How well did your cat recover after being hit by a car?

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Our much loved cat has been hit by a car and was found by our back gate this morning having managed to drag himself home. We went to the emergency vet and they've x-rayed and done all sorts of tests. He has a broken pelvis, possibly a broken leg and tendons and they are still investigating whether he may have more internal injuries.

They've said he may need pins and plates and possibly to be in a cage for 8 weeks or more and may still not properly recover. I'm so worried and sad for him, he's such a trusting lovely boy. I want him better, but he's a roamer and I'm worried about him managing in a cage and the idea of not being able to properly go out and about again would make him miserable I think.

We all love him to bits and are feeling quite shaken by this.

Has anyone had similar happen and how has your cat recovered?

Little bump in the hope thay someone may be able to give me some hope.

Not hit by a car but a relatives cat pulled a heavy item on top of them - it was so long ago I can’t remember the exact injuries but I remember him being in a cage, he did recover.

Hope your cat recovers.

Thank you, he's a pretty hardy thing generally but obviously when up against a car it doesn't count for much.

How old is he? This would influence my decision on what to do I think

So sorry for you all

Thank you, he's just about to turn 2 so pretty young.

had a cat who was sadly hit by a car many years ago. We paid about £400 to have an operation on her leg.
It was only after the operation that the vet told us he’d never done that type of operation before. I wish I could remember more details but it was her tendon. She was young and fit and she made a very good recovery. You’d never have known. She lived until she was about 14.

So my 15 Yr old cat was hit by a car when he was a young cat. We didn't own him them, we got him from a rescue, so I don't know all the details. He had an operation and he is a bit wonky in the back but is otherwise very well and has lived for about 10 years since the accident and going strong !

No advice but wishing your cat a good recovery OP x

Our cat was hit by a car, broken leg and pelvis and needed pins in. He had about 6 weeks in a cage, and 10 years later is still going strong with a slightly wonky walk.
it was very expensive and we were pleased to have insurance!

As he is young, and if you can afford it, I'd give it a go. However if by saying "may still not properly recover " they mean he might well need an amputation should the op not work, I'd consider going straight to having the leg off. Cats recover pretty quickly from amputations in comparison to reconstructions, which have a much higher risk of infections and failure. Cats do very well on 3 legs, especially if young when it happens. Also some vets tend to go for unnecessary surgery in my view. Friends of mine have TempCat's littermate sibling, who was in this situation last year and she was leaping up on the sofa within a few weeks and is now very happy as a tripod.

Re the cage, yes it would be a bit frustrating and boring for him but you can compensate for that with toys, catnip and cuddles.. The drugs help too, he'll be pretty sedated on pain meds for quite a while. TempCat was an outdoor boy for 2.5 years, living in a rural idyll far from roads playing in paddocks and barns, and now he's with me in a 2 bed 2nd floor flat. I was so worried he'd hate it but he's taken to it remarkably well. (I do have to play LOTS of games and have loads of toys for him though!). They can adapt.

Thank you, that's lovely to hear.

That's reassuring, thank you.

That's really kind, thank you.

A few years ago, one of our cats was hit by a car and somehow managed to jump a 6ft wall with half his jaw hanging off. My mum found him in the garden before the school run and took him to the vet straight away. He had to have his jaw pinned back together and lost most of his teeth but he made a full recovery and lived until he was 14 bless him.

Thank you, poor thing, I'm hoping he'll be similar.

Thank you for all your advice, that's really kind.

My beloved cat was in in RTA at about 20 months old, we got her on her 2nd birthday she lived a long and good life. I don’t know how bad her injuries were but she too has dragged herself home.

One thing our vet said was that cats heal well
He said when he was training his tutor said you could put two halves of a cat in different ends of the same room and they’d repair themselves!
Probably explains why he was quite hung ho about surgery on our cat!

It seems like cats are quite hardy in some ways, thank you for sharing.

If your cat survives, he will adapt to being an indoor cat. You will do what countless cat owners in places where the culture is different do and provide enrichment to keep your cat happy and fit.

Thanks, I'm glad yours was okay.

Thank you, hopefully ours will be similar.

I hope so as long as we get that far. It will be hard as he and his brother love exploring the forest together so he may feel a bit grumpy about it.

Yeah I’ve had this twice.

different cats. I now keep a record of most expensive cat I have owned largely due to them.

cat 1 was run over and dragged herself home back legs not working. Needed two ops to put her pelvis back together (it was shattered). Vet warned she might not walk again. We had her on cage rest for a couple of weeks and then let her out into a room and then the house. She’s still alive ten years on and over about a year her walking went from pretty shit to fine. You’d never know she got run over except her full on run is a bit wiggly. She still hunts a load of stuff (successfully).

cat 2 had a broken arm. It was a spiral fracture. She went to the local vet hospital as the vet wasn’t happy doing the op. Surgeon said twelve weeks cage rest but she didn’t agree and ran out of the house and over the fence as soon as she got home (think she must have been on serious drugs!!). Kept her in the house for a few weeks and then she got arsey about going out so we let her.

you can’t tell. She doesn’t like having that arm groomed so we do it carefully and gently but otherwise no effects other than hating the vets.

she weed on him last time she went.

Mine somehow managed to get his tail stretched(leg broken too) so that had to be amputated. He'd gone to hide in the school gardens over the road and other cat brought him home. Recovered well(though my bank account didnt)