Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Airgun spinal cord injuries in 23 cats from 1998 to 2022
By Sarpekidou, Eirini et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2025·Companion Animal Clinic·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Penetrating airgun spinal cord injury in 23 cats (1998-2022).
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 23 cats suffered serious spinal cord injuries from airgun projectiles, leading to various neurological problems like difficulty moving and issues with urination. Most of these cats underwent surgery to remove the lodged projectiles, but only about 30% regained some movement afterward, while half showed no improvement at all. Unfortunately, many cats faced severe mobility challenges, and some were euthanized due to poor prognosis. This highlights the serious consequences of airgun injuries in cats and the limited success of treatments.
People also search for: cat spinal cord injury treatment · cat airgun injury symptoms · cat surgery recovery after spinal injury
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate and describe airgun spinal cord injuries (SCIs) in cats. METHODS: Records of cats presented at the Companion Animal Clinic of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with neurological deficits associated with a 4.5 mm airgun projectile (AGP) SCI were included. Only cats with lodged projectiles in the spinal canal were included in the present study. Cats were categorised into groups according to the neurological grade, management, season of presentation and projectile location. RESULTS: A total of 23 cats were included in this retrospective study. There were one cervical (C), 17 thoracolumbar (T) and five lumbosacral (L) airgun SCIs. The presence of the projectile in the spinal canal was confirmed by radiographic imaging. Of the cases, 44% were presented in autumn, which was the most frequently presenting season. Surgical management was elected in 20/23 (87%) of the cats, 1/23 (4.3%) were managed conservatively and 2/23 (8.7%) were euthanased owing to poor prognosis without treatment. The neurological grades were V and III in 83% and 4% of the cats, respectively. The remaining cats (13%) had asymmetrical neurological deficits. Conscious movement was regained in 30% of surgically treated cats; spinal walking in 20% and 50% were unimproved. Micturition restoration was not observed in most of the cases. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Airgun spinal injuries result in severe mobility and micturition disorders in cats. As a result of the small sample size, it is uncertain whether the outcome may be influenced by surgical or conservative management.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39953760/