need urgent help on head trauma kitten post vet

[batmanthecat]

Hi all, I have a small kitten ( between 2 and 3 months) that sustained a very serious head trauma. I took Lola to the vet as soon as the accident happened. they kept her overnight with some oxygen mask and took care of the shock part, thats what they said. Now her left eye is not responding and the vet said that she has permanent brain damage. they let me take back my kitten but i need to know what i need to do to put all of the chances on my side so Lola can live. I can post pictures of her if anybody here can give me some concrete help. Again i am in malaysia and they don't seem to be that advanced when it comes to cat surgery. the vet did an x ray and nothing is broken. I have her blood analysis report with me if anybody needs it. she always flips on the blind side meaning, the blind eye faces up while the working one the floor side. she tries to pull herself and all her legs are just walking in the air ( the vet said that she walks in circles but i didn't see it). Any advice please on how to take care of her. I have some special food that i bought from the vet its "prescription diet" A/D by Hill's  he told me to feed her half a soup spoon of food. I try to keep her head elevated from her body at all times. What can I do more to make her recovery successful?
ps: i already took her to the vet and there is nothing they can do more here in malaysia. so help please its very hard to look at this kitten suffering when i think that if i was in the states they would probably give her a much much better treatment. Thanks to you all in advance for your help

[opus88]

I'm s sorry I didn't find your post sooner, I don't know if you've made that final decision yet or not...all I can say is whatever you decided you've done so out of love and concern for your kitty and you can do no more..
there have been many favorable outcomes after head injuries...but its all a waiting game of one day at a time, it takes patience...to see what the quality of life will hold, some have made full recoveries in time while others suffer some deficits and so much depends on whether kitty can still function/eat/pee..pooh and everything on its own afterwards...most can again given time.., but with all head injuries nothing is black and white, seizures too can be treated., but you as a pet parent has to weigh all the pros and cons of this heartbreaking decision......
I send my prayers and ((hugs)) for you and your dear little kitty tonight. ♥

[opus88]

we welcome you and little Megan to our cat community, we are all pulling for her for a full recovery, as you've read this is possible given patience and time.
Please keep us updated on her journey....and many (((hugs))) from us all >^..^<

[Lescro]

I'm having to make the 'big' heart-breaking decision today whether or not to put my kitten down because she has had a head injury.  The vet was hopeful about a recovery yesterday afternoon but this morning was all 'gloom and doom' even though she's not any worse.  I guess she's not any better either though and she's have what the vet called 'mini' seizures.  When I saw her yesterday, she was sedated and her seizures were nothing more than her little feet kind of twitching (paddling) in the air like normal cats and dogs often do in their sleep.  Yesterday was the day of the injury and I just feel maybe we should give her a little more time before giving up completely.  What to do?

[Megan118]

Hi my kitten (Megan) just had the same thing happen to her (Head trauma) she was in a semi coma, paralysed, lost her eating reflex and lost her sight. I thought she was dead and of course, like the other guys mentioned I thought of putting her to sleep all though I really didn't want to.

She got immediate attention and was in an oxygen chamber for two days, she got treatment to reduce the fluids in her head and she is also on A/D cat food.

Initially she was walking in circles but now she is walking fine and trying to climb on everything. She sleeps a lot which I think is good as this is when the body does it's best recovery. Soon we hope she will be back on solid food and regain her eye sight, the thing is her eyes work fine but the part of the brain which sees needs to recover. I'm sure when the bruising goes down, she will see again.

It is amazing how much she fought for her life, she is my hero and I love her more then ever.

i hope your cat makes a full recovery, all we can do is give them is time, attention and love. We have to let nature do the rest!

[batmanthecat]

well she does poopoo now and she even covers the other cats too!!( he just keeps on rubbing the edge but hey why not??) she is doing good runs jumps plays a bit her vision is a little off but she is doing better everyday its amazing . thank you all for your advices and support.

[PfizerFighter]

Wow. Lola is so lucky to have you. I honestly believe that you can tell a person's character by how they treat their pets. This is amazing, not the injury, but your dedication and commitment to helping her recover. I wish I knew more about this, but I don't. Sadly, I agree with the above post regarding putting her to sleep. If she is not getting any better (i.e., eating, using the litter box) this is something you need to consider. She will suffer no more, and you can take heart that you will have her as a little angel. I am so sad for you, and your Lola. I sure hope she makes a recovery to where she can grow with you. If anything, she is only trying to live, just like us. I know it's different, we are not cats, but still. It is a life. Have you ever seen milk specially made for kittens? It is made so they get certain nutrients and so forth that they need. They come in purple juice-box looking containers. Maybe you can buy one and try feeding it to Lola?

My heart goes out to that brave little Lola. She wants to live, and she is making that known.

[zodiacqueen]

I'm sorry, but I wouldn't consider Lola recovering unless she starts eating and using the litter box again.  And, no, this is not normal for a cat!

[batmanthecat]

first thank you guys so much for your replies. Lola is doing a lot better, she is not eating recovered partial use of her once blind eye. She is a real fighter its amazing to see how this small kitten fights to leave I will post pictures of her so you can see her recovery...
ps she is still not doing any poopoo is that normal?

[zodiacqueen]

Marissposa gave some great advice when she recommended steroids.  That's exactly the treatment a vet in the US would give!!  To be honest, there really is not any other treatment that could possibly be given other than the steroid.  A head injury, as frustrating as it is, has to heal on its own  It's a wait and see thing, I'm sorry to say.  Although it's possible that the steroids WILL decrease the swelling of the brain, the question is---will it be enough to make a difference?  With your kitten, it sounds like a very serious head injury.  It might be too severe to heal normally.  You have to keep in mind, that your kitten has a strong possibility of developing seizures.  She might get to the point where the seizures happen daily.  Seizures, when they occur, also causes added brain damage with each one that they have.  

If your kitten doesn't improve enough after the steroid treatment and develops seizures, you have to ask yourself if your kitten is happy and if she has a good quality of life.  Will she be able to enjoy life in the condition she's in?  If you don't think it's possible, then you should seriously consider putting her to sleep.  I'm sorry, I do realize that that is not something you want to hear.  That's how I think of my cats when I think of doing the right thing-I think of the quality of life.

Good luck!

[batmanthecat]

Hi I called and him and he said that since it was a kitten it had to be an injection and he gave it to her. Thank you for telling me , much appreciated.
Yea i hope so too thanks.

[marissposa]

When my cat had a head injury (a concussion, not nearly as serious as this sounds)  the vet gave me an anti-inflammatory to bring down the swelling in the brain and painkillers so she could rest easier allowing her to heal faster and better. I am surprised to hear your vet didn't do the same.  It may be worth asking your vet about it.  
Hopefully someone with more experience than me notices your post soon.