Caring for a foster kitten with a broken pelvis: holding & cleaning?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Manual bladder expression typically does not hurt if done properly. If you search on youtube, there are some useful videos that veterinary clinics publish on how to manually express bladders. As long as there was no irreversible damage done to the nerves of the bladder, he will likely be able to urinate on his own again in the future once everything heals. At 5 weeks old, he is young so healing will be fast. I usually say about 4-6 weeks for healing time for a bone fracture in a young animal. Pelvic fractures that are unstable in a young animal may take longer. You have to remember that there is nothing stabilizing the fractures so any motion of the fractured bones will delay healing. Healing may take longer but that is a rough estimate. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

I'm so glad Allie can pee now and can be discharged tomorrow! He will need to rest to heal his broken pelvis. This means confinement to a crate or a small room to limit his movement at all times. No going outside, no playing, no running, no jumping. Make sure the crate is big enough for a bed, litter box, food, and water. He will need to be on strict cage rest for at least six weeks. Not following this could damage his pelvic healing and potentially cause problems with his bladder again. I hope this helps.

You can keep him clean and comfortable and see if the control of his rear legs will return. He may be permanently paralyzed though. I like to support these animals, putting something underneath their stomach if needed, to get them standing with their rear legs underneath in a normal position. If he gets stronger when you have him standing he may improve. Usually they will start to move their legs in a few weeks if they are going to improve. If he remains paralyzed you can purchase or make a cart or wheelchair for him so he can walk around on his own. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for this kitten.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. My guess would be pain. Any little tweak or trying to move too fast could be exruciating. I'm sure it goes without saying but a fractured pelvis is extremely painful and he should be on probably at least two pain medications given 2-3 times daily. If he is on less than that, talk to your vet about adding something on. (Even if he is on two, ask if another might be indicated.) Best wishes to you and the little guy.

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Keeping a small kitten quiet can be a challenge especially if healing is to take place, certainly. You may want to ask your veterinarian about whether the use of a sedative may be useful in this situation to help keep him relaxed and calm. A drug such as Gabapenitn may be useful as it can be used as a sedative in cats and also provides pain relief. This medication can be prescribed by your veterinarian. I hope this helps!

Since he's so young the leg may heal fine on its own. As long as he's eating let him rest and give him a day or two to get better. If he stops eating or the shaking and tremors worsen please take him in for an exam. There is no safe. human pain medication for cats or kittens. Hopefully he'll improve. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Mystery.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. There is definitely a possibility of congenital defect. He could be the runt of the litter, he could have dwarfism, or he could just have an abnormal skeleton. The runt of the litter or a "depressed", poor doing kitten often has an underlying reason for being that way. Is there a liver shunt? Heart defect? Brain abnormality? If you want to know for sure, you'd need to see a vet who may be able to tell some based on the physical exam but who may also recommend bloodwork and/or x-rays. Pain assessment is difficult to begin with in cats but I certainly could not tell you if he were in pain without an exam. My gut says he is likely not painful because he is eating and resting comfortably - but again, no way to know for sure without an exam. Long story short, get a vet involved soon to help weigh in on what might be going on. For now, keep doing what you're doing: feed him plenty, love on him lots, treat him gently, and keep watching. Best of luck to you and the kitten!