Cat hit by fan belt

planetX wrote: »

Hope your cat's ok.
How about a bad migraine so you can leave work early??? Hopefully he's hiding somewhere nearby.

Was filling in for a colleague so basically doing two jobs, couldn't leave. Eventually managed to find the poor fella (after an hour scouring the fields lol) - he had managed to make his way to a little wooden shed in the garden and was hiding out there. Got him to an emergency vet. He has a compound fracture in one of his hind legs and needs stitches in his front paw. What's amaxing is that on one side of his body, the fur is gone in one large patch. It's not burned or irritate, the vet said it loks like it literally was just blown off with the force Anyway they gave him a shot of painkillers and I put him in my room with the heat on and he seemed to be happy out (probably high ) until ths morning. Bro bringing him in for his treatment this morning since he's not working today. I swear this cat is so unlucky, he's used about six of his "nine lives" at this stage :eek:

Dodd wrote: »

Most modern cars don't have a fan belt as the fan is electric.
It is likely to be the alternator belt and if the cat pulled it out of line with the pullies it could easely snap.
If any part of the cat other than it's tail got between the belt and the pully it is unlikely it would be ably to run away.

Ah ok. Car's going in today to be fixed also :rolleyes: I don't know much about their workings. It was funny, he usually sits on the bonnnet for the heat, not like him to crawl underneath.

Zapperzy wrote: »

Or very lucky! It could of been a lot worse! Glad to hear he's alright anyways if a little worse for wear! What part of the leg is it do you know?

True That was quite a "glass half empty" comment I made lol. Last year he was attacked by a mink and had to get his leg stitched, not to mention that he started life as a stray :rolleyes: As far as I know its down near his paw. I didn't want to go poking and prodding him too much once the meds kicked in and he seemed to get into a comfortable position. The scary thing was, when I found him there was so much blood on his coat and you know when you're not sure where it's coming from, you can think the worst?! Also the poor guy was soaked (must have takne him about 3 hours to make his way to the shed in the rain ). He's in good hands now so just waiting to hear when I can take him home.

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

+1 I've never heard of a cat survive this before!

I would imagine the missing fur got caught and was literally pulled out so it should grow back but it's amazing the cat didn't get pulled into the belt when this happened.

really? god he was lucky so Just called the vet, they said he has come around from the anaesthetic and they are just waiting for x-ray results (forgot about those - there go my couple of pints for the next few weeks ) Dont mind though, just glad he's ok. He's such a good cat. Like a little bear. He's never once taken out his claws and even last night he must have been in so much pain but he was still really affectionate He's quite big so maybe that was what saved him?

CJhaughey wrote: »

I'd say he actually went around the pulleys and thats what broke the belt and pulled his fur out.
Thats a lucky cat, My neighbours started their car and heard a bang, stopped the engine and got out and opened the bonnet.
They found a paw on top of the engine.

Gawd :eek:

They are keeping him in overnight to make sure he can urinate Apparently back leg broken in three places so its amputation or expensive, specialised surgery with a vet that I have been to before and absolutely cannot stand...

lubie76 wrote: »

The poor little fella, why can you not go to different vet that will let you pay for the surgery over a couple of months? There are plenty of specialists out there. He deserves a chance to keep his leg after all the trauma he has been through.

Can we do that? Dont worry I would never consider taking the leg off for financial reasons (I had a dog a few years ago with a degenerative condition, who lost power in her hind legs and I had her a wheelchair made in the states and shipped over)

http://eddieswheels.com/category/featured-articles/

Actually, it was that dog that I brought to this vet (wont name him of course) and he was the coldest, nastiest most money-grabbing person I've ever met :eek:

Zapperzy wrote: »

What part of the country are you in? I can recommend one in the north west, il pm you if your near.

Dublin (south)
Thinking about it now...I dont know why they just recommended one guy - could it be some kind of business arrangement? I hardly think there's only one vet in Dublin who can do the surgery?
Spoke more in depth with vet now. His leg is injured beyond their abiltiies. It's broken in 3 places, as well as damage to hip socket and also has bone fragments loose/missing. I think now it's a case of weighing up what is best for the cat. If we can save the leg, I will find a way to pay (if this is in his interest). But if its a case that he will have a very long and painful recovery and the risk of stiffness/arthritis setting in etc then amputation may be the better option. Basically, if it's better for him to keep the leg, we will make sure he does. If it's better for him to lose it, Im not too upset, as animals have far better powers of adaptability than us and it's not the end of the world. They are keeping him overnight so gonna chat to family and see what we think. We've already agreed to split the bill between us all (at least the little guy has us on his side lol)

Thanks for all the advice guys, I'll post any more updates.

Gary ITR wrote: »

Any update on the car? Is it ok?

lol car f*cked also Though car will be decidedly cheaper to fix :rolleyes:

Hey everyone, update is: surgery will be 650-700 euro (plus 100 for our own vet) so 750 not bad as we are going to split three ways (parents, brother and myself) Vet said in her professional opinion that surgery was a better option for the cat but also that in a recession, amputation is an "acceptable alternative". Tbh I think it's a bit grotesque to go down the amputation route purely for financial reasons (and every time I buy a pint/cigarette/new clothes I will feel guilty thinking I should have spent the money on the cat! :rolleyes:) so we are going to opt for surgery. There will be a 6-8 week recovery period where he will be crated for a while and kept indoors but at least at the end, he will have all his limbs

lubie76 wrote: »

That's great Op, fair play to you for making that sacrifice, lots wouldn't. He is so lucky! Hope the operation goes well and let us know how he gets on.

I will of course Glad I made this decision, hope he gets through the surgery ok. I'll post updates tomorrow. Back home now to the rest of the menagerie (4 cats and a dog lol)