Need Advice ,

Ok, my 4 year cat Jo-Jo just went outside like he usually does in the afternoon to play. I go outside to call him in and I can't find him. I go to my front yard and I see limping. I pick him up and bring him inside to check him out. He has a bloody nose and it is obvious that his left hind leg is hurt badly. He is walking funny and limping on it. Of course I am freaking out and crying like baby because my baby is hurt and I don't know what to do. He ate a little bit of his dry food and used the litter box. My mom with her usual self is trying to tell me he is ok, that he got into a fight with a tom cat outside.(There is no proof of that btw) I am trying to get her to take him to the vet in the morning just to be on the safe side. Yes, he has had a rabi shot this year. Any thoughts on what I can do for him tonight to help him out. Thanks..

OMG! Poor Jo Jo! He must see a vet ASAP! If you can't take him in till morning, then keep a very close eye on him till then. Cats don't display pain and/or discomfort readily, limping and bloody nose is very bad! Not to make you more upset, but don't listen to your mom.
I wouldn't leave food out over night, watch his water intake and keep his litter clean. If he will let you examine him, look for scratches and/or puncture wounds, clean them thoroughly. Watch for excessive cleaning, his balance, test his hearing, vision, and coordination, he could have a head injury.......
to Jo Jo

It sounds to me like he may have been hit by a car. I am sorry you are being forced to wait until tomorrow. He could have internal injuries. Maybe ask your mom again to bring him in today? He may be suffering. I'm sorry you cannot do it yourself. Is there someone else you could call?

Could it not be that he jsut got into a fight with another cat and having a hurt leg and bloody nose is the result. At least that is what I hope anyway. he is tough guy and it is just so frusterating to see him like this. He does have a little cut where his whiskers are and I put peroxide on it to clean it and so on. I guess i will just watch him and decide in the morning. He is on my bed right now asleep.

I am so sorry! Poor kitty Is the blood coming from his nose or is it a scratch on his nose??
I don't know if fighting with another cat can cause a head injury and if blood is coming from his nose that's most likely what happened. I agree that he may have been hit by a car, I really hope that's not it, and since you can't be sure what it is that injured him I'd take him in anyway to get X rays because unless you saw what happened you can't know for sure that he doesn't have internal injuries...

No, there was just a little bit of blood in and on his nose, it wasn't a lot just like he had a scratch or something hit it. I highly doubt a car hit him, seeing as how he goes no where near the road. My house is somewhat far from the highway. I have never seen him even halfway near the road let alone in it. I am taking him to the vet first thing in the morning. What would they do to him. Just like do a normal examination and possible x-rays. I have also noticed he is not really responding to me or maybe he just does not care right now. He will walk alittle then sit down and just take a nap. I am praying and hoping that when I wake up in the morning that he will miraculously be healed. This is so strange, I am in the midst of starting school to become a vet's assistant. Man, if only I had already started the classes, i would be more prepared and more relaxed instead of freaking out. I believe I could be really good with other people's animals, but not my own, it is way to hard to deal with your kids.

Fighting with a tom cat of unknown health and vaccination status is just as dangerous as being hit by a car. A single bite from an infected cat can give your Jojo FIV. Simply fighting with the other cat, even without a bite, could give him Feline Leukemia. Both are fatal diseases.

I hope he checks out okay at the vet tomorrow morning. But I would keep him inside, or harness train him and take him out on supervised outings, if fighting with strange cats is an issue.

I have been against him going outside from day one. I don't like it one bit. But since he is very playful and restless at times, certain people in my home let him outside to play for 15-20 mins. I have always said, nothing good can come from him being outside, but unfortunately it takes this incident now to confirm my worries. The thing is, is that I have never seen another cat around my house, let alone anywhere else for that matter. We do have coyotes, but God forbid it was that that hurt my boy. I honestly beieve that while he was outside for 15 mins, no more, that a tomcat came along(out of nowhere) and picked a fight with him. JoJo is not exactly Rocky Balboa, but he is tough. The other possible cat just roughed him up a bit and left him limping and tired. At least that is what I am telling myself for the time being, and to get some sleep before tomorrow morning. I hope the weather does not cause any delays in when the vets office open up. Anyway thanks for all the well wishes, and advice. I will be back in a while to let everyone know what the vet said. Thanks...

I am sorry this happened... I hope from now on he can be inside 100%... I agree with you - no good can come from going outside, unless supervised, PERIOD.
There is nothing you can do now, besides watching him, and maybe giving him plenty of fluids, keeping his wounds clean, and if you have some wet food, making him eating.
If he becomes wobbly, get lethargic, and you believe he is in a lot of pain, HURRY him to the ER if at all possible.
You can call your regular vet, he/she should have an answer machine with the phone # and address to their affiliated ER Hospital. Take your kitty there. If you don't have the money,but are over 18, you can apply for carecredit and use it immediately to pay the bill - this way if your mom doesn't agree, all you need to do is to put him in a cab,and go. Hopefully it will not come to this though...
Please let us know how he is doing, and if you need any help, we are going to be here - there is always one of us awake!

Oh I am so sorry for your kitty. I am sorry too that your mother does not seem to respond to the seriousness of this.

Sorry, I hit the wrong key...I wasn't finished. (typing in the dark.

I hope he is better in the am, but please if he is, still take him in. Poor baby. I think you will have to have a talk with all concerned and insist the cat stay inside.

I hope this kitty made it thru the night ? Any update ?

I'm so hoping for a happy update - many prayers for you both!

Just wanted to say I totally understand how frustrating it is to have a member of your household let your cat out against your wishes. Some people are under the mistaken impression that it is somehow healthier for a cat to go outside and roam around unfettered than be "cooped up" all day. I can tell you from years of experience, cats are much healthier when kept indoors 100% of the time. Even on a harness, there are ticks and fleas out there. I have had my cat for 17 years, and for a few of those years I had a spouse who insisted on letting her go out. We lived on a quiet road in the country so I wasn't worried about cars. She ended up getting in a cat fight and getting bit and had to go to the vet. It could have been much worse. She is now a total indoor cat and is healthier than ever. Sometimes I think cat owners who let their cats out are just lazy and don't want to clean the litterbox frequently. Just my two cents, and if you disagree you are probably one of the lazy ones.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE ADVICE AND WELL WISHES. SO, WE TOOK HIM TO THE VET. THIS VET IS VERY GOOD AND I TRUST HER. ANYWAY, THE VET DOES BELIEVE HE DID GET INTO A FIGHT WITH A TOMCAT. THEY SHAVED A LITTLE BIT OF HIS FUR ON HIS HIP/HIND LEG AND THERE WAS A MEDIUM SIZE SCRATCH ON IT AND THAT OBVIOUSLY WAS WHAT WAS CAUSING HIM TO LIMP ALSO HE HAD SOME LOOSE FUR AND A COUPLE OF SCRATCHES ON HIS FACE, A CUT LIP AND SOME WHISKERS MISSING. THE VET DID A THROUGH EXAM ON HIM AND DREW SOME BLOOD AND SAID THAT HIS HEMOGLOBIN WAS GOOD.( NOT QUITE SURE WHAT THAT MEANS, JUST KNOW THAT SHE SAID IT WAS GOOD, ALSO MEANING NO FELINE LUEKEMIA) SHE GAVE HIM SOME PENOCILIAN AND WELL I CAN'T THINK OF WHAT ELSE SHE SAID, BUT I JUST REMEMBER HER SAYING THAT HE SHOULD BE FINE AND THAT HE SHOULD START TO FEEL BETTER REAL SOON. I ACTUALLY JUST GOT HOME WITH HIM LIKE 15 MINS AGO. I TOOK HIM IN ANOTHER ROOM WITH HIS WATER, SOME FOOD AND LITTER BOX TO LET HIM REST. HE WENT RIGHT UNDER THE BED TO GO TO SLEEP. I WILL STILL BE WATCHING HIM VERY CLOSELY THESE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS TO MAKE SURE HE HAS HEALED AND GETS BACK TO BEING MY SWEET LITTLE BOY AGAIN. WELL IT IS NOT THAT MY MOM WAS AGAINST ANYTHING OR DIDN'T BELIEVE THAT HE SHOULD GO TO THE VET, IT IS JUST THAT SHE IN HER OWN WAY WAS TRYING TO CALM ME DOWN AND JUST BE A MOM. SHE WAS RIGHT THERE WITH HIM THE WHOLE TIME AND I KNOW SHE WOULD HAVE DONE ANYTHING FOR JOJO TO MAKE HIM ALL BETTER. I DID TELL HER THAT HE WILL NO LONGER GO OUTSIDE, AND IF HE DOES I WILL WATCH HIM LIKE A HAWK. I WANT TO START HIM ON A LEASH, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW HE WILL TAKE TO THAT. I WILL TRY THOUGH. NOW, THAT I CAN BREATH A SIGH OF RELIEF, I CAN HOPFULLY HAVE A DECENT NEW YEAR'S EVE. AGAIN THANKS TO YOU ALL FOR THE SUPPORT.!!!!!!!!!!

No, i agree with you a 100%. If i had my way he would never go outside. It all started with my mom letting them outside just to roam around and play. They like to watch the birds and catch bugs, at least that is what jojo did. Jojo had a brother named diego. They were inseparable. Again my mom would let them outside, just like 15-20 mins a day. They claim the cats would scratch at the door and cry like crazy, so instead of doing something else, they would open the door and out they ran. One afternoon, she open the door and diego never came back. So being outdoors is not my thing. btw, JoJo is the cat in the middle on my profile.

Oh good news! What a great way to end the year.

Thanks for letting us know! Happy New Year!

Awww...well lets hope he heals up real fast.....if a cat wants out they will get out eventually....I have one like that too.....runs for the door ....we catch her most times..but then there are other who don't pay to much attention...and she is gone....what I do is tie her out...some on here do not like that idea but I only do that when I am able to be outside with her...Its help ALOT...she doesn't bolt as much to the door....thanks for the update some healing vibes for your kitty

I am so glad the injury will heal!
Jake always wants to go out too. Sometimes he runs out the door but thankfully once he is out he gets scared and stays by the door smelling the ground until I pick him up and put him back inside. I feel bad for keeping him indoors because he begs and cries to go out, usually I let him out in the summer in a fenced enclosure but he wants to stay out for long periods of time and I can't sit there and watch him that long so he's never truly satisfied ..