Should I be concerned?

Last night, while I was taking my 13 year old cat for supervised outside time, a pit bull charged into my yard and lunged at him. I immediately jumped on the dog and pulled him off. Those five seconds were a blur and I didn't get a good look at whether or not he actually landed any bites on my cat. I don't think he had the chance before I grabbed him, but I can't be 100% sure.

When my cat came out of hiding in the bushes, I looked him over and found no visible injuries. He ate immediately, and has eaten and drank regularly today. He has also peed, but no poop yet, though that isn't unusual for him. No vomiting.

My concern is mostly over his back legs, and his behavior. About a year and a half ago, he sustained an injury that caused permanent lameness in his hind legs. After the dog attack, the weakness in his legs has increased slightly. He still walks and gets up on the couch fine, but with slightly more difficulty than before. I hope that he is just sore, but I can't help worrying, especially with his behavioral changes. Normally he is a very happy cat, quick to purr and play, chirps when I approach him and always wants to cuddle. Since the attack, he seems subdued. He still grooms himself and sometimes he will play if I bring out his favorite toy. Every now and then I can get a purr out of him. But he isn't quite himself, and I don't know whether it's because he is traumatized, sore from the attack, or my fear is that he could have internal damage somewhere. Although I don't believe the dog landed any serious bites on him, I can't rule out that possibility.

I have a history of being easily alarmed when it comes to my cats' health, and I've taken him into the vet so many times and had it be over nothing, that I've begun to doubt my own judgement. I'm not sure whether to continue keeping an eye on him at home and see if he improves over the weekend and take him in on Monday if he still not acting like himself by then, or take him in to the emergency vet. What would you do?

I would say he is most definitely traumatized, can you imagine?!! Wow.......

I also think he is likely a bit sore too, if nothing else due to the severe/extreme tense muscles at work in a split second.

As for bite wounds, one sure way to find them is to bathe him, but you can also do this with a wet warm washcloth all over his body. Blood will show up that way.

I think honestly, due to your fast action it saved his life, literally.

No limping or anything else to show any damage, the trauma will take a few for him to forget too.

Lots of babying

Not sure how but I would investigate what you might be able to do to secure his territory so that never happens again.

Too scary.

You saved your cat but this is why I have never given into the temptation to walk my cats on a leash.

That is a very traumatizing experience and I wouldn't be surprised if your cat is very emotionally shaken. That he is having noticeably more difficulty getting around doesn't seem like an emotional symptom, though. That makes me think he is more than just a little sore because cats normally do such an expert job at hiding pain, but his previous injuries may be contributing to that so I'm not sure. A good appetite, though, is a wonderful sign! I don't think he'd eat if any organs were damaged. Still, can you call the emergency clinic and see if they think you should bring him in? I'm leaning toward better safe than sorry.

In the future you might want to eliminate even supervised outdoor trips. This same thing happened to my neighbor and her cat in their yard when the neighbor's husky spotted the cat, and unfortunately she could do nothing to stop it. (It's not the dog's fault obviously, it's just instinct. But if you think those neighbors kept their dog contained in their yard after it killed a someone's cat, you'd be wrong.) I'd suggest a leash and harness so you'd never be more than a step away from him if you think that's something he'd like, but I think if I were him I'd probably never want to go outside again anyway.

Thank you all. I'll try calling the emergency vet and ask what they would advise me to do. His regular vet told me to watch him for signs of abdominal pain or paleness in his gums, and see how he is on Monday.

I am definitely not taking him outside again, not without a cat enclosure or a fence all around the yard. Last night was terrifying and I never want to experience anything like that again. All I could think when I saw the dog was that if he managed to lock his jaws on my cat and shake him, that my cat would probably die. Thank god that didn't happen.

wow what a scary experience. I hope kitty is ok.