Huntercat has been hit by a car

[Lovethesea]

Our gorgeous 2 year old rescue tabby is at the vets on a drip awaiting xrays for what looks like a horribly broken front leg.

Awful thing is he must've been hit on Saturday evening, he slept on my bed all Saturday night as normal, I didn't see him leave but later he was snoozing on the kids bed all Sunday as he sometimes does - I stroked him and noticed a tiny cut on his ear, so I stroked him all over and didn't find any more cuts. I brushed him and washed his cut and he just lay there calmly as normal.

Only clue I should have spotted was the mud on his coat, he is normally totally clean. I just thought he had had a run in with a feisty rat or a scratch from the hedgerow.

Only when he got down from the bed yesterday evening did I see his poor leg, no signs outwardly just holding it up at a horrible angle. He is far too stoical for his own good.

He did a wee in the litter tray when I carried him down but didn't eat or drink. Spoke to the emergency vet last night who said since it had been a day to take him in this morning. He slept last night on the sofa tucked under blankets, ate a couple of mouthfuls of tuna at 7pm but nothing after. Didn't offer him anything after 10pm in case of anaesthetic this morning.

Vet confirmed she could see a couple of scuff marks on his claws so a car hit for sure. He didn't make a sound in the vets but he is conscious and alert as normal. So sad and guilty I didn't realise what had happened

He was acting as normal, as he does after a big hunting few days - we've had rats and rabbits galore this week so I thought he was catching up on some sleep.

I was ok until I had to leave him then I fought tears unsuccessfully.

[cozietoesie]

Poor huntercat. They'll often show no signs, for quite some time, of really quite brutal problems so you weren't to know.

Has the vet given you a prognosis ? (If he has to lose that leg, they generally do really well as a tripod - although he might become more of a homeboy.)

Let us know how he gets on.

[Sunnywithshowers]

Poor kitty, I hope he gets well soon.

Our lovely ginger tom had a limp and we took him to the vets - he'd fractured his leg several times because of a type of cancer and we'd not noticed. They're brilliant at hiding symptoms.

[NorthernLurker]

Poor huntercat . That sounds promising though - that he could wee and eat and is alert. Hopefully the vet can pin his leg back together and you'll have him at home again soon. Have you got vet insurance?

[NinaHeart]

Get well vibes for Huntercat. What a brave (or foolish?) boy. Hope he is doing well.

[Cailleach]

Don't feel too bad... I took my previous cat to the vets once because he was coughing slightly.

"Coughing slightly" in this case meant double pneumonia and a collapsed lung.

I was appalled that I'd not realised just how ill he was, but the vet told me that one of the big problems people have with sick cats is that they're WAY too stoic and don't show much sign of being in distress.

Hope he recovers quickly (two days at the vets on IV antibiotics and mine was running riot, as per.)

[lurkedtoolong]

Hope Huntercat gets well soon. Silly boy being so stoical about it...

[QueenStromba]

I hope he's ok. Please do keep us updated about how he's getting on. As others have said, cats are great at pretending they're fine so try not to feel too guilty about it. They're also great at getting around on three legs if the worst comes to the worst.

[Lovethesea]

Hey all, thanks for reminding me cats are good at pretending they are well.

Vet did xrays and then referred us to an orthopedic bone specialist at another vets an hour away. They are going to operate tomorrow and try and pin the bones back together with an external frame. Then he needs 8 weeks crate rest and we all cross our fingers that the nerve isn't too damaged to recover use of the leg.

Poor wee love is being as lovely and stoic as always, cuddling me in the vets and not murmuring while they prodded his dodgy leg. No other damage has been found so looks like it's 'just' the one front leg that's got wrecked.

So hope to get a frankenstein cat back at the end of the week!

We are with petplan or this whole op would not be happening, they are thinking around £3,000 to fix these bones and the first vet charged £364 just for a look and an xray!

[EatenByZombies]

Flipping hell that's expensive!

[Lovethesea]

I know!!

Have bought sheets of wire and cable ties and am off to construct a cat cage for his bed rest. All the ones I found were nearly £100 and designed for a dog, ie tall but not big at the base for a litter tray to fit in too!

Op went well (kerr ching in the coffers for the bone man) and he may be allowed home tomorrow!

Mad wee feisty tortie rescue is looking out the cat flap for him all the time.

[QueenStromba]

I glad to hear the op went well and he might be coming home tomorrow - do they think he'll make a full recovery?

[Lovethesea]

Unknown, it'll take 8 weeks to heal and then we can see if he can use the leg fully or if the nerve is damaged.

Could have some paralysis etc but they said there is no way of knowing until it heals as he isn't putting weight on it as it is so badly broken.

Feel so sad for him, he loves his wanderings and jumping. Just want to tuck him up in bed and cuddle him but have to imprison him instead!

[cozietoesie]

Special treats are the order of the day, I think? Does he appear to be able to use his tray OK? (If you've been able to judge.)

[Lovethesea]

He used it once before I got him to the vets so I know the bladder was okish at least - no blood I could see.

He's still at the vets overnight so I presume they would spot any major tray issues, but I hope his normal cleanliness and some proper pain relief will help him manage the tray ok.

Plan to stock up on all known treats so expecting to let a fat cat out in 8 weeks. Hope we can get him home tomorrow. So worried he thinks he's lost again and back in the rescue.