Injured Cat

Hi Guys,

My cat Tigger is 2 years old and a neutered male. He is a gorgeous very affectionate big ball of fluff and very placid with other cats but there has recently been a tom cat roaming the area and whenever him and Tiggy spot one another it's howling and paw patting. We always rush out to ensure it doesn't develop into a full blown fight and so far it hasn't to our knowledge. However tonight I heard the howling and rushed out but couldn't spot where the cats were. As I rushed round the back of our house I saw a bushy tail going over the fence at the end of the garden and am assuming it was Tiggy (his tail resembles a foxes so is quite distinctive.). He came home an hour ago and is distinctly unhappy. I went and picked him up and he meowed in discomfort. I put him down very gently and watched him moving. As far as I could see he wasn't limping and definitely isn't bleeding. I got some chicken and he happily ate it (no change there) and I moved it just out of his reach to watch him move which he did with no meowing. However since he's laid down at the foot of my bed he's very clearly in discomfort when he moves. I touched the top of his leg and he meowed so I suspect it's his leg that's hurt but it could be his tummy. I don't believe the other cat has got the better go him, tbh it is Tiggy which has taken an extreme dislike to the other cat and is always more aggrieved to see the tom cat than the tom cat is. So I think he may have fallen off a wall or landed awkwardly but to get in the house he had to jump the wall onto the shed and then down into the window and at no point was he meowing doing this because I heard him come in (he's very heavy footed and a tiny bit plump). I don't want to move him to take him vets if it's something that will ease off quickly but I don't want him in pain and will happily take him vets if that's best for him. The only thing he dislikes equally as much as the tom cat is the vet. He gets very upset at going in the cat carrier and sweats through his paws profusely and cowers at the vets so I don't want to put him through that if there's a likelihood he just needs rest.

Any advice much appreciated - you can probably tell I adore the lil fella and am weighing up pro's and cons of taking him to vets or waiting a day but I don't like the thought of him being in pain.

I understand the stress of taking your kitty to the vet. It's never a fun trip for anyone feline or human alike. We have taken our kitty to the vet 5 times in 9 days due to an anal abscess that started out as an infected gland that ruptured it went from bad to worse quickly even after doing everything and more that the vet told us to do.

Cats don't exhibit pain signs unless it's severe because it shows they are weak and can be pray for other animals so if your cat is showing discomfort when you touch his leg please take him to the vet. With my cat she's wearing the cone of shame and has been unhappy with this but it prevents her from injuring herself further and I'd rather her get healthy and be unhappy with us in the meantime than be unhealthy and unhappy due to pain. Out cat has an abscessed anal gland and you wouldn't know it by her mood most of the day and we know it's agonizing for her.

Good luck and hope your Tigger is ok.

Unfortunately, it sounds like Tiggy is gonna have to endure the trip to the vet.  You don't want to risk inflammation setting in because it may delay recovery.  I understand wanting to "wait and see".  At the very least, you can call your vet and see what they recommend.  Good luck & please keep us posted!

Tiggy is definitely going into the vet. He's clearly in pain and is unhappy. Our other cat has gone up to him as is usual and he hissed which is completely out of character for him. Just waiting for vets to open to make appointment to take him in, called the emergency vet and they said most likely he's been bit near the bum and it'll turn into an abscess. Apparently when the abscess starts forming its vry painful but when it subsides or bursts its better. Hopefully they'll give him a painkiller injection to stop the pain immediately and antibiotics to heal whatever harms been done. Worse thing is we prefer to keep the cats in and it's only when we get home from work we let him out to go toilet and usually he's straight back in. Just wish id never let him out. I'm sure the Tom cat is owned because he's only just shown up in the last 6 weeks. How could they not neuter him. The Tom cat is a big gorgeous looking thing, it's incredibly difficult to tell him apart from our Tiggy because they're both big medium haired tabbys but when we see him we shoo him off and I would imagine most other cat owners in the area do because we've heard the howls of two cats when Our cats have been in. Now to face getting him in the cat carrier, has to be done. Hopefully get an appointment as soon as the vets open.