5-year-old male cat’s injured face?

[Cherubgirl97]

Blue came home with serious facial injuries. His bottom lip is very swolen and black (usually pink), perhaps this is extreme bruising or dried blood. His eyes are very irritated and his nose is also black (usually pink). I’m worried he’s fighting other male cats during mating season. I’m struggling to catch him to take him to the vets!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I hope you are able to catch him very, very soon and get him to a vet. It may be fighting with other cats (has he done that before?), or he encountered a rabid animal that he fought off, so it is important to ensure he sees a vet pronto! I gather he is not neutered, since you think he is fighting with other male cats? If so, is there any particular reason why he is not? 5 years old is old enough that he will likely begin to lose more and more fights to younger, stronger males. Have you thought about a catio/cat enclosure that would allow him to spend time outdoors but protect him from other animals/cats?

Please keep us posted.

 

[Cherubgirl97]

Thank you so much for your reply! I haven’t seen him at all today, neither have my neighbours. He does have a tendency to disappear for days and reappear. He’s generally a very calm cat, not necessarily agressive but he’s certainly vocal when it comes to territory. I haven’t heard of any rabid animals in the area we’re from (ever) and he doesn’t wander far.

He’s not neutered. Being adopted from ferral/stray I’ve only ever managed to catch him once before we moved house here, when he was still a kitten. I actually converted two large “sheds”/concrete rooms joined onto our property as bedrooms for him because he doesn’t go anywhere near people.

He has bonded with my other cats so I don’t class him as ferral, though catching him to be neutered has been a consistent problem (all my other cats were fixed at approx 6 months). I also heard a very loud cat fight a couple of days ago so it seems too much of a coincidence. From what I have observed the injuries are only his eyes, nose and lips. There are no injuries on his body or ears, he’s walking fine and he is still rolling in the garden grass with my other cats. I had tried to keep him as an indoor cat when we found him initially but he did not take to the lifestyle, perhaps he is semi-ferral but I love him dearly and he does exclusively come to me (when hungry) and let me pet his ears very very briefly. As well as the kitty bedrooms, he does have a very expensive outdoor house to give him space but he hasn’t used this since the incident.

I waited in the kitchen since 7am this morning until around 8pm hoping to see him but he hasn’t shown up yet. I saw him yesterday evening so I’m hoping to see him tonight. If I’m alone he will enter the kitchen for ham/chicken/treats which allows me to flea and worm him, only if the door is wide open and he doesn’t feel trapped.
This picture was taken before the incident. He usually sits with his mouth open and does have a lazy eye. He is also a very small cat, but chubby. Hence the name Blueberry (Blue, Blue boy).

 

[cataholic07]

You will probably have to trap him, stop leaving food out, after awhile he will be hungry enough to go into the trap. And also get him neutered at the same time when he goes to get his mouth checked.

 

[Cherubgirl97]

Once I catch him he’ll be getting neutered and chipped. If after neutering he’s able to adapt to an indoor environment or even a more confined area that would be preferable.

 

[Cherubgirl97]

Blue has been taken to the vets. He’s thought to have been hit by a car and have a fractured or broken jaw. It was £600 to have sedation, pain relief, X-Rays and overnight care. Additional costs will depend on further treatment.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Oh, I am so sorry! But, so glad you were able to catch him and get him to the vet! Keep us posted on how he is doing.

 

[Cherubgirl97]

Unfortunately Blue has passed away, he had to be put down. The majority of his teeth had been knocked out, the rest were all broken. His cheeks were split from impact. His jaw was broken and dislocated in multiple areas. His lower lip was hanging off. He suffered major blood loss and there were signs of infection. He was sedated, cleaned and euthanised within 2 hours.

Please drive safely.

 

[Uncled]

So sorry for your loss, never easy when you loose pet.

 

[Cherubgirl97]

Thank you. It’s certainly a shock at such a young age and during a coronavirus lockdown when less cars should be on the road.

 

[stephanietx]

What a horrible situation for you. I'm so sorry!.

 

[Cherubgirl97]

My eldest cat is 12 next, none have had medical problems before Blue’s RTA. Blue’s adoptive father Meeka is in mourning and sits at his grave all day everyday at the moment, I’m having to feed Meeka there. It must have been very difficult for him to see his baby with what the vets described as an exploded face, as it was with me. Though I tried not to look for more than a few seconds, Meeka had tried nursing him.