Expert: Ali - 6/24/2009

Question
QUESTION: Last night we brought our 8 year old rescued mixed domestic shorthaired cat to the vet after I discovered her hiding under the bed and unable to use her hind legs.  Upon examination at the vet, the doc suggested 4 x-ray views-1 pelvis, 1 spine, and 2 of legs.  The pelvis, spine and left leg look to be in good shape, but the acl in her right leg appears to have suffered a trauma of sort (we suspect our dauschund was "trying to do what they do to make babies" with her yesterday afternoon).  A small piece of bone chipped off the tibia and now looks to be "floating" in the black triangle between the two bones.  The vet believes that her best option is surgery at this point.  At this time, we are unable to afford the surgery and also have a kitty with 3 paws running around the home who does just fine, so we were hoping that perhaps our "Biggie" (18.8 lbs) could revert to her instinctual methods to pull her through this.  We have her on NSAIDS to help with swelling, but have you ever heard of a cat being able to pull through this without the surgery?  I've found plenty of info (including past experience with a dog who managed w/o surgery) that says dogs can learn to function 'around' this type of injury.  Can the same be said for cats?  Your help is very much appreciated as I don't want to cause her undue pain and stress because of my finances.  Thank you very much.

ANSWER: Katy,

Unfortunately I'm not a veterinarian so I can't really provide you with a diagnosis, prognosis or treatment plan. If the cat does need  surgery I can provide you with the names of some organizations that may be willing to pay some or all of the cost. The only thing that I ask is that you provide me with the Canadian province or US state if you're writing from either of those places. I keep a fairly extensive list of organizations and charities that might be willing to work with you and help get the surgery that this kitty needs if the vet feels strongly that she needs such an intrusive medical intervention. It's obvious to me that you love this kitty very much and would like to do anything you can to make her as happy, healthy and comfortable as she can be. One serious issue is the fact that this injury has the potential to cause some pretty serious pain if left with minimal treatments and you don't want her to be seriously uncomfortable, unfortunately cats are well known for their ability to hide pain quite successfully until it's to the point of being so severe that it's difficult to treat. This is an evolutionary survival tool, weaker animals die in the wild so the cat has learned over centuries (and more) that it's best if s/he's not looking or sounding weak. Hopefully this information has helped, I'm really sorry that I wasn't able to offer much beyond what you already know. If you want to clarify something in this answer, you have any further questions or concerns or you'd like a list of the organizations in your area that may be willing to provide you with financial assistance to have this kitty's surgery done please don't hesitate to contact me again.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for your prompt response!  I would very much be interested in a list of organizations that may be able to help Biggie and I.  We live in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota but would be willing to drive a ways if you have names that are outside of our area.  Thanks again..I know that an ACL injury can be very painful in humans and wish she could tell me herself how's she's doing!!  On the bright side, she seems to be in the same happy spirits as always and also seems to know I'm trying to help her as best I can.  Thanks again for your time regarding my questions!  Have a great day!!

Answer
Katy,

Hopefully one or more of the following organizations would be willing to help with some or all of the cost of surgery if the vets continue to recommend that as the best form of treatment. The wonderful (and not so wonderful) thing about cats is that they're very stoic by nature, they often don't show any signs of pain unless they're in excruciating pain. Cats as a species have evolved knowing full well that weakness in the wild is ultimately a killer so they do their best to avoid showing any sign of weakness, this includes illness or injury - unfortunately this can mean that a cat is very sick or badly injured before his/her guardian realizes what's happening and sometimes the amount of time that elapses in the course of an injury or illness can mean the difference between life and death.

- IMOM Inc, www.imom.org
- Help-A-Pet, www.help-a-pet.org
- The Pet Fund, www.thepetfund.com
- Angels For Animals, www.angels4animals.org
- Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program, www.fveap.org
- Feline Outreach, www.felineoutreach.org
- Cats in Crisis, www.catsincrisis.org
- Hiawatha Animal Humane Society – Lake City offers Pet Food, Spay/Neuter Assistance, Veterinary Medical Care Assistance

I wish you and your kitty the best of luck and hope that all goes well.