Cage rest

[Cattery]

So my lovely boy has torn his cruciate ligament in his left knee. Vet has told us to keep him in a cage for six weeks then she’ll review. I’ve got a cage on order and it’ll be here today. Has anyone any experience of keeping cats as least mobile as possible?

@iloveeverykindofcat That’s brilliant to hear! So glad she recovered fully. It’s all such a worry. We’ll get him out later to sit on the sofa. Being cautious in case he makes a run for it but he can’t really get far at the moment with his injury. Thanks for sharing your positive stories x

@Cattery thank you, she had an amazing surgeon. Really unassuming guy but I nosily Googled him and it turned out he had this whole backstory of graduating with the highest score in Zimbabwe or something, coming to the UK and ending up as head of the Blue Cross for a while, which is probably why he kept the final bill just about within her insurance limit. Here's the culprit: very very pretty and very sweet, but not the smartest of cats.

Aaah beautiful 🥰 I was thinking of asking for a discount because Arthur is a frequent visitor at the vets.Weird toe: sorted. Bald patches: sorted. The cyst on the head: sorted. Now this torn ligament, no doubt from acting the fool outside somewhere. Just been to check on him and he’s chatting away. I said don’t worry, you’re going out tomorrow. Little does he know it’s back to see the vet. 🐈‍⬛

Mine's the opposite, absolutely robustly healthy, never saw the vet one year to the next until she managed to completely break her ankle into two pieces! Her dear departed sister made up for it though, she had one thing after another. My new little lady seems pretty sound - she has allergies, but as long as she stays on her proper diet she's fine. I hope Arthur does well, keep us updated! His cage looks very similar to the one I used, also a dog crate. Maybe a lick mat and some interesting new treats? I was very sceptical of the YouTube videos for cats but Zara did actually seem to watch the bird ones. I think they're upset to start, then after a few days they sort of accept their confinement, particularly if they stop the strong medications and realize they're injured. With the surgery Zara had done - pancarpal arthodesis - the problem is they feel like the limb is healed before it really is, because the plate is holding the bones in the correct position.

Thanks so much for the tips. Just had him on the sofa for a while before dinner. I like the idea of the YouTube videos. He will be on his own for an evening soon so obviously we’d like him to have some background noise. He’s still limping but not even a week on cage rest yet. We were concerned he hadn’t done a poo so I called the vet on Friday. She said she wasn’t concerned and to give it until Monday. Luckily the bowels opened during the Strictly results show on Sunday night. 🤣

Our Siamese has had his hip pinned and plated today after fracturing it - so as soon as he can come home, he’s in a crate for a few weeks - he is absolutely not going to be impressed. Dreading it to be honest!

@Cattery glad yours is doing ok so far

I’m just not sure what to expect - should we be able to leave him for a few hours on his own or is he going to need a lot of watching I wonder.

We took him for a check up with the vet yesterday. She said the wound on his head from the cyst removal is healing beautifully so only a few more days in the cone. You can see the fur growing back already. That was the good news. The not so good news is that cage rest is unlikely to heal the particular injury he has so he’s booked in for a Co lateral ligament repair next Tuesday. Praying this works and that after his recovery he can be up and about again. The vet usually does these repairs on dogs but she’s confident she can save Arthur’s leg. Honestly, the worry is off the scale x

@Monstermunchy Hi. He’ll be woozy from his op so that’s good. You could ask the vet for Gabapentin. It’s a painkiller but also calms the cats. So sad to have to cage them and so frustrating for them. Hope he recovers well x

Ok thanks - I’ll make a note of that
Sorry to hear your cat has more to come 😢

Sorry to hear that. Zara's injury was more common in dogs too, but the vet told me that when it comes to mechanics/limbs there isn't much difference between operating on a small dog and on a cat. @Monstermunchy with a hip fracture and pin, they might well give a few days of morphine (I'd be tempted to ask if they didn't). Its quite safe appropriately dosed for 3-4 days and certainly helps them settle into the enforced rest. Zara had 3 days worth adminstered 3x daily as a liquid and it definitely kept her calmed and settled - in retrospect I think she was a bit stoned, but it does no harm in the very short term.

Bless her! Our vet certainly gave him something strong on Wed before we were referred to the hospital - I've never seen him so laid back 😅
and thanks I’ll ask when they ring today - I just think he’s going to be so anti the cage - we need all the help we can get to settle him

My vet also reassured me that although more common in dogs, the recovery for cats is typically better as they are lighter. I guess that means less weight through the joint.

Lots of reasons to be optimistic OP. The ginger one has made a really good recovery.

Here he is on patrol in the garden!

Thanks everyone. Yes, apparently this vet has so far only performed this procedure on dogs. The vet we saw on Tuesday said there is a 98% chance of a full recovery so I’m clinging on to that. He’s really fed up in the cage this morning. He looks like a broken man (which I suppose he is). He so loves being outside sniffing in the morning air so I’ve opened the patio doors for him and yes, he’s doing the sniffing but it’s not the same for him. I’ve told him to hang in there x

@JenaWren Beautiful cat enjoying the garden x

Thanks for the advice the other day. We have him home, he’s doing well but is very wobbly on his feet and extremely tired - even though he’s just on metacam now - we’ve draped a blanket over half of the crate and put his favourite fleecy blanket in his bed so for now there are no arguments about him being in there. We’ve had him on the sofa for supervised cuddles but tbh he just wanted to go back to bed!

How’s he doing @Cattery ?
Finlay was in a cage for weeks last winter after broken pelvis and fractured spine
We had to go down to a smaller cage as in the bigger one he was still trying acrobatics
Plenty of toys, puzzles and food related activities kept him going
We set up an iPad with cat tv and let him out for lap time when we could

He’s doing ok thanks @JaceLancs Was out on the sofa most of the day yesterday under strict supervision. Oh no poor Finlay. Did he make a full recovery? Sounds nasty. Arthur is under the knife tomorrow to repair the ruptured ligament. He has to be at the vet hospital for 7.30am as he’s first on the list I believe. DH will take him as I know i’ll feel all faint and queasy. Silly I know. I need to get a grip. He’ll stay in over night. Praying it all goes as planned 🙏🏻

The vet has opened him up to have a look. Three ruptured ligaments. She can fix (she’s determined to save his leg) but he will need to be fitted with a cage on the outside of the leg which they will have to order in so the procedure is postponed until next week. Poor Arthur. One step forward and two steps back (so to speak) 🐈‍⬛ x

Oh poor Arthur - at least the vet has a plan of action though. Do you know how he's done the damage?

So far ours is ok in his crate - we've got 2 on loan from friends, so his 'bedroom' is in our spare room and his 'daytime pad' is with me while I work - such luxury 😅

Hi @Monstermunchy No we don’t know what happened I’m afraid. Clipped by a car? Hate the thought of that. Your puss sounds like he’s got plenty of company for his recovery. It’s so hard isn’t it. Feel so sad for them. Vet hospital just rang. They can do the procedure this Friday…gulp.

@Cattery He made a very good recovery thank you - he was only 5 months old at the time - needed lots of rest then physio and hydrotherapy - he still scoops back leg slightly but is jumping on and off roofs again
first crate was far too big - we also found he liked it covered to keep drafts out

@JaceLancs So pleased for Finlay. Poor mite, so young. Hoping Arthur makes a good recovery too x

So sorry to hear that the op is more complicated but good news that the vet has a plan.

The little furry buggers have a way of stealing your heart don’t they. Hope you’re doing ok OP - I found it more stressful than the ginger one I think.

@JenaWren So stressful. I just want him to have his life back. My dh has just told me the vet said “I want him jumping fences again” so she definitely thinks she can repair the leg. Pleeeese let it all go ok tomoz x

Quick update. The op went well. He stayed two nights for observation. Vet hospital said he didn’t want to eat because he was stressed. Dh collected him at 11am today. He was thrashing about in the pet carrier once we got him through the front door. Omg he was ravenous! He even ate his Dreamies out of my hand!!! I think he thought we’d abandoned him. He’s relaxing in his cage on blankets now. One day at a time x