hi i worryed i did some thing to my cat

[benv12]

Hi my cats name was blackly 9 years old male. We where playing one day and he scraped me bad i slapped him on the head.He was ok after it did not run away or anything gave him food and played with him agin.A week went passed he was ok he was asleep on the bed i say hello to him and put my hand on this head he woke up crying like he got a scare or his head was hurt i stroked him on the body and he was ok with that. He did not seam right so i bring to the vet all was ok just had ear mites. Then for the next week he started to hide away from the home and other cats came back for food and sleep at night.After a week of this he came back one day not able to walk good and weakness in the the legs more on the front legs and crying at other cats i give him food and could lift him around. Mother bring him back to the vet he had blood in him ears and eyes blood on the brain they put him to sleep. Could this have being blunt head trauma/stroke/tumor? i slapped him two weeks before this could i have caused this ?Would a cat still be eating food ok after head trauma . I still have two cats i do like mys pets alot.
He was born with infection in this eyes was blind in one black stuff use to weep out . Just so sad over this.

[benv12]

Thxs for your comments . But i will allways hate my self i will not know if i did this of something out side i am so sad he is not here i miss him lots ; /       Life will not ever be the same  i wish i could have done more

[FurballsMom]

I agree that you shouldn't be afraid to play with your cats and there could be any number of reasons to have caused the trauma.  I've seen cats and dogs both get terribly injured with severe trauma, and some we just didn't know what happened to them.

One thing you can do for play, so you won't be afraid to play with the cats is to get a toy at the pet store that has a long plastic wand (or stick) that has a long cord with a fun toy at the end of it.  Most cats love these toys, because it's a lot like going after prey for them.  It's an interactive toy, so the cat will still realize that you are at the other end of the toy and playing with the cat.  But, you won't be so close that the cat can accidentally scratch you.  It also keeps your hands away from the business end of the cat.  They can sometimes get so stimulated from the play that they would unintentionally treat your hand like play.  My girl loves hers.

Also, learn and teach your cat words like "gentle" or "easy".  Have your voice and your actions match these words.  When play does get too rough, simply stop moving and gently, but firmly say "no" when you have to.  When you stop moving, the "prey" has died, so there is no need to "kill" it any longer.  The other thing that this does is stop you in your tracks and makes you conscious of your own behavior.  This should actually give you the tools you need to be unafraid to play with your remaining cats.

Keep loving and caring for your two remaining cats.  You can help them with their own grief of losing their house mate by engaging them in their normal routine.  This means that they still need you to play with them.  Remember, our pets grieve, too.  They need to know that everything is alright in their world.  If you change your behavior too drastically with them, they will sense it.  They will sense your apprehension, too.  Helping your other cats will help you a lot in dealing with your own grief, too.

[opus88]

you didn't mention that he was an outside cat too...so I do agree there could be other causes to his brain trauma, Do not be afraid to play with your cats...just do so gently, never slap or hit a small animal..
look after them well and they will love you deeply for it. I am sorry for your loss.

[benv12]

I do like my pets i had pets all my life . my cat did not run away or act scared i played with him after eat food and looked ok . He was allways fighting with my big tom cat falling of roofs and stuff . The vet say he was ok this was a week after i slapped him . It was few days later he not act right so week passed and he not seam right so back to the vet . Vet say the cat was ok last visit . She say it could have got hit by a cat or falls or /tumor. I like the cat allot i do feel bad slapping him i wish i did not now i still have the other two cats i take care of them but i willl not play with them anymore feel so bad over this

[opus88]

yes ben the hit on the head you gave your kitty did indeed give him brain trauma....you are much larger in proportion to these tiny animals and any slap/hit can cause them great injury. You cannot hit an animal for ANY reason and I'm concerned for the other kitties in your home, do you have an issue with anger? if so this needs to be treated by a doctor, a small scratch from a cat is part of how they play and interact with us, and in NO way is it acceptable to hit at or punish an animal in ANY form.