Results 1 to 22 of 22

Thread: Newly disabled animal

  1. #1
    God/dess SweetJulia's Avatar
    Joined
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Rolling in a BIG pile of money!
    Posts
    2,836
    Thanks
    21,633
    Thanked 6,196 Times in 1,978 Posts
    My Mood
    Yeehaw

    Default Newly disabled animal

    I hope this doesn't sound like a depressing thread. I have a gorgeous, intelligent thirteen year old cat that has lost use of her back legs partially due to arthritis. She's been on meds for a few days and pain free for the first time in what the vet thinks is a long time. She's in great health otherwise and the vet thinks she's gonna be around for at least three more year's. But she kinda runs while dragging her lower body. It's hard to adjust to, so I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for how to cope with her new method of getting around, it looks painful but the vet says it isn't. I wanted to put this in Ladies Only cuz a certain male member has a nasty habit of making jokes in Life Support threads-so you, please stay away from this, I've had a rough week. So look, how do you adjust to a pet getting around really quickly and painlessly, but in a way that's depressing? TIA
    Twitter:
    Cam profile: *Fave me, it's good for my ego
    General Pics:
    "Experience is a brutal teacher, but you learn. My God, do you learn!"-C.S. Lewis
    Quote Originally Posted by xStacey View Post
    Close contact, for an hour, for $40? And I guess I'll have to make conversation with them too?

  2. #2
    Moderator Aurora_Sunset's Avatar
    Joined
    Feb 2011
    Posts
    6,430
    Thanks
    19,846
    Thanked 18,507 Times in 4,919 Posts
    My Mood
    Breezy

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    Just know that she is happy and not in pain. Animals really don't notice these things the way we do and they adjust very quickly. I have a cat who only has 3 legs. She gets around just fine, runs even, climbs to get onto furniture without seeming distressed. But other people still see her hoppy walk and say "oh, I feel so bad for her." But she doesn't notice. Every once in awhile, even I feel really bad because she'll try to jump onto something unstable and not be able to when it moves on her (when a normal cat would be able to just hop up), and she also still assumes the position of scratching behind her ear with her right back leg (the one that's not there), and the joint moves back and forth as though she thinks she's still scratching. It makes me sad and I'll reach over to scratch her ear for her, but ultimately I know that she couldn't care less. She doesn't even realize she's having "difficulties."
    Don't try to win over the haters. You are not the Jerk Whisperer.

    Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.






  3. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Aurora_Sunset For This Useful Post:


  4. #3
    Moderator charlie61's Avatar
    Joined
    Apr 2008
    Posts
    13,467
    Thanks
    10,869
    Thanked 20,995 Times in 6,795 Posts

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    Humans have a very different perspective on these things than animals do. They don't feel sorry for themselves, for one thing. That's a human issue! Every time you see her and think "that's depressing," follow and replace that thought with "I'm so lucky to have her" or "she looks so cute when she runs like that!" Animals live entirely in the present. They have no regrets, and they have no sense of dread about the future. Exist with her in the present, and be thankful that she'll be around for a good while longer.


  5. The Following 7 Users Say Thank You to charlie61 For This Useful Post:


  6. #4
    God/dess whirlerz's Avatar
    Joined
    May 2004
    Location
    Midwest
    Posts
    27,134
    Thanks
    55,898
    Thanked 26,028 Times in 13,271 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1
    My Mood
    Aggressive

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    Well, I have seen like a cart thing w/wheels for dogs w/disabled back legs,it's strapped onto them they walk w/their front legs normally.. is it possible someone could make one for her?
    & yea I know (what)who you mean, curious as to how they're allowed to get away w/that here?
    Anyway yea that's what I thought of


    MANY MEN WANTED TO LAY ME DOWN, BUT FEW WANTED TO LIFT ME UP

    -Eartha Kitt

  7. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to whirlerz For This Useful Post:


  8. #5
    Moderator Aurora_Sunset's Avatar
    Joined
    Feb 2011
    Posts
    6,430
    Thanks
    19,846
    Thanked 18,507 Times in 4,919 Posts
    My Mood
    Breezy

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    Here is a picture of my own disabled diva for your viewing pleasure.

    *deleted for privacy*

    No clue she's different, but she sure as heck knows how cute she is, and how to work what she has! *adorable devil kitty magic*
    Last edited by Aurora_Sunset; 01-08-2016 at 04:51 PM.
    Don't try to win over the haters. You are not the Jerk Whisperer.

    Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.






  9. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Aurora_Sunset For This Useful Post:


  10. #6
    God/dess whirlerz's Avatar
    Joined
    May 2004
    Location
    Midwest
    Posts
    27,134
    Thanks
    55,898
    Thanked 26,028 Times in 13,271 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1
    My Mood
    Aggressive

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    Beautiful!


    MANY MEN WANTED TO LAY ME DOWN, BUT FEW WANTED TO LIFT ME UP

    -Eartha Kitt

  11. The Following User Says Thank You to whirlerz For This Useful Post:


  12. #7
    God/dess whirlerz's Avatar
    Joined
    May 2004
    Location
    Midwest
    Posts
    27,134
    Thanks
    55,898
    Thanked 26,028 Times in 13,271 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1
    My Mood
    Aggressive

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal



    MANY MEN WANTED TO LAY ME DOWN, BUT FEW WANTED TO LIFT ME UP

    -Eartha Kitt

  13. The Following User Says Thank You to whirlerz For This Useful Post:


  14. #8
    God/dess Gia2608's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Miami/ Ft. Lauderdale
    Posts
    3,337
    Thanks
    4,235
    Thanked 3,664 Times in 1,451 Posts
    My Mood
    Cheerful

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    ^^^^I was going to advise the same thing. They are about 1,200-1,500 for dogs. Not sure for cats.
    XoXo Gia
    Danielle Fishell (the Dish): "If the Super-Star thing doesn't work out, Gia makes a great stripper name"

  15. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Gia2608 For This Useful Post:


  16. #9
    God/dess whirlerz's Avatar
    Joined
    May 2004
    Location
    Midwest
    Posts
    27,134
    Thanks
    55,898
    Thanked 26,028 Times in 13,271 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1
    My Mood
    Aggressive

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    Quote Originally Posted by Gia2608 View Post
    ^^^^I was going to advise the same thing. They are about 1,200-1,500 for dogs. Not sure for cats.
    Right, but maybe someone who's handy could make one though?


    MANY MEN WANTED TO LAY ME DOWN, BUT FEW WANTED TO LIFT ME UP

    -Eartha Kitt

  17. The Following User Says Thank You to whirlerz For This Useful Post:


  18. #10
    Moderator charlie61's Avatar
    Joined
    Apr 2008
    Posts
    13,467
    Thanks
    10,869
    Thanked 20,995 Times in 6,795 Posts

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    Cats hate being confined. I think something like this would go terribly wrong for the majority of cats. Maybe if she were a kitten, but...I don't think so.

  19. The Following User Says Thank You to charlie61 For This Useful Post:


  20. #11
    God/dess
    Joined
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    7,964
    Thanks
    6,155
    Thanked 10,183 Times in 4,602 Posts

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    Saw this on wheelchairs for cats:

    http://eddieswheels.com/yes-disabled...e-wheelchairs/

  21. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to eagle2 For This Useful Post:


  22. #12
    Member espikvlt's Avatar
    Joined
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Otogakure
    Posts
    20
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 30 Times in 12 Posts

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    I don't know if this will make you feel better, but old disabled animals get thrown into shelters all the time and are the absolute hardest to get adopted. Just know that your little kitty is so lucky because it has a home and someone like you that cares about it. <3

    (I used to work as a volunteer for a cat adoption agency. See stuff like that all the time.)
    Tumblr: espikvlt.com
    Sex Work Tumblr: queenofotogakure.tumblr.com
    Twitter: twitter.com/espikvlt
    Instagram: instagram.com/espikvlt





  23. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to espikvlt For This Useful Post:


  24. #13
    God/dess SweetJulia's Avatar
    Joined
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Rolling in a BIG pile of money!
    Posts
    2,836
    Thanks
    21,633
    Thanked 6,196 Times in 1,978 Posts
    My Mood
    Yeehaw

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    ^Aww it does, thank you. She's eating a ton and zooming around, in case anyone wanted a progress report
    Twitter:
    Cam profile: *Fave me, it's good for my ego
    General Pics:
    "Experience is a brutal teacher, but you learn. My God, do you learn!"-C.S. Lewis
    Quote Originally Posted by xStacey View Post
    Close contact, for an hour, for $40? And I guess I'll have to make conversation with them too?

  25. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to SweetJulia For This Useful Post:


  26. #14
    God/dess whirlerz's Avatar
    Joined
    May 2004
    Location
    Midwest
    Posts
    27,134
    Thanks
    55,898
    Thanked 26,028 Times in 13,271 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1
    My Mood
    Aggressive

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    My friend's cat had one, & it worked out fine, an older cat.
    Best of luck to you & kit, SJ.


    MANY MEN WANTED TO LAY ME DOWN, BUT FEW WANTED TO LIFT ME UP

    -Eartha Kitt

  27. The Following User Says Thank You to whirlerz For This Useful Post:


  28. #15
    God/dess whirlerz's Avatar
    Joined
    May 2004
    Location
    Midwest
    Posts
    27,134
    Thanks
    55,898
    Thanked 26,028 Times in 13,271 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1
    My Mood
    Aggressive

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    I just thought of this: years ago, I had a bunny he was older, & his back legs went bad. My vet @ the time, told me he was certified to massage animals (yes a real thing) & @ that time he was only one of a few vets that did this.
    I'm sure it's more now, & also I learned to do it myself on the baby's legs, not as good as the vet of course.
    Just some more info to think about


    MANY MEN WANTED TO LAY ME DOWN, BUT FEW WANTED TO LIFT ME UP

    -Eartha Kitt

  29. The Following User Says Thank You to whirlerz For This Useful Post:


  30. #16
    God/dess SweetJulia's Avatar
    Joined
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Rolling in a BIG pile of money!
    Posts
    2,836
    Thanks
    21,633
    Thanked 6,196 Times in 1,978 Posts
    My Mood
    Yeehaw

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    20160110_094845.jpgI totally am gonna look that up! Ok, so she's been eating and drinking better-figured out since she can't move her legs much, when she pees it's getting in her fur. So, I gave her a bubble bath, trimmed down her fur, blowdried her, and fashioned the smallest diaper I could find to fit her. *Pauses for "awww"* Here's a pic
    Twitter:
    Cam profile: *Fave me, it's good for my ego
    General Pics:
    "Experience is a brutal teacher, but you learn. My God, do you learn!"-C.S. Lewis
    Quote Originally Posted by xStacey View Post
    Close contact, for an hour, for $40? And I guess I'll have to make conversation with them too?

  31. The Following 8 Users Say Thank You to SweetJulia For This Useful Post:


  32. #17
    God/dess whirlerz's Avatar
    Joined
    May 2004
    Location
    Midwest
    Posts
    27,134
    Thanks
    55,898
    Thanked 26,028 Times in 13,271 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1
    My Mood
    Aggressive

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
    Ty for the pic! It's so lovely that you taking care of this baby


    MANY MEN WANTED TO LAY ME DOWN, BUT FEW WANTED TO LIFT ME UP

    -Eartha Kitt

  33. The Following User Says Thank You to whirlerz For This Useful Post:


  34. #18
    God/dess SweetJulia's Avatar
    Joined
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Rolling in a BIG pile of money!
    Posts
    2,836
    Thanks
    21,633
    Thanked 6,196 Times in 1,978 Posts
    My Mood
    Yeehaw

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    In case anyone's curious, her name is Chomper cuz, when I first got her, when people would give her attention, she'd turn around and face the wall. If they tried to turn her back around, she'd bite into them with a long, dramatic chomp Chompy for short, of course. Is there anything you guys can think of I'm not doing that I should be?
    Twitter:
    Cam profile: *Fave me, it's good for my ego
    General Pics:
    "Experience is a brutal teacher, but you learn. My God, do you learn!"-C.S. Lewis
    Quote Originally Posted by xStacey View Post
    Close contact, for an hour, for $40? And I guess I'll have to make conversation with them too?

  35. #19
    God/dess whirlerz's Avatar
    Joined
    May 2004
    Location
    Midwest
    Posts
    27,134
    Thanks
    55,898
    Thanked 26,028 Times in 13,271 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1
    My Mood
    Aggressive

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    Quote Originally Posted by SweetJulia View Post
    In case anyone's curious, her name is Chomper cuz, when I first got her, when people would give her attention, she'd turn around and face the wall. If they tried to turn her back around, she'd bite into them with a long, dramatic chomp Chompy for short, of course. Is there anything you guys can think of I'm not doing that I should be?
    I think you got it handled well She sounds like my bunny! she LOVED to bite..I think she just craved my attention so much, even though I gave her lots


    MANY MEN WANTED TO LAY ME DOWN, BUT FEW WANTED TO LIFT ME UP

    -Eartha Kitt

  36. The Following User Says Thank You to whirlerz For This Useful Post:


  37. #20
    Featured Member
    Joined
    Aug 2011
    Posts
    1,881
    Thanks
    3,026
    Thanked 3,426 Times in 1,229 Posts

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    Thank you for taking care of her and being such a good person. My 14-year-old kitty just had an emergency trip to the vet. So many people abandon or euthanize their senior pets--it breaks my heart.

    I'd focus on increasing her ways of getting around. A wheelchair isn't a bad idea necessarily; it really depends on the cat in question. Many of them get used to it. They're not too expensive used: http://www.ebay.com/itm/dog-wheelcha...-/161389984585 Dragging her legs might strain her shoulders unnecessarily.

    My friend's really old kitty had mobility issues in his last year. He started taking him to the litter box and helping to hold him up every 2-4 hours that he was home and awake. And then the diaper could work for when you're not home or asleep. Keeping the hair trimmed is a great idea too, and maybe getting pet wipes for when you don't need to fully bathe her.

  38. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to tuesdaymarie For This Useful Post:


  39. #21
    God/dess whirlerz's Avatar
    Joined
    May 2004
    Location
    Midwest
    Posts
    27,134
    Thanks
    55,898
    Thanked 26,028 Times in 13,271 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1
    My Mood
    Aggressive

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    Idk if a heating pad wd help?


    MANY MEN WANTED TO LAY ME DOWN, BUT FEW WANTED TO LIFT ME UP

    -Eartha Kitt

  40. The Following User Says Thank You to whirlerz For This Useful Post:


  41. #22
    Featured Member
    Joined
    Aug 2011
    Posts
    1,881
    Thanks
    3,026
    Thanked 3,426 Times in 1,229 Posts

    Default Re: Newly disabled animal

    I forgot to mention--you might want to consider lowering your bed or putting a little ramp up to it if you let her sleep with you. An alternative might be to get a cat bed (or a small dog bed) and put a heating pad under it on medium low. It would attract her to the bed, keeping her lower to the ground (and probably keeping your bed safe from accidents), and it would probably help ease any aches she might still have. I have a hard time keeping my pets off me when I have an electric blanket on. It's very unlikely that a basic heating pad would cause any problems, but I would turn it off when I left the house if I were you.

  42. The Following User Says Thank You to tuesdaymarie For This Useful Post:


Similar Threads

  1. LD's for the Disabled
    By Lone_Wolf in forum Customer Conversation
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 12-15-2012, 02:12 PM
  2. Being Newly Femme?
    By Circe in forum Body Business
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 12-11-2007, 10:42 PM
  3. Animal Cops on the Animal Planet channel...
    By Madcap in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 31
    Last Post: 08-06-2004, 02:52 PM
  4. newly wed!??!!?!?!
    By Messi in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 03-17-2003, 06:58 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •