cat was run over?

Question

my cat who was 14 got hit by a car two weeks ago,her back leg was ripped off and her front leg broken,jaw was broken and other back leg was broken with possible hip injuries.I had her put to sleep as she was quite old and i couldn't bear to see her suffer.Now with hind sight i am wondering if she could have recovered,obviously her back leg (what was left of it)would have had to be removed.Was it the best thing for her or should i have put her through the trauma of a long and painful recovery,i feel so bad that maybe i should have tried.Please dont tell me i should have kept her in,she hated being inside and had 14 years of happy roaming.

Answer 1

I think you did the right thing. These sound like horrific injuries, I would be surprised if she had survived treatment. Plus 14 years is a fair age for a cat - I wouldn't really want to put even a young cat through the extensive treatment and rehabilitation this would require. I don't think any cat would ever fully recover from injuries this bad - one of these injuries by itself is quite enough for a cat to deal with, but all 4 of them - I really don't think there could possibly be a happy ending.

It's a terrible thing to have happen, but I think you can rest easy knowing you did the only thing that could be done.

I think the people on here who say all cats should be kept inside are being ridiculous. You can't wrap animals up in cotton wool because of what MIGHT happen - having a decent quality of life means taking risks. I mean, you wouldn't try to keep a child inside forever would you? You have to let people, and cats, live. My own sister's cat was killed buy a car aged 7, but it hasn't stopped her letting her other cat out. I know cats can live happily inside, but why should they if there are no major risks outside?

Chalice

Answer 2

Indoor and outdoor- it depends on the cat. No-one should be chastised for doing what they think is in the cats best interests. In your case you were aware of her hating the indoor life and I think that she would thank you for her freedom.

As for the accident, without knowing the full diagnosis, I cannot give you a definite 100% answer. However I'll go from the information given. (By the way, i want to be honest and it may be a little hard reading as the accident was sustained by your animal and therefore affects you personally)

With regards to her back leg being removed in the accident, there is a possibility(depending on nerve trauma, infection etc) that the remains of the leg could have been amputated. Three legged cats can be just as agile as any other. However this would have been a highly stressful procedure for her.

Her front leg and Jaw injuries are the most common seen in RTA's. Depending on the severity of the break(s) in the fore limb and remaining hind limb, this would probably have been fixable. But taking into account the fact that she may have sustained pelvic injuries-there would be no guarantee that she would be able to bear weight on the hind limb.
Unfortunately, feline jaws are seemingly fragile and tend to shatter on impact instead of just sustaining a clean break, and on many occasion i have been assisting in piecing mandibles together for hours into the night. Providing there was enough of the jaw left to assemble, it would then have a framework of wire inserted to hold it in place whilst the healing process happened.

Although all of these injuries could have been rectified, the trauma and stress on the animal would have been enormous. If these injuries were sustained by five cats with each suffering from one problem, then there would be no issues in recovery. For all of this to happen to one cat is too much and even if she did come through the ops (which would be extremely unlikely due to her injuries and age) she might never have walked again. The recovery period would have long and draining as she would not have been able to move on her limbs, or move her mouth due to the wires.

From a veterinary point of view you made the right decision. Her chances of survival were minimal, and the pain that she would have had to endure immense.

I hope this is of some help, and i offer you my condolences for the loss of your friend.

Answer 3

I think you did the right thing.
I can say this because I have six cats, ONE that is an indoor/outdoor cat...he is 13 yrs old.
We've learned alot over 13 yrs, and would do it differetly now if we could go back to his kittenhood.
We would not let him be ind/outdoor if we could do it all over again. But the point is, he would have an absolutely miserable life if we took that freedom from him at 13. Sorry, not gonna
do it. His quality of life would suck.
My other cats have never had that freedom so they cant miss what theyve never had.
I cant tell you not to feel bad, cause I know you already are obviously. But, I would have done the same thing.
14 years would be over 72 years old for a human and no doctor with an ounce of compassion would put a 70+ adult through all kind of complicated surgeries.

My grandmother who will be 80 in august fell and broke her knee and ankle a few weeks ago. Of course her dr. did not suggest surgery for this although he did say, if she were younger that it would definetly be needed...

You did the right thing. I'm sorry about what happened.
I know you miss her, it will take time.

Answer 4

You should not have kept her inside any more than you would stay inside yourself for your whole life to avoid danger. Cats are adventurers!

You did the right thing- your pet was obviously pretty smashed up and little animals don't have the recovery power humans have- we can do as we're told by the doctor and put our instincts aside because we rationally understand the need for the long-term good. Animals don't and they rely on instinct to get them by- and recovering from this sort of major trauma is not something animals are designed to do. Your pet would have been in great pain and confusion, and probably never would have understood the need to 'take it easy'.

We have lost three cats in the last 5 years- one to snake bite, one to a car, and one to a mysterious poisoning. It's terribly sad and I love and miss them, but although it's natural to think 'if only I'd...'... in the end you have to let your animals live the way that makes them happy.

Your cat had a good life and a loving owner- very few do, thanks to irresponsible humans!




*this does NOT mean they should not be desexed!

Answer 5

You did the right thing. She was very old and in much pain. Animals can't make the decision, and it's cruel to force them to live beyond their natural life in great pain for sentimental reasons. As old as she was, she probably wouldn't have survived the surgery, and if she didn't she probably wouldn't have adapted well to missing a limb like a younger cat would have, and there's a good chance shock or depression would have killed her afterwards, anyway, if she could even eat at all with the jaw. It's amazing she survived being run over. Would you have liked to spend the rest of your life in great pain, finding yourself suddenly crippled after a major accident at 80 years old? Possibly. But probably not. Your cat had a long, good life. She wouldn't have wanted to languish miserably that way. She's in a good place now.

Answer 6

i'm so sorry of your loss. i too had to put my 15 year old cat down a couple of years ago, because she was in some kind of pain. what upsets me now is that perhaps i too had been hasty, and that my beloved cat was just having a bad day and if i had given her a chance she may have made it thru the pain she was suffering that day, when i made the sudden decision to put her down immediately as soon as i got to the vet with her. i should have asked the vet if they could do something for the pain and brought her home instead of just having her put down that second, but to see her in that pain drove me to such desperation. like you i have my regrets now, but we did the best we could do at the moment. i think you did the right thing about putting her down as she was suffering as was my cat. Boy did i ever break down when i made that decision, and have broke down numerous times when thinking that i was too hasty. but there is nothing we can do, but realize we did what we thought was best in a very upsetting situation. I believe that one day i will be reunited with all my animals. perhaps you to will be reunited with your pet one day if that is what you believe. once again i'm sorry for your loss. You are not alone. i know how you feel and my heart goes out to you. take care.

Answer 7

The first answerer is simply wrong. Cats obviously should be let to come and go as they please, and this is just an unfortunate accident that has happened to Claire's cat. My cat's brother was run over a few years ago, and he had similar, devastating injuries, and was also put down. He had to have been in incredible pain from what I was told. I think cats' freedom is worth the minimal risks of accidents like this, similarly to giving freedom to people...

Anyway I don't regret my cat being put down. It was a much better alternative to attempting a recovery that just wasn't going to happen. It's hard dealing with it, and I have sympathy for you.

Answer 8

Let me tell you that you did the right thing.

I had to put my kitty down about two weeks ago also. Mine had feline leukemia, no signs ever...just one day he cried and was dragging himself. He was healthy and went to the vet twice a year.

The vet said she could do blood transfusions if I wanted to. I took my kitty home that night. He was miserable, cried all night could not walk, eat, or drink. It was a horrible experience for me and him.

I selflessly was considering the transfusions, because he was my baby, only 4 years old. He let me know this was not what he wanted.

I'm sure your kitty knows how much you love her, to show our love sometimes we must do the hardest thing possible. I was with my kitty when he got his wings and he knew it was time.

Your kitty knew it was time. At 14 she would have been miserable, trying to cope with the trauma. You did the most humane thing for her, she knows it. No worries you'll see her again one day, she'll thank you.

Answer 9

Keep in mind that older animals, just like older people, can have a much harder time recovering from health problems and your cat sure had extensive injuries.

I think I would have made the same choice. Sorry for your loss.

Answer 10

i am sorry for your loss. you did the right thing by putting her to sleep, she would have suffered and would have een hard for her to adjust and would probably go in to a depression since she wouldn't be able to do the things she use too. It is very hard but to even start thinking "what if" you will drive yoruself nuts and it will only make it harder to try to deal with this. Time will heal and maybe you will eventually get another kitty. I hope this helps