou again to everyone for all your support. It means the world to me and I am sure it would of to Cookie too. We did our best, but sadly it wasn't to be.

Firstly, good on you for taking on this poor kitten and at least giving her a chance. You are obviously an amazing person. By the sounds of things, Cookie retains both superficial pain response and voluntary limb movement in her hindlimbs. These signs are GOOD prognostic indicators. Recovery of neurological function can take months. Obviously, during this time, the animals require intensive care with regard to nursing (toileting, physio, feeding etc). Even for animals that are completely paralyzed with no deep pain, it is recommended (if the owner wishes) to give them at least 2 months to recover some neurological function- if the cause for spinal cord damage has been removed (if it hasn't been removed than there will be no improvement). I think it is pretty poor form to only be *partially* sure that the animal has a fractured vetebral column and hence recommend euthanasia. As a minimum, radiographs should be performed. Even then unless there is severe luxaion of the vertebrae, they will not tell us about the extent of spinal cord damage and whether it is likely to resolve, or if there are surgical options for correction. A myelogram or MRI would be needed to determine this. Obviously all this requires time and money, but the vet should at least offer the "gold standard" approach and then let the owner decide how far they want to go. Personally, I would be inclined to continue giving the nursing care you are providing, and at least give the kitten a few more weeks, as it seems she does make improvements over time. It seems she is not suffering or in any pain at present. My main concern would be the issue of incontinence as it seems Cookie doesn't have 100% control, going after feeding or stimulating her perineum may be considered a reflex action rather than concious control. But the fact that she does go by herself (even if stimulated in some way) is a good sign again. The main risk for incontinent animals is UTI and bladder atony (where the bladder becomes very large and flaccid and can't contract properly). If she is urinating regularly, her chances of complications are less likely. Only time will tell whether she will regain full function unfortunately. ETA: You can request that the radiographs are read by a specialist if there is any doubt over such a potentially serious diagnosis. Going off her clinical signs and possible contience issues, I'd say her problem probably is lumbosacral. A "fractured" spine is not always very obvious as there may not be a crack through bone, but instead there may be a luxation between 2 vertebrae (eg. instead of being in a line, one of the vertebrae will be displaced usually up or down). This can be quite subtle. But as I said before if it is subtle, its really hard to tell what the actual damage to the spinal cord itself is. Thankyou so much for your post Aussielover. I have thought it over carefully and watched and re-watched the video's I made of her. She is making progress, there is no denying that. The video's prove it. Thank God I made them otherwise I would of questioned whether it was my imagination or whether she really was improving. I have decided I will continue working with her for a little while longer. I am picking her up shortly. If we don't see any further improvement in the next week or two, I will set her free but because I have seen remarkable improvement in just the past week alone, I am going to hang in there just a little while more. I will also be asking the regular vet to go over the x-ray for a 2nd opinion. And when I pick her up I will ask if they have any ointment for her urine scald as that's the only thing causing her any discomfort at the moment. (from my observations and the vets). If anyone else has any suggestions re; remedy for the urine scald, please let me know. Thanks and thanks again for all your support.

:cry: It's not good news guys. The vet just called (a fill in, I don't know where Phil is?), she said she 'thinks' she has a fractured spine. She did say the lumbar? vertabrae? no. but I was too shocked to take it in. I feel sick. I tried to explain to her that she has been improving and that if she had a broken back, she wouldn't do that would she? she didn't really give an answer. Her main concern was the urine scold, which I did explain has only started yesterday/today. She strongly advised to pts and wants me to sign the consent forms. I don't know what to do. It's obviously not a clear break if she 'thinks' she has a fractured spine? and what about the improvements I've seen? I don't get it? I am going to have a look at the xrays myself (not that I will know what I am looking at, but surely a break would be somewhat noticeable?) Oh and she said something about her not having control her bladder??. She does. She always goes after a feed or if I am cleaning down around her bum. She doesn't just pee anywhere, anytime - so she's got some control. I told her I would be in this afternoon, I have to wait for OH to get in and mind the kids for me. I don't want them there if I have to say goodbye to her. I asked about her pelvis and she said it seems to be fine. It's the lower back where the problem is. I just wish she gave me a definate answer instead of "I think".

Thanks again guys for everything. Especially your well wishes today. Cookie needs all the good vibes and goodluck we can muster. Little Cookie has been dropped off to the vet. I have to go back this afternoon. I asked the vet to put some cream or something around her bum/tail too as she was a bit red & tender there this morning. She's in good hands, and the vet nurse that's on today is very sweet and knows me well. I asked her to look after her for me. I put Cookie in the crate last night to sleep so she could get used of it and wasn't scared when she went in it today. She was fine and actually seemed to like it. When I put her in there she was looking around at the roof and doing funny feet as she made herself comfy. I gave her a little kiss before I left and told her I would be back for her soon. I was brave (for once) and didn't cry until I got home. Jack & bails said goodbye to her this morning too before we took Jack to school. It broke my heart. I have tears streaming down my cheeks just thinking about it. :crossfingers: :crossfingers: for Cookie today.

Aww thankyou Dju. Here's hoping some of that good karma starts tommorow. I have been preparing her travel crate for her vet trip. I had to dig it out of the laundry and give it a good wipe down but it's ready now. She stays in a washing basket usually but I'll take her in the crate tommorow. I will update tommorow. Thanks again everyone for your well wishes, kind words, support and donations. I know if Cookie could talk, she'd say thankyou too. :crossfingers: for little Cookie tommorow.

Thankyou Bite Me.

Thankyou Lilmisssascha83. And sorry the video made you cry. I only made them to keep a record of her progress and so I could go back and compare her back legs as we went along. She has come a long way in the past week and I am really proud of her. I am praying that at worst, it's a fractured pelvis and that she will recover. I am so nervous right now...

Many thanks Rhonda. Both for your donation and your well wishes for Cookie tommorow. . I am keeping everything crossed for a good outcome.

Thanks for sharing your experiences KKDD. It makes me feel a little more positive. I am feeling quiet nervous tonight. I am just scared for Cookie tommorow. She's in good spirits though. I just took a few pics of her and will upload them shortly.

She doesn't appear to be suffering Kirislin, if she was, I'd have taken her back sooner and given her her wings. Infact she seems quiet content. I am no expert on cats but if you look at the video's I posted, you'll see she seems pretty happy. The vet doesn't have her on any pain meds and I honestly don't think he's putting anything off. I am sure if I insisted he would of got her in today, or even yesterday - but I didn't. And if I hadn't of seen any improvement these past few days, I would of insisted he got her in sooner. Oh and just now when I went in the room to check on her, she was sitting up on her bum with her back legs kicking trying to get up. Each day she reaches another little milestone. :)

She goes back tommorow for xrays. I would of taken her today but the vet said yesterday when I was there to bring her in on Tuesday.

She is trying so hard. A couple of times this morning she pushed herself onto her belly and almost lifted herself with her back legs. She did it last night too when she was trying to get back in her basket. Litte Jack was so excited and says "She's standing, she's standing", she had her front paws holding onto the basket and was kind of squating on her back legs. I sometimes use a sock as a sling when were doing her excerises but I find using my hand is better. I can support her more when she gets a bit wobbly. I've been doing a new exercise with her too. I lay her on her back and with my hand put gentle pressure against her back feet. I notice they are starting to get stronger and push harder against my hand. I only started doing these yesterday morning but have noticed a difference already. :)

She's being spoiled and going well Lilmisssascha83. :) I got her some Hills a/d tin food this morning from the vet and she seems to enjoy it. :) Thanks to those who recommended it. Weve been doing her little exercises today and she seems to be getting stronger in the rear end. At one stage this afternoon I thought she was going to get into her bed by herself, she came so close, yet so far to standing up. It's been one week today since she was found, to think this time a week ago she was probably running around like normal, unaware her life was about to change forever. I am hoping it's going to change for the better in the long run and that she gets over this hurdle. It's so true when they say that cats have 9 lives, isn't it? she was so close to death last week - yet here she is this week eating and playing and in good spirits. It's incredible. A little video I made last night/this morning.

Aww thankyou Melcatlady, that's so sweet. She's doing well today, her legs are still kicking well and we done some standing excercises. I took some video earlier and will upload it later. She's also had a game with the kids, with the mouse on a string. They take turns and at times fight of playing with her. :laugh: She was full of worms too the poor girl. She must be feeling so much better now they're gone. Oh and when I went in ther room to check on her a couple of hours ago, it kind of startled her and I thought she was going to stand up. She went from her side to her belly with her back legs sitting under her back properly, again another first. I haven't seen her do that before. (like the position a cat sits in when they're eating). Usually when she goes to get up, her back legs just flop to the side or as of yesterday, start kicking - but she managed to lift them up under her this time. I missed the vet though this morning. When I rang he was putting a drip in a dog so I was unable to speak to him then the 2nd time when I rang, the phone was diverted. So he's either had to do an emergency op or has finished up early for the day. I'll get up early in the morning and go over as I have to get that cat food for her too. Spoke too soon. He just rang me. I told him about her going to get up this morning and he said it definately sounds like she is improving. I think I am in denial half the time because I am the one that's going to have to take her to be given her wings if worse comes to worse. I am just expecting and preparing for the worst, though I admitt as each day passes I am getting more and more hopeful for her.

Aww thanks again everyone. I appreciate it so much and I am sure Cookie would too. I will speak with the vet tommorow and ask for his account details. She is playing with her little mouse at the moment. She loves it. I put it on a stick with some string and she thinks it's great. I also wormed her tonight. I am about to fix her hot water bottle and tuck her in for the night. I won't be far behind her I think. I am buggered. Oh and we did some more standing practise tonight. I just support her tummy while she stands there. Might help to strengthen her legs a little too. I also walk her forward a little (whilst supported) to try and get her back legs to get used of taking steps again. She tries to lift them. I will try and get some video tommorow so you can see her. I also noticed today her back legs were moving alot more. Like when I would go to get her out of the basket or put her food down, they'd be kicking away, whereas before they were just limp most of the time. :)

She's going well Huntrox. Eating well and in good spirits. I have spoken to the vet today and I'll be taking her early next week to be Xrayed. I am really nervous about it (aleady have butterflies )and will be spoiling her even more these next few days, just incase... I got her some little mouse toys from the supermarket tonight. She hasn't seen them yet as I've not long got back but I think she will like them. I done some gentle exercises with her legs too today. It could be my imagination or wishful thinking but I am sure they're getting stronger. I just don't want to get my hopes up too high.

She's going well Huntrox. Eating well and in good spirits. I have spoken to the vet today and I'll be taking her early next week to be Xrayed. The standard charge was $122 but he is going to do it for $70 because she's a stray. I am really nervous about it (aleady have butterflies )and will be spoiling her even more these next few days, just incase...

So sorry for your loss. R.I.P. Stripe.

So sorry Hollys Mummy. R.I.P. Sascha.

I second this, brilliant stuff!! Thanks guys. I will pop over to the vet in the morning and pick up a bag. I am sure she'll love it too. She loves her grub. :)

That was one of my first thoughts T, that she'd been mauled by a dog, just because of the way she was dripping wet (and I mean drenched) and the little gash on her neck - when she was found. Either that, or I thought someone must of tried to drown her. It wasn't raining or anything and there was no other way she could of got so wet. As for keeping her, I would absolutely love to, and so would the kids but I have all the sibes here and I would always be worried that they'll attack her or worse, they're not cat friendly. For me to keep her would mean she would have to be an outdoor cat and there is no way I'd do that to her. She deserves better and deserves to live inside with her family. At the moment when she is not in the loungeroom she is in the spare room with the door locked to keep her safe. When it's time for her to come out, I just put the dogs out the back or in their crates (bar Jasmine, she's harmless) and bring her out. If she does get better and I am hopeful she does, I will have her vetted and find her her forever after home.

I was just feeding Cookie and changing her hot water bottle and I had her on her blankie infront of the heater. Anyways I picked her up and put her in the standing position holding my hand gently under her tummy to help support her weight. I got her on her all fours and moved my hand away a little to see if she'd stay and she did - for the first time ever! OMG it was beautiful to see her on her all 4's. It made me all teary eyed. And the look on her little face. It must of been heaven to stand like that after laying and sitting for so long. Then with my hand back under her tummy (supporting her weight) I tried to encourage her to walk forward. Her back legs went to move as though they were taking a step, but they just werent strong enough to do it. I am going to do the same tommorow but instead of using my hand to support her I will use a sock. I won't over do it, just a little at a time to build her strength up. I had to do the same with my old girl Gyps when she had a back injury and I had to teach her to walk again. Usually when I hold Cookie up like that, her back legs just give way and go floppy, this is the 1st time I have seen her actually standing up and staying up, even if it was for only a few seconds. It's a start.

Now you guys have me in tears. Your kind words, your well wishes and your generosity means the world to me. Thankyou so much. All of you. I will be calling the vet tommorow as I want to ask if there is a chance it could be a fractured pelvis. I hope with all my heart that that is what it is. It takes a while for them to recover (from a fract. pelvis) but at least we'll know she'll be able to walk again some day. I will also ask about getting the X-rays done, as either way, that is the only way we are going to find out for sure. Thankyou again.