Pinnie The Cat: Lucky, Unlucky Feline

Pinnie, our new medical foster cat, is one lucky cat. Well, a lucky, unlucky cat actually.

Whatever trauma caused the terrible 45 degree break in her right humorous (there is no other evidence of trauma so I almost have to believe this was a kick or something else intentional), the x-rays are pretty awful. The two parts of the humorous, in x-ray 1, are sitting side by side for several inches with a 45 degree ragged break. The second x-ray is of a pin in her leg with the bone straightened, the pin exterior (see second photo).

This cat, probably almost a year old, only weighs 4.5 lbs. Here, that weight (and general condition) will most certainly change. She was allegedly fed dry food at the shelter/vet something I find absolutely perplexing.

But the first course of action was to actually get her to eat again on her own. Force-feeing a cat with this injury is not easy, not to mention stressful for all involved.

When released to us, her first car ride was to our vet where she stayed overnight. Her pinned and stitched leg was not wrapped. Not sure why that was done, but there may have been a good reason. The pin is also external, rising from and through the stitches (you can see it in photo 2 against the white background). She is now on pain medication and antibiotics.

At the vet, she would only eat out of someone's hand (after hissing at them, with no follow-up aggressive or assertive action). Once arriving here, she would not eat. Sigh. The first day we force-fed about 200 calories... about 2/3 of what she should be eating. It was traumatic for all. Today (Thank You God!) she actually ate on her own for, apparently, the first time in several days. Though we NEVER feed Science Diet on a regular basis (read the ingredients label and you will see why), their A/D formula is often a God send, as in this case, for a cat that needs some inspiration to eat.

We have placed her in a 4'x3'x3' wire dog crate high up off the floor for a good bird's eye view of the house. Pinnie has a seven inch-thick bed which, on all sides, decreases to horizontal, with a small cat box at one end, and water at the other. We put a towel behind and beside her on the corner of the outside of the cage to give her the perception of more privacy and isolation, with a heavy blanket atop the wire cage given we KNOW our healthy and inquisitive cats will hop on there. Having a big giant cat atop you looking down at you must be real scary. We really want to avoid that. Plus the healthy cats love high places, and this is one of their favorites.

This is one extremely lucky cat. A group of people rallied to raise the money to exonerate her from cat jail, then more to get her the proper veterinary care. My job, as her foster for the next several months, will be to get this cat to eat well on a high-quality WET food, and to put on some weight beyond supporting her immune system and general health and, obviously, to take the best care of that leg while making her as comfortable as possible.

The vet is concerned that the pin may have moved, so on Monday she has to go in for another exam (perhaps more x-rays).

If you are the praying type, Please say a prayer for this wee bit of a girl that needs a big change in her life. Please say a prayer for Pinnie.