R.I.P. Sherpa the Kitten

Today was not a good day. We were getting things ready for the storm that’s supposed to hit tomorrow (although it may just skirt us and go back out to sea…) and Cat was home so we were already facing a full schedule.

Cat brought out the 4 kittens for “recess” to play in the kitchen. They were all running around happily and I went upstairs to finish getting dressed and such-like. Then I heard a thump down below, and then a kitten scream, and then Cat wail in anguish…!

UH OH!

I untangled myself from clothing and hurriedly rushed down the stairs, by the time I reached the kitchen, Cat was holding the black and white kitten, named “Sherpa” for her habit of always wanting to climb up things, to her chest and crying.

I cried out, “What happened?!?”

Cat said the kitten was just playing and apparently smacked her head. Not unduly hard or anything, just like a normal kitten being a little clumsy, sliding and going “bonk” on the edge of a box. But then she went crazy, pawing at her head and going back and forth under the edge of the counter– THEN she had a seizure!

Cat was panicked, and so I reminded her there was a 24 hour vet clinic in the area, and I got a cat carrier and we went. The kitten continued to have seizures, even after being given a sedative. They weren’t sure what was wrong and it would cost over $1000 to find out… but obviously it seemed related to a bizarre brain injury that wasn’t going to heal on its own. There was likely brain swelling involved…

So we made the decision to put Sherpa to sleep. Then we took her home and buried her. Poor thing.

A vet tech friend of mine said it was likely that the Sherpa’s skull wasn’t fully formed and closed and she smacked herself on a “soft spot” and gave herself a brain injury. It was a freak accident on top of a small genetic abnormality most likely. There was no way to know it was there, let alone prevent a kitten from playing and bonking its head a little sometimes.

Just very sad and not a great way to start a weekend… =^(