It sounds great.
Hope everything goes on the same way from now.
Give the cat a hug from me, will you?
Just a little one.
You also might want to try baby food (especially turkey) to tempt his appetite. It has worked like a charm with my cats and it is very high in nutrition.
Way to go, Max!
I must also disagree, essvee. I have owned both outdoor and indoor cats, and the three indoor cats I have now are just as lively, happy, (I think. I am always a bit leery of people who claim to have knowledge of their pets thoughts.) and “there” as any outdoor cat I have ever had.
Indoor or outdoor, is, of course, an individual choice, but I believe the official recommendation of the ASPCA and several other animal welfare societies is that cats be kept inside, to minimize just those incidents that happened to Whammo’s cat.
I’m glad to hear your cat is getting better, Whammo. Keep up posted!
Um…keep us posted. Yeesh.
LOL Actually I was thinking of “Bob” 
I have something I want to say regarding letting your animals roam free at night. After what I’ve gone through and the mental and financial strain brought because of it.
I myself broke my own code about this, the fact that Max got hurt I take complete blaim for. I have been a pet owner all my life but this is my first cat. I have ALWAYS said that I would NEVER let one of my pets roam free, for the very fact of what happened. They get hurt. They get hit by cars, they get in fights or attacked, they drink antifreeze… any number of things. I can’t even stand to see “outside” dogs that are made to stay in a backyard 24/7.
As I said I broke my own rule. A couple of times he ran out at night with our 3 dogs before we even knew he was going. He wouldn’t let us catch him and the next morning he was right outside the door ready to come in for the day. He did this a couple of times. He appeared to love it so much that since he had all his vacinations and was neutered we let him. He managed to go about 3 months without getting hurt. I do not like those odds. He will never go outside again, nor will any animal that I ever have be allowed to roam free.
I made a mistake and my cat paid for it. He is still paying for it, he’s not completely out of the woods yet and he is in great pain. Trust me… it won’t happen again.
Now I must go get ready because he has to go back to the vets again this morning. He is not eating or drinking and he is still not urinating and I was unable to express his bladder like the Dr showed me. I am hoping his bladder is full and I just can not do it right because if its not I’m afraid that means his kidneys arn’t working right. This is the first night he’s been off IV fluids. Then again, maybe its because I’m too scarred of hurting him… his entire abdomen is purple from bruising… and pushing on it makes him cry.
Again… thank you for all your thoughts and concerns. I’ll try and post later.
I agree with this - my babies love baby food too - but don’t give Max anything with onion powder in it. (A lot of times, the chicken or turkey baby food has some in it.) It is bad for cats somehow - I’m not sure if it makes them sick or is highly toxic or what. My vet has told me this and it is also mentioned in several of my cat books, but I can’t get the specific wording used because all my books are packed in preparation of moving.
I’m so glad Maxie is getting better. Give him a belly rub for me.
Whammo, sorry, I missed your last post. Try not to worry too much - he might just need the vet to take care of him again.
I am glad that you have rethought your position on letting Max out loose. I know they enjoy it but the worry just isn’t worth it. Get him used to a harness and leash (you must use a harness with a leash; never attach one to regular collar). You will be able to take him out and know that he will always be safe. There’s just too many hazards out there - both natural and of the psycho variety - to take a chance.
Hope everything turns out okay. We over here in the Crazy Cat House are thinking of you. Please let us know what happens.
Wow. Just spotted this thread. My stomach hurt as I scrolled through the posts, hoping for a happy ending. I am so glad to hear that Max is okay. I don’t know what I’d do if something like that happened to my cats.
Poor Max 
He still has a lot to go through, poor guy.
Indoor is best, if you can manage it. I have successfully converted an outdoor cat to indoor only and have harness-trained two others, including my present temperamental beastie. Drop me an e-mail if you want some advice on leash-training your boy once he’s feeling all better, Whammo.
Catrandom
What about “Ma(n)x”?
Babybird, Ladybird and Princess send their best wishes.
Mrs, Cal speaking,
We here are all very happy to hear that Max is doing so well, and hope for continued good health. It is very hard on everyone when something happens to a member of your family. Again happiness for all.
See, Whammo? I told you cats can take huge hits and live
A friend of my father is a retired vet. He always says: “If the two broken pieces of cat are still in the same room, the cat will most likely heal”, or words to that effect.
And don’t blame yourself for letting your cat roam free at night: it’s in their nature to do so. Sure, cars and a suburban backdrop aren’t in their nature, but cats can adapt to the city pretty well. Of course, there will always be accidents, as was unfortunately the case with your cat. But he could of course just as easily have been hit in broad daylight. It’s not your fault.
Coldfire… thats pretty much what my vet said about young cats… that he’s seen them come back from trauma that he thought was devistating… (hense the 9 lives tale?) Then in the same breath he said that Max was “Very, very lucky to be alive. He took one hell of a hit.”
update again I wasn’t so aware of how bad his WHOLE body was until I brought him home and examined his underbelly… from his ribcage down to his broken tail and clear down his hind legs to his feet is a dark dark purple… one complete bruise. Max won’t move much on his own… I know that is because he is in a lot of pain… his whole body is bruised and his muscles pulled and his joints and back strained… he has trouble with deep breaths… his diaphram is probably bruised as well.
The good new is that when I took him to the vet this morning his bladder was full (kidneys are working) It wouldn’t express because it had a blood clot that warm water disolved and the Doc was able to express it. 5 hours later I wasn’t able to express it again so I took him back… the vet couldn’t either… this time thinking that maybe it was swelling that was closing it off rather then a clot. He inserted a catheter which lets him drain of course… but also doesnt allow his bladder to stretch, hopefully increasing healing and reducing swelling. (his urine isn’t bloody anymore either!)
He wont eat or drink on his own but the Doc gave us some high calorie/nutrient food that we mix with some water and give via a large suringe. He’s been eating and drinking that way without much difficulty. (one hint… if you plan on force feeding your cat… dont wear you good clothes. ) Hopefully that will get his appetite and strength going. He had trouble swallowing at first… again I am sure his throat is bruised and sore… but he got better at it… he acted like he was hungry.
I anticipate him recovering better day by day. Its just hard knowing he is in so much pain.
In fact I could have written something like this…
…after my husband got hit by a truck last year on his motorcycle. He was a big giant bruise and everything hurt. (We didn’t have to cut of any parts or anything though.) Day by day he got better and in less pain, but it hurts to watch someone/somepet you love in agony. Just pet him and give him lots of “poor kitty’s” (you know, hold him and just say “poor, poor kitty” over and over. It works wonders). Keep him eating, and love him. He’ll be better before you know it!
Zette
PS- just don’t let him get another motorcycle…::shudder::
Whammo:
DON’T beat yourself up over this. I know you will anyway.
I am a pet person. I have 2 dogs and 2 cats. I have taken in five stray dogs in the last few years, and found homes for them all. ( Raven I kept. He’s a sweety. He’s a lab mix and you can see his picture here. As Coldfire said, it’s just the nature of cats. We can hold them, love them and protect them the best we can, but cats will be cats. I am so glad Max is doing better. He’s a lucky cat to have you for an owner.
i’m glad max is doing better. grooming is a very, very good sign. it is scary that he isn’t eating and drinking on his own, he may just be too sore for that. luckily you can do that for him. when i read where you said that he was doing a bit of grooming i thought, this little guy’s gonna make it. he may be hurting but he isn’t depressed about it, he is fighting. hang in there with him, y’all are doing well.
Whammo, I am so very glad to hear that he’s doing better now. I’ve been worried, and following this thread as I can, even though I haven’t been home much to post today or yesterday. All of you are in my prayers, and Sir Wilbur and Heather are sending lots of good kitty thoughts his way. So is our puppy, Crystal. Take care of yourself as well, and give Max a hug from us when you feel he’s ready for it.
{{{{{{Whammo&family}}}}}}
Btw, I agree, our cats are inside animals now, and will stay that way. They’re happy as clams too, and don’t seem to miss the outdoors much. Hope the tail removal goes well too. Keep us updated.
Oh, gosh! I’ve postponed reading this thread for days because I’ve a real soft spot for cats and have some of my own. I’ve met people I dislike on general principals, found out that they owned and loved cats and changed my opinion of them.
I hope, hope, hope your cat starts urinating on his own! Has the vet mentioned any possibility of nerve damage due to the separation of the tail? There’s nerves right there that control the sensitivity of the anus and the presser reflex of the bladder. If he is passing feces, great! If not, well then the anal reflex might be gone but, good news – the feces will come out on it’s own. Not easily, but it will. Now, the vets have a medication to encourage the presser reflex of the bladder also if he cannot pee.
I, sadly, also am an idiot that let my cat run free and he got hit. He survived, but now he is inside and lives with some lasting injuries because of it. He cannot pass solid waste easily, so I gladly tolerate picking up various, little peace offerings about the house that he drops and feed him catalax when it looks like he’s having too much problems.
My vet suggested putting him down. I declined. His tail was broken at the pelvis. I had him on the bladder medication for almost a year, then tapered him off and discovered that he could pee on his own! It’s been years now and he still is with me, fussing with my other cat, trying to sneak outside now and then, spending much time on my bed, successfully begging little tidbits of raw meat from me when I cook and sitting happily on my lap when I read. (I don’t care if he accidentally leaves a solid little peace offering in my lap. He can’t help it and I happen to love the little fart.)
Keep us updated! I’m concerned about the bladder and please remember the medication for it. Cats are so cool!
Thanks everyone for writing again.
FarTreker… it sounds like what happened to your cat is exactly what happened to mine.
max is still in dire straits. He just started drinking and eating on his own however he still is not having bowl movements or urinating. He had his tail removed yesterday and the vet found that his anal muscles had been torn and he sewed them back in place. (!)
The vet brought up the possibility that he would not regain control of bladder and bowels and would have to be put to sleep… he says its a 50/50 shot… He even brought up the fact that we might want to think about that before we had the expense of his tail removed… but we didnt have that long… the tail was causing high fevers even with the antibiotics so we elected to keep going… he is just improving too much in every other way to see putting him down. I’m glad you posted what you did.
The bills are piling… were at $800 for the vets and $600 for the emergency clinic…
that damn cat… he just better get better… were doing everything we can.