Tears As Kitten Suffers Brain Injury After Being Squeezed By 3-Year-Old

A Texan non-profit dedicated to caring for special needs cats and kittens has shared its joy in watching one of its rescues heal from a traumatic brain injury.

Texas Cat Coalition decided to name the seriously injured kitten Pookie, after an independent rescuer asked the organization to place her under its care last year. The frail kitten had been squeezed by a toddler in her previous home.

"The vet believed that the little boy had pried [Pookie's] mouth open and that is where she sustained the damage," a spokesperson for Texas Cat Coalition told Newsweek.

"We want there to be awareness about the dangers of small children and animals. Anything can happen in a matter of seconds," they added.

After months of being fed through a tube and taught how to walk, the determined cat has finally healed from her brain trauma.

The non-profit shared its delight in her recovery in a tear-jerking TikTok video.

The video, which had been posted by @TXCatCoalition, was created to commemorate a year since the date the then kitten had been bought under the organization's care. In under a minute it chronicles Pookie's entire journey back to health, noting the fact that she'd received a brain injury so severe that she had to be taught how to eat again.

A caption spread across the social media post aptly brandished the cat a "survivor".

How Do Brain Injuries Impact Cats?

Dr. Brian Hurley serves as the medical director of AmeriVet Veterinary Partners, and he told Newsweek: "Cats and dogs have a remarkable ability to compensate for a large amount of cerebral tissue loss. Recovery from a traumatic brain injury can typically take weeks to months."

Hurley went on to tell Newsweek that the limiting factor to a pets' recovery can be owner's own ability to provide the intensive care a patient may require for a full recovery to be achieved.

"Traumatic brain injury patients may require regular nursing care, involving turning to prevent bed sores, urinary bladder management to empty if a patient is unable to stand on their own, placement of a feeding tube for nutritional support if unable to eat on their own, and physical therapy to prevent stiffening joints and muscle atrophy," he added.

As it could be expected, Pookie's recovery also required time and patience.

"Slowly she started making progress," the non-profit's spokesperson told Newsweek.

"We were able to get her to stand, but she could only walk in circles at first and then backward. She eventually learned to walk forwards. One day, she started taking little tiny steps forward, and I will never forget how happy I was on that day," they added.

Pookie had first came to the non-profit's attention on New Years' Day in 2022. When she arrived she could not lift her head or even open her eyes.

"We immediately started her on oxygen, but we knew her prognosis was poor," the spokesperson revealed to Newsweek.

The fragile kitten had to remain on oxygen and be tube fed for several days.

"Before her tube feedings we would offer Pookie a little bit of food on our finger to lick. We then started feeding her with a small baby spoon until she could figure out how to eat from a bowl," the spokesperson added.

They went on to tell Newsweek that Pookie displayed an unusually temperamental character, which they had been quick to attribute to her brain damage.

It took for a vet to examine the cat and determine that her behavior is actually the result of being in chronic pain.

"She has chronic pain in her back and in her jaw, as a result of her injury," the spokesperson explained.

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