My cat has been hit by a car and in the emegency vets overnight

[Toocold]

I am so sad, my poor cat went out from 4pm-8pm, I tried to get her in way before then due to fireworks and no luck, went to pick up dh, and dc's from swimming and found her howling on the door step, took her straight to the emergency vet, she has a fractured jaw, is missing teeth and possibly brain swelling, I am so upset, she has a cat flap and we try and keep her in at night, the one time she didn't come back and this happens, we live in a quiet village. A neighbouring garden had fireworks when she was out, I am guessing she ran in front of a car scared trying to get home. The vet will ring in the night in need be, but at 7am otherwise. I am not sure why I am posting, feel I need others like me will understand how awful it is.

I have just had a call from the day vet, taken over from the night vet. Jaw broken, depending on how bad they might have to refer her elsewhere, likely she will be in for the weekend. Thank goodness we have insurance (I am assuming that will be ok to claim on!) her eye is still bulging so they are concerned about that. She will be devastated if she can't eat her beloved dreamies. It is the bottom middle teeth that have come out.

Are they to x-ray her this morning?

(Bottom middle teeth missing sounds bearable - Seniorboy hasn't had those for donkey' years.)

Yes, Xraying this morning. I just want to bring her home to cuddle.

Of course you do. Good luck to her with the x-ray. That eye would concern me as well.

I fed him on a special cat food from the vet, toocold. Very smooth and sloppy, like a wet pate if that makes sense. Because he was so under the weather he didn't eat much. I had to put it on my fingers and let him lick it off. He was only eating about one tin a day and it was a very small tin, but it kept him going. He could only eat a tiny amount at a time. He was also on medication, which I had to stir into his food. He's usually a nightmare with things like worming pills and flea drops, but he took the vet's medicine without too much fuss. If I recall, it was antibiotics and anti-inflammatories, but it was a few years ago now, so I can't exactly remember.

How is TooColdKitten doing today?

This reminds me of a time I saw a cat at the side of the road. No sign of injury so I am hoping he/she died instantly with no pain or knowledge. I felt such an idiot ringing the vet to report the death but maybe it was the right thing to do so the owners would know what had happened and not be forever wondering. Why someone didn't stop though .

Spoke to vet, Jessie has had her Xray and has a fractured jaw, he has sutured it (stitched?) and hoping it will hold, she needs to eat before she is allowed home, hopefully Monday, if not tube fed for a bit. She is a fussy thing so I am hoping she will give in and eat. Her eye, they think is just soft tissue damage and will go down, worst case scenario she might lose it at a later date. No other fractures thankfully. I like to think they had a big car and didn't realise they had hit her, I have no idea why you wouldn't stop. I am still so pleased she found her way home. Not knowing has to be awful.

That's better news so I hope they'll manage to get some food into her.

Some people, sadly, wouldn't stop - but it sounds as if she was struck a glancing blow and if, say, a big 4x4 hit a cat in passing, it's entirely possible that they wouldn't have felt it. Particularly on a country-ish road which might not be as even a ride as a motorway for example.

Good luck to her and keep us posted.

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That sounds positive OP, sounds like she might be able to come home soon :)
I understand you not wanting to think they knew they'd hit her and driven away...that doesn't bear thinking about!
I hope your cat recovers quickly :)

Huge sympathy to you and toocoldkitten - we're going through something similar at the moment as Dcat was hit by a car six weeks ago and needed major surgery

I've been amazed at how quickly he's recovering - multiple pelvic fractures but he was walking just a week later

The news from the vet sounds positive so I hope she continues to get better

Thanks all, she was on methadone (or cat equivalent, they called it that) every four hours and said she was making a bit of a racket just before the four hours were up, I expect she is in pain but I think she is probably also scared being somewhere else, except when she was a tiny kitten, this is the only home she has ever known. Poor thing.

Basildon, I am sorry to hear about your cat and I am glad to hear the outcome, they are strong little things.

I found a cat a few weeks ago flattened and left on the road, it was right next to some houses, poor thing wouldn't have stood a chance on the road it was on, I really felt for the owners and I am massively grateful that toocoldkitten is still with us. The vet said no news is good news and I guess with each passing day she is getting better. I am practically sitting on my hands trying not to call them constantly as it is the emergency vets this weekend and they do have other emergencies to deal with.

If they said 'methadone' it probably was - it's used for short term pain control in cats. Poor girl. Pain is so tiring and frightening and she'll likely know when she's due a new dose. (Cats seem to have the best body clock of any animal.)

Did they say when to phone them - or are they to phone you with an update at some time?

Sorry, hectic day. I called them this afternoon as I was worried, she is stable, has had a wee but hasn't yet eaten. I will call in the morning, unless they call first. It is horrid, its not like you can visit like you can a hospital. I guess each day she'll get stronger.

Cozie, yes they do have a good body clock, certainly know teatime!

We visited our cat when he was at the emergency vet - they said they liked owners to come in as it helped the patients feel better. Our cat ate for us even though he'd been turning up his nose at the food the nurses had been trying him on

I'd ask if you can go and visit

I too have visited my cat when he was at the emergency vets for a few days. They didn't mind at all. I certainly felt better for seeing him and he ate some treats when I was there. I'm glad your cat is showing signs of improvement - I know how worrying it is.

She is still there, poor thing. She still hasn't eaten, they have had to wire her jaw again, and she is now being tube fed, I really thought she'd be on the mend by now. They said she could possibly come home tomorrow and the nurse will show me how to tube feed and then go back later in the week to have the tube removed, providing she eats for me, but I am unsure what they will do due to the pain relief. I will ask if I can visit if she doesn't come home tomorrow. Our pet insurance is the only one that the vet won't take a payment from, due to their reluctance to pay out, they are trying to claw it back for us though. I still can't believe this has happened, poor little thing.

Too cold, my previous cat had exactly the same accident about 12 years ago. He spent about a week at the vets but pulled his feeding tube out on the Friday afternoon so was released for the weekend to see if we could get him to eat. His first meal was a little bit of mashed tuna with water. He also had the bulging eye but our vet sewed his third eyelid across to protect it and unstitched it when the swelling had settled so we managed to save it. I hope your little cat is a fighter x

In my experience they are MUCH more likely to eat at home. Sometimes they like to be hand fed like babies - try tiny wee morsels of tuna or chicken, or whatever her favourite is.

If she still won't eat, you might have to force her a bit, but I feel like sometimes, if they've been refusing to eat, they sort of 'forget' about food, and if you can get some food into them it kickstarts the appetite again. So if she's not going for hand feeding, check with the vet that this is ok but then maybe get a syringe from the chemists, and something pate-ish and nutrient-rich. Royal Canin do a 'recovery' food you can get from the vets. Normally I don't love Canin stuff but it's a good squishy consistency and made for sick cats so can't be too bad! Mix it with a bit of water until it's even pastier and get it into the syringe, then gently into her mouth - I'm guessing her jaw will be painful but hopefully it can be done without too much trauma. Just do tiny bits, but often, and hopefully it'll get her keen to eat by herself again.

If she's anything like mine, then after the syringe feeding, she'll refuse to touch whatever was in the syringe ever again, so maybe make sure it's not something you want to feed her on forever!

I don't know about pain relief, I imagine she's not up to tablets? Does it come in injection form? Our vet taught me to give cat injections, which was tricky at first but got easier quite quickly so maybe that's an option for you.

Toocoldkitten is home! she came home this afternoon, but is an outpatient, she has a tube and we have to feed her through that and the medication goes through that with food crushed. It was an experience doing that this evening, dh held her and I fed, she gave him the filthiest look!, no more food this evening, hopefully just a really good sleep and a bit more of an appetite tom.I will give hand feeding a go, oddly she likes cheese and marmite. We have to go back for a check up tomorrow and all being well the tube will be removed at the end of the week.

Thank you all for your cat tales (no tail pun intended!) it has made me feel a lot better.

Ohhh and her eye is fine!, just some drops to keep them lubricated.

You've made an old lady very happy, Toocold.

I read your posts with a pain in my heart I can't even begin to describe. I lost a young cat to the road and a selfish driver quite recently and it hurts so, so much to see someone else fear the same.

I'm delighted beyond words that Toocoldkitten is home and recovering. Please give her a cuddle from me and all the hoobycats. xxx

She must be thankful to be home too.

Ahhh Hooby, I am so very sorry to hear that xxx If Toocoldkitten talks to me again I will give her a cuddle from you, she is currently asleep in a corner of the living room facing the wall, I want her to decide to become a housecat but I suspect she won't.

I truly am sorry Hooby, they hold a pawprint on your heart don't they.