Cat been in RTA - I'm on holiday!

[Lemond1fficult]

I need to go home as soon as possible, don't I?

We're on holiday 6 hours drive from home. We have a good friend cat and house sitting, She called at 11pm to say our cat had come home dragging her leg and crying. She took her to the emergency vet, and they've said it's a broken front leg and probably a broken pelvis. They're going to make her comfortable, keep her in and run tests and X-rays in the morning.

I'm desperate to see her with my own eyes too. My dilemma is that I'm away in Cornwall with the in-laws til Thursday. I don't want to make my husband leave bc his parents are elderly and he doesn't see them as often as he'd like. He doesn't drive so I can't leave the car and get the train and I'm also scared to drive 6 hours on my own. But I can't just leave my friend to manage this can I?

Has anyone had a cat in the hospital with similar? Will they keep her in for a few days?

I would get back now and then if necessary return to where your holiday is depending on what happens other end.

Dreadful situation to be in and I would speak to your vet before you do anything. I hope she will be okay.

I would speak to the vet first as she may well be in for a couple of days. There isn't really anything you can do so no point cutting the holiday short until she's ready to come home. I hope she makes a speedy recovery.

I love my cat dearly, as I’m sure you do. In this situation I’d phone the vets and hang tight where you are and aim to stay on Holliday.

Realistically there’s nothing you can do, and if they’re in such a bad way as implied they’ll be highly medicated.

I would take the same stance with a dog or hamster btw.

Try not to panic, get some sleep & talk to the vets tomorrow.

I’d talk to the vet today, maybe they could even do a video call so you can see her. Talk over options. Is she insured, is surgery possible? You probably can manage it from a distance. Even if you were at home you’d probably only be allowed in the vets for a few minutes to see her. She’s likely to be in the vets for some time I’d have thought. We had similar once and cat was ready to come home but we had a wedding to go to which meant a weekend away and the vets kept her in longer than needed so we could go. Obviously we had to pay extra but they were happy to do that.

I don't see the problem here , the cat needs surgery she / he can't live with broken bones . Call the vet , get the surgery done then pick the cat up on your return .

Ring the vet, find out the situation and how long cat will be there. Be the point of contact.

But yes I'd come back for cats discharge and dh either get train or go back for him.

No need to go home and realistically if ypu did you would only be able to see her for short visiting hours.

Ring the vets talk through the options. Surgery is likely to be needed.

In similar circumstances my cat was operated on and in cat hospital for five days.

I would stay out while she's in hospital. Ask the vet if they could facilitate a video call so you could see her.

Ring the vets this morning and make a decision based on what they say.

You don't need to go home. You want to, but it isn't actually needed. Stay where you are, ask friend to visit/send pictures etc and focus in cat when you are back.

Our cat died in an RTA (on impact) so I'm pleased for you that she is alive and hopefully has a chance of recovery.

Agree , speak to the vet and see what treatment she needs. You being there won't help. At most you'll she able to see her for a short while and come away. While she is in there she's safe and treated.

I wouldn’t rush home - I’m sure friend and vet will have it under control and there is little you can do. Keep in touch with both and let your friend know how grateful you are to her for dealing with it all. My neighbour and I cat sit for each other and this is what we would do.
On another note, we had a cat who had the same injuries. It was a tense few days whilst the vet operated and then we had to wait to see how her recovery would go but they gave her a more than fighting chance and we bought her home for six weeks cage rest and a lot of TLC. That was six years ago and Princess Lily is still ruling the household with no problems. I hope your kitty has a similar recovery.

Good morning, finally drifted off at 4.30am. Thank you all for your generous replies to my very panicky post.

@CormorantStrikesBack she is insured to the hilt, luckily, as her previous owner intuited she might have issues, so got the most comprehensive insurance she could find. (The poor smidgin has already had major dental surgery this year).

I did speak to the vet myself last night, but I didn't have the presence of mind to ask the right questions. They've said they'll ring around 11 with a plan of action. It would be ideal if they can keep her in and sedated, as she is very active and noisy even when healthy and would not be an easy patient, even for my lovely friend.

@HalebiHabibti I'm sorry about your cat. Thank you for your good wishes.

I’d be going home, I couldn’t bear to be away personally- I’d be dreadful company.

If your DH doesn’t drive then presumably you drove there in the first place so I don’t understand what’s difficult about driving back. It’s quite far but not the end of the earth.

Hi @Lemond1fficult I’m so sorry to hear about your cat. It’s awful enough without being away from home. As others have said, you don’t need to be there in person, unless you need to physically sign for surgery/treatment.

My little cat badly broke her pelvis in January. She had surgery, a plate and several pins, and a long period of recuperation. She’s made a full recovery - a slightly stiff gait but nothing that stops her racing round like a loon and leaping up and down fences and trees. She was in hospital for 4 days in total.

Hang in there - sending you and your cat my good wishes.

Thanks again for your good wishes, everyone. It's been a nerve wracking morning. The vet called a while ago. She definitely has a severely broken pelvis, but no other internal injuries are visible, and her bloods are fine. She's going to need a proper operation to reset it, which means she'll be in the hospital til at least Weds, possibly Thursday. They're keeping her heavily sedated so I'm just going to stay put here for a couple of days, then dh and I will leave together to bring her home.

She missed 3 meals while she was away, which is completely unlike her. My theory is she was injured before breakfast, then crawled somewhere quiet to wait out the day, as she turned up on my doorstep at 11pm. Poor, clever little beast.

Ours climbed over a 5ft fence with a broken pelvis. They have a really good survival instinct.

Sorry when I initially said go home.I felt like it was my cat and reacted in panic xx

And mine.

So glad to hear she has no internal injuries @Lemond1fficult. The surgery is quite incredible (or it is to me). You may well find she’s wobbling about on all four legs by the time you collect her from the vet.

Sounds like she’s in safe hands at the vets. Your poor friend must be a bit traumatised as well.

That’s too simplistic.

to start broken bones don’t always need surgery. Mine broke its pelvis and leg - it was a relatively simply job of nursing care until it healed and could move more easily/pain management. No surgery at all. Limbs if straight breaks can be immobilised with plaster, like humans.

if it’s a complicated break “surgery” again isn’t that simple. It could be anything from a realignment, possibly with pins. It could be a complete reconstruction, and it may be a decision whether to go for a reconstruction and the hefty recovery or a more straightforward amputation.

with the pelvis if it’s a straight fracture it will probably heal on it’s own. If not they will need to determine if any nerve damage or vessel injury, which massively complicates things and could be looking at a very poor outcome.

see the problem now?

o/p I’d chat to your friend too. I’d be happy to sort vet and nursing care for a sick cat, but I have experience in the field. Your friend may be comfortable, they may not. If not then I’d be coming home sooner.