my cat was on steroids for a spinal problem and nerve damage, they were wonderful, it was an almost instant improvement and he was on them for years with no side effects.
Im glad your cat is doing better, i know people who have fiv+ positive cats, one has a 14 year old who was most probably born with it so they can have a normal life span...and more than one of those cats had false negative first tests and one of my cats had a false positive tests years ago so i really hope your vet got the right result.

how wonderful that you gave that furbbay a home knowing that he was sick.

Nowhere near as much as that inconsiderate repsonse does.

Does he have any sensation in the tail base ? if so then that is one sign that functions may return.

One of the cats that adopted us at the hotel had a broken tail and he is fine now, just a funny kink in his tail remains.

I think the best thing to do is to take the cat back to the vet and ask for more options and that this case be discussed with the other vets in the practice to see what they can come up with in terms of possible treatment routes.

Oh wow, well done you. And yes, they are family, not just a 'pet', I believe it's up to them to decide when enough is enough, not us. And then it's up to us to make the decision..

Brian has a good quality of life, that has been established. He may not get 'better' in the sense that he may never recover the ability to be able to wee where and when he wants, but that's for us to deal with regarding furnishings etc.
I am well prepared to deal with all that, and it appears, so is he. He will never regain function in his tail, so in that respect he will not get 'better',
He already has adapted, for example he would always sit for a cuddle next to me on the settee, where I put my feet up. Now, he stands up on the chair and waits for me to put absorbant pads down (around where he sits), headbutts my armpit and then settles down. This has happened more times than can be counted as coincedence.

Unfortunately it's broken at the bottom of the spine. We are hoping the nerves will grow back, but he will never be able to use his tail.


Thanks, but we are in constant contact with the vets, it's only been this week when we haven't been in every week. 6 weeks later (The first few days he had to be kept in) The vet who originally suggested he might be put down saw him last week, He hadn't seen him since then, and he said he was pleased about Brian's progress and how we had dealt with the issues.
I asked him straight, 'Seeing him now, would you suggest we put him down?'
Vet, immediate answer 'No.".

Thats very interesting to know. The only thing that worries me about the steroids is in case they are doing damage we may not be aware of, but its good to know from owners like yourself that your cat has been on them for some time with no negative effects. They have truly been a life saver for our poor baby. He's sitting next to me as I type now, as right as rain, and very contented.
The false negative tests for FIV is also interesting because in spite of how poorly he has been, my husband is still not convinced he is FIV+, so when we have saved up a bit more money we might have a more accurate test done, because I understand there are two, and one is more accurate than the other.

I was wondering how Brian was doing...any news?

hope all is still well and he is progressing or getting used to things....the setup with the cage sounds ideal and fingers crossed he will get better and better as time goes by....all the best to both of you