I broke my leg and all I got was a family that loves me - Rover update

Today was an important day for little Rover, the stray kitten that unexpectedly moved in with us because he broke his leg. Today he had another appointment with his vet for more shots and an x-ray to see how his leg was doing.

Sleepy Rover

Rover's broken leg, x-ray taken 5 days after the injury

Before I get into the vet visit, let me show you what I saw on August 6th. From the picture you can see how bad the break looked. It still nauseates me. The vet who took the x-ray suggested surgery, amputation, or euthanasia. Another vet in the same office suggested to wait. Bear in mind that little Rover was only 3 months old and not even 3 pounds. We decided to wait and got him his shots instead of a costly surgery. The vet that suggested waiting later told us that the chances of a successful surgery were slim because the bones had rotated, which complicated the situation. We took Rover home and set up a room for him: no furniture, only food/water, a bed for him, toys, litter box and a turbo scratcher. A protected environment with little to no chance of re-injuring the leg. The first few days, all Rover did was eat, sleep and play with a small stuffed mouse. Then he started to use his injured leg more and more, first for playing with his mouse, then for walking. First he limped a lot, then the limp became less and less noticeable. And now almost one month after his injury he walks, runs, plays, climbs and scratches like nothing was ever wrong with his leg. We (and the vet) were very curious to see how he was recovering and so the vet took another x-ray today free of charge. And this is what it looks like:

Rover's leg, almost a month after his injury.

It's remarkable and both we and the vet were astounded by how well it is healing and we could not be happier (except of course if our little Feather would finally get over the fact that she has a little brother now and that he is not going anywhere). In 3.5 weeks Rover's leg is almost completely healed and he has gained 1 pound (he eats so much, you have no idea, he eats twice as much as Feather who is a 7 pound adult cat). We are very happy and so is Rover. He is developing great and we both love him.
In two weeks we have another appointment with the vet, this time to get those furry balls taken care of. Yay for neuter surgery!

Green products: Bac-Out Stain and Odor Eliminator

When we got our first cat we needed to think about how to clean up certain stains, specifically vomit. Feather, our 5 year old furball, tends to eat too fast or too much and so once a week or so we need to clean up cat vomit. At first we were just using dish soap and a bowl with hot water, and it mostly got the job done but sometimes there was still this cat food smell and color residue. We had read that cats to not react well to most cleaning chemicals and we ourselves try to avoid harsh cleaning chemicals (yes - we are a bleach free household!).

One day we went to Wholefoods because we wanted to look for a green cleaning product that would take care of the vomit stains and the odor associated with it. And that's where we found Biokleen's Bac-Out and we fell in love (as much as you can fall in love with a cleaning product). It is said to contain live enzymes, is safe to use around children and pets (even around super sensitive birds), was not tested on animals and does not contain any animal products (yay). You can use it to clean carpet stains or get odor out of laundry by adding it to the wash. We sometimes use it after washing the litter box with dish soap to get rid of any residual odor. And it works wonders. Sometimes a harsh carpet stain needs to be treated twice, but don't forget it's not bleach. On the plus side: It does not harm the fabric and it does not irritate our skin unlike other products we have used.

You can buy Bac-Out at Wholefoods or other health food stores and you can even order it through Amazon. We love it and are very happy we found it :)

Rover update :)

This is little Rover. He got some of his shots on Wednesday and tested negative for FIV (feline AIDS) ::happy face:: but he also tested positive for ear mites ::boo:: He is a happy little guy and that's all that matters. We decided to wait and see whether his leg heals or not. Right now it seems to be getting a little better every day. We just need to make sure that he does not jump or climb or play too rough with his mouse... So far it's going well.

Rover the Rescue Kitten

So, we did not plan this. We have one cat that we love and that loves us (me really). Since yesterday we are cat parents to two cats. The newest addition is named Rover, as in Mars Rover Curiosity or as in Roverandom, a story by Tolkien (I LOVE TOLKIEN). Little Rover (and his sister) showed up at a friend's door with fleas and very, very hungry. The kittens are about 3 months old and they had clearly been exposed to humans before. While I would have liked to take in both kittens, Rover needed us more (and I am sure his sister will find a good home soon, too). Frontline (see an earlier post as to where we buy our supply of Frontline for a much better price than say Petsmart) took care of the fleas within a day and I removed a couple dead ones using a flea comb purchased for $6 at Petsmart. He also has an injured front leg :(. I took him to our vet, who took X-rays revealing a broken humerus (which cannot be adequately immobilized with a cast) and suggested three things:

• surgery to stabilize the bone with a metal plate
• amputation of the leg
• euthanasia

The latter was not an option for me, because lets face it: The reason why I became Rover's mom was so that he wouldn't get euthanized. He is a very happy kitten, very friendly, playful and he will grow up to be a cat with a great personality.
The surgery was estimated to be anywhere between $1,400 to $1,800 without pre-OP bloodwork. Amputation was estimated to be between $700 to $900. I did not know what to do. I had just been entrusted with this little guy and at the time of the vet visit he did not even have a name yet (the husband and I decided late last night on Rover). But I knew I could not be responsible for his death. One of the senior vets brought up another option: Wait and see. There are plenty of cases where the bone heals on its own and the cat does not suffer from any disability. Amputation is always an option later on.
After $218 in fees (X-ray and exam) I took Rover home and waited for the husband to get home to discuss our options and decide on a plan of action. We made a pro and con list and we still could not decide. We saw him play with a stuffed mouse and then he passed out on my husband's belly. He ate well and was perfectly happy. And eventually we decided to wait and hope that his little body will recover on his own. Instead we will focus on getting his shots and getting him tested for parasites. Tomorrow he will get his first round of shots...

Some pictures will be posted soon. Promise.

Cat Cuteness :)

Nothing better than waking up to a cute face like that. Have a great Thursday and look out for Monday I may have a special treat for you.