I am sorry you've had such a awful experience, and your kitten was attacked.
I just wanted to ask if you have any update on Nessa for us?
Also I wanted to tell you two experiences I've had with cats, that may give you a little hope.
When I was at Uni I saw some boys smacking a kitten against cars as they walked, whilst holding it by the tail. When I got to the scene I went hell for leather at the boys, and rescued the unconcious blood soaked kitten. I rang vets, and the RSPCA, and was told it wasn't worth seeing, and to keep it quiet and in a dark box. Angry and frustrated that no-one would help, I took him to the Uni reception, where I put him in a t-shirt lined box, and covered the box so it was dark, and expected to be collecting a dead boy a few hours later. When I came back however, he was alive and rambling - albeit wobbly - around the office, with the staff saying they'd kept him warm and kept checking on him, and now he's even had water which they tipped into his mouth. I drove the 2 and half hours to my own personal vet who assessed him, kept him in for a few days, and then released him to me. He turned out to be a Bengal kitten, but no-one claimed him, despite advertising. He made a virtually full recovery, even though the initial assessment said he may have brain damage, and he sometimes dragged his legs without warning for a few steps. But he was fine. Kittens make fast recoveries, so make sure you ask the vets lots of questions before making any decisions. You will know what is right.
The second incident is of my current cat now. He was hit by a car, and missing for a week. He was left with mild brain damage but didn't really seem to be noticably effected as he was always a lazy cat. Then recently he was attacked by a dog. He had teeth marks in his head, and had been shaken violently about. There is this old man who walks with a stick, who has 2 elderly dogs, which he walks without leash - the one which is a lab mix always waddles along slowly behind - until he sees a cat. He has even, one time when the front door hadn't been closed, chased our cats right into the house before, and we caught him in the front room, after hearing the commotion, before he saw us and bolted. His owner is half deaf and thinks it's funny when his dog runs off.
Anyway - Puffy was in quite a state, and we were told to see if we wanted to try and rehabilitate him, or put him to sleep. I had the time and the will - so we went through a rehabilitation programme. He is slower, has a wonky face now, but he still is very happy and affectionate. He is now a indoor cat, but I take him out for an hour long walk, once a day, on a harness and lead. He is more than capable of telling me when he is not amused by this by rolling over on his side and playing dead, but some vocal encouragement and he's off and trotting along nicely, tail in the air, and purring away softly. I have had to teach him road awareness again as he is convinced roads mean 'lay down' or stop and panic, and I have also had to work hard with him to build confidence in general. He will always freak out when he sees dogs about, but I would too, if I'd had my head in a dogs mouth.
Life after attacks is possible, and can have a full recovery, but please take in to consideration, your kitten's medical history, current condition, prognosis, and that it may be a big commitment. I currently have the time to spend more than 3 hours a day devoted entirely to him, doing the walks, and the full body massage, and lots of fuss and attention. Not everyone has that luxury.
Sending Nessa positive thoughts, and well wishes for a speedy recovery.
