Cat missing since morning ( Can a tom kill/injure a cat)

[shilpa]

Hi,

A feral cat had adopted me about 8 months ago who later gave birth to 3 kittens. She and her kittens (2 females) have been living with us since then.

I have noticed a tom who is constantly monitoring the cat's movement for last one week. He has engaged in fight with my cat a few times. On two different occasions, he even grabbed/attacked one of the kittens, fortunately I was there both the time to help them escape.

My cat was very anxious last night, when I tried to put her to bed (most probably due to the tom's presence). She left the room and went out. I haven't seen her ever since. Though, I have seen the Tom again today and he has been around since evening. It's been about 24 hours since I saw her and she has never left house for that long ever since. Can the tom be the reason for her disappearance ? Can he kill/injure her ? Is she scared to return ?

I am very worried about my cat.

 

[Willowy]

If she's not spayed yet, she is most likely out getting pregnant :/. So that tom is probably guarding her and trying to keep the other toms away, or she might have gone to another neighborhood to find a tom she likes better. The young girls are probably in heat too, which would explain why he's been hanging around. There are going to be a lot of kittens in your future, if you don't have them spayed or keep them inside away from males!

Yes, toms and sometimes do kill females and small kittens, but in this case he's probably just waiting to mate with them, and guarding them from other males. With adult females, when treated roughly by a tom, they usually aren't killed right away but die later from infection due to their wounds. So if she comes back with wounds, make sure you give her the proper care so they don't get infected.

 

[shilpa]

Thanks for the quick response. I had forgotten that she would be in heat again, since the kittens are around 3.5 months old. Can the kittens this young be in heat too ? I don't know how to take her to the vet, since she would attack anyone who gets close to her, except me and my family. She refuses to get into any carrier and growls at me if i try to do so. I will take the kittens to the vet though at the earliest.

 

[Willowy]

Oh I saw the 8 months part and thought that's how old the kittens are. Yes, some kittens have gone into heat as young as 14 weeks but it's rare. They could go into heat at any time, though, so keep an eye on them.

There are a lot of ways to catch a distrustful cat, she may need to be trapped. But unless you want to be up to your ears in kittens, it's unfortunately necessary. Be sure to warn the vet first, though, so they can make preparations for handling a cat who doesn't want to be handled.

 

[shilpa]

I found her eventually today in the morning. She was on a neighbour's rooftop. When I called her name she responded. she had a hip displacement ( I think so). Also a few bite marks on her limb. I brought her home. She was growling all the time. I will take her to a vet tomorrow. But I am afraid she would not be happy and will be angry with me. She just wants to hide. I am so worried.

 

[talkingpeanut]

I found her eventually today in the morning. She was on a neighbour's rooftop. When I called her name she responded. she had a hip displacement ( I think so). Also a few bite marks on her limb. I brought her home. She was growling all the time. I will take her to a vet tomorrow. But I am afraid she would not be happy and will be angry with me. She just wants to hide. I am so worried.

She definitely needs to see a vet. I would also consider a spay, since you don't want an injured cat carrying a litter.

 

[lea98]

I found her eventually today in the morning. She was on a neighbour's rooftop. When I called her name she responded. she had a hip displacement ( I think so). Also a few bite marks on her limb. I brought her home. She was growling all the time. I will take her to a vet tomorrow. But I am afraid she would not be happy and will be angry with me. She just wants to hide. I am so worried.

I agree with the others. A cat with a potentially displaced hip giving birth will lead to complication or death to the mother or kittens, even both if the birth is too painful to endure. You should seek veterinarian assistance and get her and her kittens spayed as soon as possible. With cats, the younger the better.

 

[shilpa]

I have contacted an animal shelter since she is not ready to go to the vet. They will be taking her tomorrow to the shelter for treatment. I will get her and the kittens spayed there. I will try to get her habitual to the indoors once she is healthy however not sure since she has always been an outdoor cat.

Thanks everyone for the response.

 

[hbunny]

At this point I don't think it matters that "she is not ready" to go to a vet--or that it would make her unhappy--that is irrelevant if she is injured. You wouldn't leave a child at home with a dislocated hip just because going to the doctor would make him unhappy or if he is not ready--same scenario.  She needs treatment.

Will the shelter provide veterinary treatment?  Or just housing until a home is found for them?

 

[talkingpeanut]

I agree. She needs treatment.

 

[shilpa]

I understand what you are saying and I am trying to give her the best. She is terrified. She was growling on the way when I brought her home. She won't let me pick her up now. Maybe because her leg is hurt. She got stressed out when I tried to put her in the basket and ran away from me. I called a vet home today and she didn't let him examine her either. She kept hissing and growling. So I had to talk to the shelter people as the last resort. They will come tomorrow and get her. I am only guessing that her hip is dislocated since she cant put her leg down and has swelling. And yes she will definitely get the treatment and I will be sponsoring it. I cant see her in pain anymore since I am attached to her. She will live in my house if she continues to trust me.

 

[Willowy]

So you're saying that the shelter vet will be taking care of her? That's good; that vet probably has more experience with frightened cats. Hopefully they can get everything taken care of and she'll be much happier once spayed. . .no pesky toms bothering her all the time .

 

[shilpa]

So you're saying that the shelter vet will be taking care of her? That's good; that vet probably has more experience with frightened cats. Hopefully they can get everything taken care of and she'll be much happier once spayed. . .no pesky toms bothering her all the time .

Yes. Provided they can catch her. The rescuers came home today. I picked her up (she was growling badly) and put her in a separate room. They almost caught her in their basket however when she got scared and managed to escape. Now she is hiding under a the stone slabs in the backyard. Haven't seen her in last 5 hours. She isn't responding to my calls, I guess she is scared of me too. I will set up a kennel tomorrow and try to trick her into that. The rescuers said she may need a plaster. I hope she lets me help her or else she will be handicapped for life.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Can you give her a sedative so you can catch her? She desperately needs to be spayed and treated.

 

[shilpa]

Can you give her a sedative so you can catch her? She desperately needs to be spayed and treated.

Hi, I was thinking the same. I am dropping a mail to the shelter heads to check on the same. I am not sure if they use sedatives. I really want to start the treatment at the earliest. Seeing her in pain breaks my heart and I can't concentrate on anything.

 

[lea98]

I hope you can catch her and get her the help she desperately needs. Even though she might feel betrayed now, she'll later realize you did it for her own good. Best of luck. [emoji]9786[/emoji]

 

[shilpa]

Unfortunately I think she has left my house at night as she got scared. If she is still here and hiding under the stones,she will come out by evening because of hunger. I hope she is still inside my premises. If she has left, she has zero chances of surviving. I can only pray now for her.

 

[shilpa]

No trace of her yet. I looked everywhere. I have a very bad feeling this time. She is badly injured and i scared her off by calling the rescuers. I now feel i shoul have kept her with me. At least i could have cared for her. Now she is out, with no access to food and water. If she doesnt come back, she would die of hunger or become an easy prey to street dogs. The worat thing is, i would never know what happened to her. I made a terrible mistake. Never knew it would turn out so wrong.

 

[jazzyp]

Please don't give up.  A cat who does not want to be found can be remarkably good at hiding.  I've had them do it in my house, and a few times, when they reappeared, I *still* had no idea where they had gone.  Keep looking, keep putting out food, and by all means, please keep working with the rescuers, if they have experience in dealing with feral cats.  If they do not, try to find some who do.  

In the meantime, do the next right thing, and get those kittens spayed as soon as you can.  They are not old enough to be in heat yet, but you would be surprised how quickly that day will arrive.  You mentioned three kittens, two being females.  If you still have the male, he should be neutered, as well.  Not only will this help keep him from roaming and prevent more unwanted litters, it will also keep your house smelling nicer.  Intact males spray, and it reeks.  

Hoping you find your precious friend soon...  <3

 

[shilpa]

Please don't give up.  A cat who does not want to be found can be remarkably good at hiding.  I've had them do it in my house, and a few times, when they reappeared, I *still* had no idea where they had gone.  Keep looking, keep putting out food, and by all means, please keep working with the rescuers, if they have experience in dealing with feral cats.  If they do not, try to find some who do.  

In the meantime, do the next right thing, and get those kittens spayed as soon as you can.  They are not old enough to be in heat yet, but you would be surprised how quickly that day will arrive.  You mentioned three kittens, two being females.  If you still have the male, he should be neutered, as well.  Not only will this help keep him from roaming and prevent more unwanted litters, it will also keep your house smelling nicer.  Intact males spray, and it reeks.  

Hoping you find your precious friend soon...