Cat caught a ground squirrel

[suzne01]

This is new to me - I've never posted on a board like this, but need some help. My cat brought home a Calif. ground squirrel Saturday evening. I chased the cat off, but the squirrel wasn't looking good at all. It was kinda flattened, turning in circles, and acting like his legs or back were injured. We brought him into the house, put him in a box with towels, water and food, and watched him carefully. He seems to be getting better, but I think he's either blind or close to it. He doesn't react to my hand being close to him unless I make a sound or touch him - then he startles. He does seem to react to light/dark though. He cocks his head to one side, listening, when he hears me close by. He's eating well, and it appears his digestive system is working OK. But he hasn't tried to get out of the box, even though we left it open (but safely tucked into our shower enclosure). I believe one front leg is hurt. There are no visible wounds and no blood, but I haven't actually looked closely enough at his whole body to be sure (I'm a little bit afraid to pick him up). Would a local vet be able to help? And is blindness common in squirrels? After reading several postings here, I was surprised to see that the running in circles and blindness was not so unusual! He obviously can't be released into the wild if he's blind, and I would like to care for him myself if possible. Will he get used to me? He's not a baby, but I don't believe he's full-grown either. Any advice would be appreciated.

[GhosTS]

First of all :Welcome to the Squirrel Board.If the squirrel was in the cats mouth or anywhere near it you have to take him to a wildlife vet immediatly.If he is not treated he might die.Are the squirrels eyes closed or open.First take him to a wild life vet, then contact a wildlife rehabilitator in your area.There is a possibility that the rehab will take the squirrel away from you.But it might save his life.

You can find a rehab in your state through this site
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contactA.htm

I'm not a rehabber or im not very experianced with squirrels either.But there are many who can help you here.But not at this hour.So keep it up.Help will come soon.And thank you so much for taking care of the squirrel.

[suzne01]

His eyes are open but they don't seem to focus on anything. I don't know if he was in the cat's mouth or not, because when I found him, he was lying on the ground under my car with the cat nearby. He seems to be doing better at times, and then sometimes he doesn't look so good. He falls over onto his left side sometimes. I'm trying to find a vet in my area that will see him.

[Momma Squirrel]

:Welcome suzne01, glad to have you on board, just wish it was better reason. I can't help much but I do know that cats do put out a poison that will harm other animals, especially squirrels. Good luck in finding a vet or you might try a wildlife sanctuary if you have one in your town. If they can't help they can steer you in the right direction of a good vet. Keep us posted.

[suzne01]

Thanks for the Welcome to both of you! Good news - I found a WONDERFUL lady in the Santa Ynez Valley named Julia who does wildlife rehab. She was very supportive, energetic, friendly, and referred me to a local vet. I called the vet, he got me in today, and checked out the squirrel for me. The squirrel has no outward injuries other than a torn toenail, but he is blind and has some neurological damage. Could have fallen from a tree, or could have a concussion from being pounced on by the cat, the vet couldn't say. But the blindness is not due to any eye injury. No antibiotics were needed, but he did put some flea spray on the little guy for me. He was very feisty (much more so than he has been the last 3 days) when we were at the vet's, and I took that as a good sign. The vet suggested I care for the squirrel for a few weeks and keep an eye on his balance and circling. He confirmed the squirrel is male, less than a year old. In the meantime my mate is building a great cage for the squirrel and we should be able to move him into it tomorrow. So, with a lotta loving and some time, we'll see how well he does. Thanks again.
:thankyou

[GhosTS]

Thats good news.But I feel sad that he is blind.But I do remember someone in this forum who is taking care of a blind squirrel.He is doing great.You might try the search & search for him.He will be able to give you loads of advice.In the mean time,take good care of him.

[Squirrelly]

:Welcome suzne01! I've been to Solvang with my husband and stepdaughter and her husband in 1993 I think it was. It's a nice Dutch community and I still have the dutch water boy and girl magnets on my fridge. We stopped there as we were headed up the coast to Monterey. It was fun, we ate in Clint Eastwoods restaurant (Hogs Breath Inn) in Carmel by the sea. We went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Pebble Beach drive where we saw that famous tree that's always photographed.

Just wanted to say hi and welcome to the squirrel board. I hope your little blind squirrel will be fine and still have a good quality life. Keep us updated on his progress.:grouphug

[thundersquirrel]

i had a rat who always leaned to one side. the vet said she had an inner ear infection. we put her on antibiotics, but she was forever leaning to the side. if we hadn't gotten her the medicine, though, she would've gotten worse, and started running in circles.

course, this sounds like brain damage. inner ear infections and brain damage can have the same side effects, i suppose. i just hope it's not permanent.

by the way, would you be willing to keep this squirrel as a pet? or is it too wild? the thing is, being blind doesn't exactly help them survive in the wild, lol. releasing it would be prime, but does your rehab lady think it would be ok on it's own without sight?

just a thought....

[Momma Squirrel]

So glad you found some help. Sorry to hear he is blind, but yes I think we have at least 2 people on the board that deal with this same situation and their little fuzzers do just fine. It does take alot of love and patience and it sounds like you may just be the right person to take the job. Good luck and what are you going to name him???

[suzne01]

We haven't come up with a name for him yet - still looking for the perfect fit. He loves his new cage - he's standing and sitting up a lot more, although he still runs in circles and falls over a lot. But I set it up with grit-paper (the kind used in birdcages) on the floor, some rocks and wood pieces (unused pieces of firewood), and pine shavings on the floor. Now he has something to grab hold of when he falls over and he can right himself again - the cardboard box we had him in was too smooth and he couldn't sit up very well. He's holding his tail up now, too, which is a good sign. Obviously since he's blind we will not be able to ever release him - he wouldn't survive a single night out here. Too many feral cats, coyotes, hawks, and even mountain lions in our area. Yep, believe it or not, Solvang isn't just a little Danish community (not Dutch, but close... I haven't been able to figure out the difference myself) - we have a lot of wildlife and are close to nature here. I truly do love it!

Thanks again to all of you for your kind words and support. This is a great forum you've got here and I've learned so much in the last few days!

[Squirrelly]

:thankyou for keeping us up to date on his progress. If you see him again and are able, we'd love to see a picture of him. Hope he keeps improving.

[lillypilly]

Hi Suzneo1 - Welcome - you have come to the right place for information on your baby. The members are wonderful and you will gain a wealth of information, along with a lot of encouragement. I'm still sort of shy at posting but when I read about your little baby (blindess and possibly brain damage) I couldn't let this one go.

I take care of nothing but "special needs" babies - they can never be released into the wild. I have experience with blind and brain damaged babies, and the critically ill. Those that are close to me know I will stop at nothing to save a baby's life - even walk on water if I have to.

From your posts, it sounds like you are doing a great job so far. Your baby will most definitely bond with you - you are now its mother.

If I can help you in any way, please let me know. In the meantime, keep up the good work.

[suzne01]

Thanks for the encouragement. I am definitely keeping him, there's no way he'd survive outside. He lets me pet him now, and "right" him when he falls over and can't get back up on his own for whatever reason. He likes it when I stroke his tummy, and even let me wipe him down completely with a damp, rolled-up washcloth. He has given us a few scares, when he sleeps during the day and won't move... he acts like he's nearly dead. But we figure it's the heat (it's been in the 90's the last 2 days here and we don't have air-conditioning). He perks up in the evenings, and has started taking a bottle with a nipple and water or a little Esbilac in it, in addition to eating corn, fruit, all different kinds of seeds and some greens. He LOVES pineapple! He also ate a little bit of whitefish catfood (the expensive stuff in the little tiny can). We named him Peanut - it was the only name everyone in the house could agree on. Anyway, as far as being his mom now - he shows a lot of trust in me, and doesn't mind my presence when I clean out the cage and handle him. I haven't picked him up just to hold him yet, but I probably could. I'm going slow at it, letting him get completely used to me. I will see if I can take a picture of him in the next day or so and figure out how to post it here for you all.

[Secret Squirrel]

Hi suzne01,

Buy some rodent block at the pet store. It's rodent pellets that are large about the size of a grape. Discontinue the cat food because it is not the correct food source. Too much fat and not the proper nutrients for a squirrel. Also get some kale, broccoli, cauliflower into his diet...less fruit and more nutrients while the squirrel is developing and to prevent metabolic bone disease. Seeds are good but not too many and no sunflower or peanuts at this time...too much fat. Almonds ,walnuts, pecans in the shell so he has to work for the treat will help his teeth remain short. I am sure you know that their bottom teeth continue to grow and need things to chew on. I put a few fresh cut branches everyday. Oak, pine, sweetgum, maple, hickory, pecan, walnut, cherry, pear, apple branches...what ever you have in your yard. That way he chews and tastes the jucy branched. If you have no yard ask your friends or neighbors for some.....people like to help
I hope he gets better as far as the nuro part. The blindness is another story....he will climb and race around his cage and familiar areas in your home just like he could see!!!! That is once he gets the layout and oh yeah....don't move the furniture around too much!!! Hee Hee!

[suzne01]

Sad news - our little guy didn't make it. Peanut passed away today after a final stretch in the sunshine this morning. He hadn't been as active the last couple of days and wasn't eating well, and apparently it all caught up with him today. My son and I watched him take his final breath this morning as we held him in the sun in our yard. Little Peanut will be greatly missed. We had a nice burial for him this afternoon alongside previous pets who have since moved on. My son took it pretty hard, as this was his first-ever rescue of a wild animal. Life can seem so unfair sometimes, but he understands that Peanut is happy now, no longer confused and not in any pain, and can start over in a new life with a body that hasn't been all banged up. There's some comfort in that to a 12-year old boy.

Thanks to all of you who offered encouragement, support, advice, etc. You've got a great thing going here and I hope others will find as much positive energy in your efforts as I did.

[Timber]

Oh Suzne, I am so sorry for you and your sons loss. I know that you put a lot of effort and love into caring for Peanut. And least his last days were in the care and warmth of a loving family and not a cruel and painful death alone. I know how your heart must be heavy with the loss but there is always little lives that need love and care so who knows what is in store for you. I hope and pray that you have a peaceful night in knowing that you did your best for this little one.

[Squirrelly]

I am very saddened by your loss.:sad Please know that there are others who share too in your grief. Thank you for making Peanut comfortable in his final days and giving him love, the greatest gift of all.

[Momma Squirrel]

I am so sorry to hear about Peanut, the good thing is you and your son were there with him at the end and he went in a peaceful way. It is so great to have people like you and your son to help little guys like this at the end, thank you for being there.

[GhosTS]

It's so sad that peanuts passed.But he was happy in his final days.Thank you so much to taking an effort to make him happy & well.Peanuts will always be remembered.:grouphug

[la dame à l'écureuil]

Sad news - our little guy didn't make it. Peanut passed away today after a final stretch in the sunshine this morning.

I think that you did a wonderful thing to rescue Peanuts so he could have a few extra days in peace and comfort before dying. He died happy.