Fiona came to us as a transfer from the PSPCA in Philadelphia, PA in March 2020. Her scratch n’ dent “feature” is she has what is commonly called “spinal avulsion”, “sacrocaudal fracture” or a “tail pull” injury.
Here is a great explanation: https://www.ndsr.co.uk/veterinary-professionals/insight/news-92-management-of-cats-with-a-tail-pull-injury as it gives you excellent visual aids on where the injuries take place, how to manage the disease and what to expect as far as medical management.
The Veterinary Information Network also is a great resource for learning about this particular issue in cats: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951820
Fiona did have a “telemedicine” consultation with neurology over at the Life Center in Leesburg, VA earlier this month. Unfortunately due to COVID-19, we had to do our best with providing much detailed information and radiographs for the neurologist to make an interpretation and confirm our findings here at NOVA Cat Clinic (https://novacatclinic.com/). Could we do more detailed imaging such as an MRI or CT scan? We could, yes, but that will not fix the problem as she was already several weeks out of the small window of opportunity to treat her injury/disease process by the time we received her in our program. At the end of the appointment It was agreed that Fiona would be in diapers the rest of her life, which is quite common for these cases. Does this make her unadoptable? Absolutely NOT. What it does require is a special someone willing to put a cat in a diaper and make sure her bottom stays clean. And I know you are out there!
How common are these injuries? Unfortunately it is one of the more common injuries seen in kittens. Here are a just a few ways this type of spinal injury occurs:
- Getting stuck in furniture
- Being stepped on
- Attacked by a larger animal and shaken (dogs or wild animals)
- Children yanking on the cat’s tail or worse, human abuse by being picked up and swung around by the tail.
- In rare cases, this can be an embryonic tumor or congenital defect that contributes to these symptoms
Enough about spinal injuries, let’s get to know Fiona!
Fiona quickly captures everyone’s attention. From her smushy face and loveable personality, to her delightful sashay on the catwalk, she is sure to make a wonderful addition to any home.
Fiona’s Unique Features:
- Judgy face (that’s her best part!)
- Sweet and sassy lap cat
- Her signature “BRRRRRTTT!!!” meow as she does drive by runs down the hallway and up stairwells
- Enjoys playing, allogrooming, and cuddling a feline buddy
- Requires diapers due to urinary and fecal incontinence (which are easy to put on, and she wears them with no problems with leaking or removing them on her own!)
- NOT on any current medications
- Does require seeing a vet 3-4 times per year to make sure she does not have recurrent urinary tract infections if she is not kept clean.
- Up to date on vaccines, spayed, microchipped, dewormed and felv/fiv NEGATIVE
If you ever wanted to open your home to a member of Team Scratch N’ Dent, Fiona is a perfect starter cat! Fill out one of our forms https://criticalkittens.org/adopt-a-kitten/ today to inquire about Fiona! You can currently follow her adventures in her foster home on Instagram at: somdkittenfosters
Adoption cost: $140