We had a 5 week old Singapura kitten, who mysteriously one morning was totally paralyzed from her waist down, back legs dragging, cold and lifeless, her upper torso warm and she her self was running a temp of 39.9, mad rush to the Vets, x-rays were done and my Vet thought it was rickets, mum still feeding and kittens not eating any solid food as yet, (typical of this queens babies), he wanted to put her to sleep due to the severity of her paralysis, l was not happy with this and said NO, it just didn’t make any sense.

I took her home and separated her from her siblings,  bottle fed her, then searched their room, although my Vet said if it was a spider bite and due to her being so young she would have died fairly quickly, so it seemed to be rickets, mum and babies were in the ensuite due to the mother liking privacy and a quite place. I was still convinced it was a spider bite of some sort.

After searching under everything and moving things l found two white tail spiders, l rang my Vet, was told she would not probably survive and l should consider euthanasia, due to her size and age, a small kitten was not going to survive a bite.

I gave her an injected of  histamil, (on his advice)  & also started cold water massages every two hours on her tiny lifeless hind legs, rubbed pure Alovera gel all over her hind legs and hip area. In her milk bottle l gave her crushed Vit C with a dash of Nutra gel vitamin supplement and Protexin powder.

The massaging continued for 5 days every 2 hours, to try and stop the swelling and the heat that was consuming the lower half of her tiny little body, mind you at this stage she is as bright as a button. After this point, the swelling was starting to subside a little, she was not on antibiotics so started her on Antirobe Liquid, once a day, after speaking to my Vet.

I was so distressed and just couldn’t put her to sleep, she would hug our face when picked up and lick your nose, such a happy baby, racking my brain of what to do, many sleepless nights, spent with her in my arms asleep.

By the second week, her right hind leg was shriveling, swelling & heat now gone down, and only having cold water massages four times a day, still rubbing in the Alovera gel, by the Friday, (hope you all have strong tummies,) her hind leg was coming away from her body, yes l hit the panic button, rang Vet, once again l was told that her out come was not good, and perhaps now we should consider euthanasia.

All weekend l rubbed in the Alovera gel and plugged this gapping hole with it, by the Sunday morning her hind leg was only hanging by a tiny bit of healthy skin, no smell to the huge hole in which we could see her thigh bone clearly, no necrotic tissue. she was hopping around and was so very responsive, so l snipped off the tiny thread of skin, which was becoming a nuisance and hindering her movement. Unable to bandage or try to keep the hole closed which was around the size of a 50 cent piece, l just kept pumping the wound with Alovera every hour, spotless bedding at all times.

By Monday this hole was an amazing small wound (about the size of a 5 cent piece) Her toes on her other back leg were also now shriveling and too the tip of her tail, her strength and determination to move around by her self was so emotional, l would just cry a soon as l picked her up, she was not showing any signs of discomfort, pain, eating really well including red meat and chicken. Growing stronger each day in her front shoulders and such confidence in maneuvering herself around.

So back to the Vet on the Monday with her little shriveled leg in a jar, he was in shock, but knew now not to mention ending it for her, she was getting around in her box, eating well and toilet trained. By the end of that week the toes that we shriveling had just dropped off, like a piece of dried wood and so to the tip of her tail.

Today she is 7 months old cat ,who has two fine front legs, 3/4 of her back left leg with just her toes missing and her tail tip.

Her name is "Precious" she can out run any thing around here, jumps onto the bed and off, which always makes me shudder. She runs around using her back leg as a rudder, so to speak, but when she is excited, (chasing her toy mouse) she flings herself up and hand stands and runs on her front two legs.

When you call her she comes bolting from where ever she is, up to you and asks to be picked up, grabs your face in her two front paws and smooches and licks your face. She now uses the big hooded litter trays and takes no nonsense from any one. She is “Precious” ! Nature is a wonderful thing, it appears that the cold water massages have lessened the damage to her muscle tissue and Alovera may have prevented the tissue from rotting as would normally occur as seen in spider bites. she was only on Antirobe Liquid (antibiotic) for 5 days in the early days. The wound healed quickly (5 days) after her leg dropped off and my Vet is still amazed, especially when l let her loose at the surgery and she chases every one around, and can she move, blink and you will miss her.

My Vet who has been so very supportive is going to do a Veterinary paper on her for the Veterinary Journal, as she is a very special case, and may give so help to other cats who have been bitten by a spider. All the cold water massages is believed to have contributed to why she has survived . The toxin from the spider bite was minimized and contained within the area that she was first bitten, which the body discarded.

Now there will be some of you who will be horrified that l allowed her to live & go through all of this, but if she had shown any signs of distress or refusal to eat l would have certainly put her to sleep, but those big bright green eyes of hers and watching her use her toilet, the loving way in which she uses her front paws to touch your face in the wee hours of the night while sucking on her bottle so very contentedly, l just couldn’t do it.

I do not have a problem with a 2 ¾ legged cat and she certainly does not think she is any different from the rest of the cats in our home. She is a SINGAPURA, the worlds smallest Pedigreed cat, a breed that l believe has an enormous amount of determination and courage to survive, after all their origins are that of the drain cats of Singapore in the beginning. Today they are a National Treasure and featured on the Singapore tourist information sheets. They are one of the  Cat worlds rarest & best kept secret.

 Life is special in all forms.

Disclaimer:

I am by no means saying that Alovera stopped any infection, but it is all that l used apart from Antirobe Liquid, together with a Vitamin Supplement & a pro biotic powder.

Any Cat or Kitten suspected of being bitten by a spider should be seen by a Veterinarian immediately.

Fiona  Stokes

www.mangalakatzs.com.au

Sth Gippsland, Victoria.

Registered Specialist Breeder of the Singapura Cat.

Reg: Feline Control Council, Victoria

Patience Vet: Dr Jim Euclid, (Cat Lovers Vet Clinic)

	Web www.catsofaustralia.com