Max

Max is the cat we inherited when we bought our house.  About 10 years old, a rough looking outdoor brown tabby cat.  Skinny, with a permanently snarled lip and deformed right ear.  He looked very scary, but turned out to be a very loving cat.  We jokingly call him Pirate Max because despite his rugged looks, he also meows like he is saying "ARGH!"

We went out on Saturday, and he was limping and incontinent, dragging his tail behind him.  We took him to a local vet who said he had a fractured pelvis and nerve damage.  He wanted us to keep him indoors for 2 weeks in a room where he could not jump or run so he could heal.

Today, we walked into the basement to diarrhea everywhere... and we decided to take him to a more specialized small animal vet an hour away. He is now in the kitty hospital.  His tail is to be amputated tomorrow, after much thought.  His tail is completely severed and will never regain feeling or function.   His liver and kidney function tests weren't great, but we are going to try to save him anyway.  His bowels are now spastic and he can't feel bowel movements, but there is a chance that nerve innervation can come back?  His bladder was so full, it was causing the sphincter to involuntarily open to relieve the pressure... so he manually emptied the bladder, which I can do at home....  once a day.  He is on IV antibiotics right now...  Hopefully, the fracture can heal over time with rest.

I will know more tomorrow after the surgery.  I told my husband if he gets his bowel control back, we are making him an indoor kitty, whether Max agrees or not.  If he cannot get bowel control back, but can heal, he can go on living outside where he has lived for 10 years perfectly content...

Anyway, I've been very sad over the Pirate named Max.