Meet Bramble...Fospice kitten.

[snakemama]

My sister in law (Spiritserpents on PT) works at the shelter I foster for, and she fosters too. Recently, a precious singleton bottle baby came in to her home...she was all white, but her blue nose indicated that she would turn into a blue-point!



She got the name Bramble because she had a rather....thorny personality at first. She mellowed out though, and grew into a beautiful young lady. We were certain that she would be adopted immediately once she was ready to go.



Then...something was off. She didn't seem to know where her left leg was when she walked, and her spine felt odd. X-rays revealed scoliosis. This is so uncommon in cats that my sister in law was only able to find one case study on feline scoliosis despite extensive research! Unfortunately, the curve in her spine appears to be interfering not only with her walking, but with her ability to poop. The shelter vets think she has less than a year of comfortable life left to live. So my sister in law is "fospicing" her...she still technically belongs to she shelter, but she gets to live in the home she grew up in until she can't be comfortable anymore.

Bramble comes over for play dates with Ember, since they have similar energy levels. They both seem to like this, though they do need frequent breaks because they seem to annoy each other eventually. Here are a few pictures from her last visit.

The curve to her spine is really obvious here. It seems a little more noticeable every time I see her.


It doesn't stop her from having fun though!

[phesina]

OOoohhh, Bramble sweetie... dear little fospice kitten! You are darling!

And how good that she is with your sister, snakemama. Thank you both so much for your kindness. God bless you all.

[Freedom]

This story has me teary eyed. Dear Bramble, how fortunate you are to be in a loving home. And to have play dates too!

Your sister and the shelter vets are amazing; so many would say just put her down now. So glad she will have the chance to be all that she is able to be!

[Catty1]

OH gosh - I remember when it wasn't sure Bramble would survive kittenhood. She is lovely!

Can she not be fitted with a brace? Would some surgery not help, as it does in humans? I even read about a treatment for children where gentle electronic impulses are delivered to the muscles on the curved side at night and that gently and eventually pushes the spine into shape. Don't know how a cat would take to that though!

I am now reading about physical therapy, using a stool softener to help with the pooping, and the idea of Bramble getting a second assessment from an orthopedic specialist.

I hope the following are helpful:

http://www.askthecatdoctor.com/kitte...scoliosis.html


http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/...mations?page=2
"If your cat is showing neurological signs such as dizziness, seizures or paralysis postoperatively, restricted activity [with a kitten? lol] combined with physical therapy may be helpful."

[catmandu]

We are so glad that Bramble is thriving now in her Furr Ever Home.
This just shows you how love is powerful!!!!

[snakemama]

Ya know, I don't know what all SpiritSerpents and the shelter vets have discussed, but she is not the type to ignore any potentially helpful treatments for any of her beloved animals. I'm going to make sure she sees this thread so she can add any more specific information about Bramble's diagnosis/treatment.

[cassiesmom]

Awww, Bramble kitty! You are beautiful! I hope you will have a long, happy, comfortable life!

[mrspunkysmom]

Hello Bramble, Wishing you a Long life and you have come to the right place for answers.

[mrspunkysmom]

OH gosh - I remember when it wasn't sure Bramble would survive kittenhood. She is lovely!

Can she not be fitted with a brace? Would some surgery not help, as it does in humans? I even read about a treatment for children where gentle electronic impulses are delivered to the muscles on the curved side at night and that gently and eventually pushes the spine into shape. Don't know how a cat would take to that though!

I am now reading about physical therapy, using a stool softener to help with the pooping, and the idea of Bramble getting a second assessment from an orthopedic specialist.
. . . . . . Edited for brevity . . . .

Okay, I was thinking the same thing, but wasn't sure if I should mention it. There must be someway to brace the spine in one direction yet keep some of that feline mobility. And some type of electric or wave stimulation has help Lil Bub with her mobility.

[SpiritSerpents]

I actually don't know if bracing would be a viable option. The deformed vertebrae are T11, 12, and 13. A brace in this area would probably compress her chest, which would be bad, plus keeping pretty much anything on the midsection of a cat without surgically attaching it.... It would basically have to be a full-body something which would severely limit her mobility, her ability to use the litterbox, and decrease her quality of life. It also wouldn't change the fact that her vertebrae are deformed. Surgery is not an option partly because funds... realistically, I work at a shelter. Those thousands of dollars could be better spent helping a hundred other animals. The other reason is that what research I've done into human scoliosis is that the risk of paralysis after scoliosis surgery is very high. I could cut her life a lot shorter by attempting surgery. I am saving up to have an MRI done just so we can get more information and I could maybe do a case study. This is an extremely rare condition in cats. I've only been able to find a single case study, and that was a kitten that also had pectus excavatum (rare, but far more common than scoliosis) and lordosis (also rare and far more common than scoliosis). For the electrical stim, I don't know that she'd hold still long enough for it to help unless she's sedated for it.

Basically, every option in humans has major pitfalls or impracticalities for a little hyper foster kitten. We're optomistic that she might make it to a year before the nerve damage to the colon prevents her from defecating. I love her, and I wish I had a magic wand that could fix her.

[phesina]

She's beautiful. Bless you for giving her the best life ever.

[kaycountrygal]

Poor little thing! Your SIL is doing such a kind act by allowing her to be a kitten and cat and have as normal a life as possible for as long as possible. Bramble sure is pretty and I'm so sorry she has this health problem. I'm glad she has good humans to be her friends/caretaker and has a good home where she's cared for and loved.

[mrspunkysmom]

Hugs to you and Bramble. Thank you for providing a warm and caring environment for her.

[dehlers43]

My Winston had a different type of nerve damage that also affected his colon. He did really well on Clinicare, which is a liquid kind of like Ensure for cats. It made his stools really soft, making it easier for him to poop. Maybe that would be something to try with Bramble later on.....

[mrspunkysmom]

I actually don't know if bracing would be a viable option.
. . . . . Edited for brevity . . . . .
I am saving up to have an MRI done just so we can get more information and I could maybe do a case study. This is an extremely rare condition in cats. I've only been able to find a single case study, and that was a kitten that also had pectus excavatum (rare, but far more common than scoliosis) and lordosis (also rare and far more common than scoliosis). For the electrical stim, I don't know that she'd hold still long enough for it to help unless she's sedated for it.

Basically, every option in humans has major pitfalls or impracticalities for a little hyper foster kitten. We're optomistic that she might make it to a year before the nerve damage to the colon prevents her from defecating. I love her, and I wish I had a magic wand that could fix her.

Check out Lil Bub for the exact nature of the stimulation used. I don't think it was electric like a TENS system with electrodes and all, which would require sitting still.

There is another cat that might have the pectus excavatum. Please see Happy Homes Animal Rescue and look for the Siamese kitten named Pookie.

I hope I clarified the stimulation somewhat.