- Joined
- Jun 25, 2008
- Messages
- 67
- Purraise
- 1
Hulloo all,
About 6 weeks ago, I found a cat lying behind a bush next to our house. I appraoched him slowly, knelt down and petted him; he huffed but did not raise his head, and I could see some blood in the fur around his neck.
I fed him some tuna, then went and bough cat food at the store, and over the next few days fed him in the morning and evening. He was very weak, and at night I could hear him fighting with another cat or some other animal, and the next day there would always be a fresh wound or some such on the poor guy. His eye (the blue one; the other is yellow) was half-closed with conjunctivitis, and was leaking brownish pus. He also had a large gash and a thick black scab on his upper nose.
I managed to get him to walk into a large carrying case and brought him to the vet. After 3 days there and a very large vet bill, I was told he was clean for parasistes and heart worm, FiV and FeLV as well. Fleas had been dealt with using Revolution.
Since then, Plucky (an estimated 1 year old by the vet's estimate) has gotten healthier and healthier, and is a strapping, muscular all-white bundle of joy. However, I know that if I let him out, he would fight and get hurt again...and possibly run away.
Am I being cruel for keeping him confined to my home? He spends time sleeping (of course) and playing, and loves playing with toys....but he also spends a lot of time roaming from window to window, upstairs and down, calling in the loudest most plaintive voice I have heard a cat use. He sounds like he is in pain, or at least about to cough up a hairball (that "I'm gonna be sick!" mewoling they do just before coughing one up).
I want to keep him safe indoors...but I don't want his life to be miserable either. I don't quite know how best to make him happy.
About 6 weeks ago, I found a cat lying behind a bush next to our house. I appraoched him slowly, knelt down and petted him; he huffed but did not raise his head, and I could see some blood in the fur around his neck.
I fed him some tuna, then went and bough cat food at the store, and over the next few days fed him in the morning and evening. He was very weak, and at night I could hear him fighting with another cat or some other animal, and the next day there would always be a fresh wound or some such on the poor guy. His eye (the blue one; the other is yellow) was half-closed with conjunctivitis, and was leaking brownish pus. He also had a large gash and a thick black scab on his upper nose.
I managed to get him to walk into a large carrying case and brought him to the vet. After 3 days there and a very large vet bill, I was told he was clean for parasistes and heart worm, FiV and FeLV as well. Fleas had been dealt with using Revolution.
Since then, Plucky (an estimated 1 year old by the vet's estimate) has gotten healthier and healthier, and is a strapping, muscular all-white bundle of joy. However, I know that if I let him out, he would fight and get hurt again...and possibly run away.
Am I being cruel for keeping him confined to my home? He spends time sleeping (of course) and playing, and loves playing with toys....but he also spends a lot of time roaming from window to window, upstairs and down, calling in the loudest most plaintive voice I have heard a cat use. He sounds like he is in pain, or at least about to cough up a hairball (that "I'm gonna be sick!" mewoling they do just before coughing one up).
I want to keep him safe indoors...but I don't want his life to be miserable either. I don't quite know how best to make him happy.