cat keeps getting injured!!

MCMitten

As much as we love our cat, Mittens (2 years old), he is a bit accident prone! During the summer (last year) he would go outside for 5 mins and be straight back in with a bee/wasp sting. This unfortunatly cost quite a bit in injections at the vets!!

He has ripped two of his back claws out (???), got a nasty bump to the head n possibly hit by a car or attacked by a dog. All this was in the space of 2 months!!

The vet is now on first name terms with us and has even given us a discount on one occasion for having such a daft cat.

Thankfully he hasn't taken a liking to going out in the winter- he's much more content with his basket next to the radiator. Am getting pet insurance, but I don't know whether to keep him in where he's clearly safer or let him out n risk him getting further injuries?

We love our cat n don't want to see him hurt- what would you do??

scot88

My 2 cats NEVER get out, but they never have as I lived in high rise, then close to busy main road. Why not try keeping him in and see how it goes ? You might well find he doesn't mind and you wouldn't have to worry about his safety then. I couldn't bear the thought of mine being hurt by anything. Good luck.

MCMitten

I had a house cat when I was growing up and he was very content with not going out, but unfortunatly this cat does like the outdoors (if the weather is right!!). I dont want to be cruel and keep him in but I dont want to let him out for him to get hurt- again!

rita-rabbit

hard to say really - maybe only let cat out for short periods of time? I have two cats & one is a housecat & the other sometimes sleeps out - he has come back with `war' wounds & missing claws but I don't want to stop his freedom - thankfully it's not often.

Good luck

bitemebankers

If he's been allowed out for the first two years of his life, forcing him to live inside will be torture. Please don't do it. I've nothing against house cats per se, and in some situations it's the only safe option. But it's really not fair to force a cat that enjoys the outdoors to live permanently inside.

Getting insurance is obviously a good idea, as is getting him castrated if you haven't already done so. The other thing I would say is that this is probably just a phase that he'll grow out of. He's still a very young cat really - barely just a kitten. As he grows up and gains experience, he'll be far less accident prone.

Fire_Fox

michele_stewart wrote: »

As much as we love our cat, Mittens (2 years old), he is a bit accident prone! During the summer (last year) he would go outside for 5 mins and be straight back in with a bee/wasp sting. This unfortunatly cost quite a bit in injections at the vets!!

He has ripped two of his back claws out (???), got a nasty bump to the head n possibly hit by a car or attacked by a dog. All this was in the space of 2 months!!

The vet is now on first name terms with us and has even given us a discount on one occasion for having such a daft cat.

Thankfully he hasn't taken a liking to going out in the winter- he's much more content with his basket next to the radiator. Am getting pet insurance, but I don't know whether to keep him in where he's clearly safer or let him out n risk him getting further injuries?

We love our cat n don't want to see him hurt- what would you do??

Indoor or outdoor is a difficult debate - quality versus quantity of life. I have previously had cats before who adored spending time outside, and it would have been cruel to force them to remain inside regardless of the risks. I now have a inner city flat and Noah who, for health reasons, has been advised not to go out by a vet. Despite being a stray he shows ZERO inclination to go out, either here or at his foster home. :T

IMO cats are like children: you do your best to keep them safe without wrapping in cotton wool. Some cats take to the indoor life like ducks to water, but you are then responsible for enriching their lives which means £££ interactive toys and £££ cat trees! To keep other cats indoors long term is like cutting off one of their limbs, let them live fast and (perhaps) die young knowing you have given them the best life you could.

Can you cat proof your garden for the best of both worlds?

kataklysm

My cat is much the same, he's a terror.. his pretty little face is covered in scratches, he has a torn ear, often comes back with other cats' claws stuck in his head, whenever there's a yowling outside, you can guarantee it'll be him... He once came back with bite marks all along his flank, obviously a dog related altercation ... but he's still here! We've learned not to fuss too much over every tiny thing, it's just the way he was made, and you have to let them live their lives I guess. At least we don't live near a busy road though, if we did, I would definitely consider enclosing the garden or building a cat run.

It might be his age, ours is now 4, but he did used to be worse. He's been neutered, but that doesn't always alter behaviour. Maybe think about investing in pet insurance just in case, and cross your fingers that nothing too serious happens. Remember, he's still a young kitty and learning about the world will make him a wise old kitty wrap him in cotton wool, and he'll never learn of the potential dangers of the outside world.

gettingready

Just an idea on how to secure the fence:

Katzecure

You could try various nets etc but from my previous life as a mum to 9 cats (plus 11 from my neighbour ... yeah ELEVEN next door).. this option seems to work the best as cat's paws slide off the "tube" at the top so they can not really get out.

On the minus side - neither can (get out) any cats that happen to fall into your garden

Sequeena

All my cats in the past have been outdoor. Most lived until old age, a few were run over and one was killed by a fox.

Purely for the cat's safety (and the impact they have on wildlife) I keep my kitten inside. It is much safer for her and she is not missing out on anything. She has a huge activity center, 2 humans at her beck and call and 3 doggy friends to play with

To save your pocket and keep you from any heartache should the worst happen I would keep your cat indoors.

Or at the very least cat proof your garden so he can go out but cannot go further than your garden.

kataklysm

I have to say if we had a kitten from a young age, I would do the same, indoors only. But as ours were adopted at an older age and had already been used to going out, it would drive them (and us!) insane to keep them in.

I have often thought about fully enclosing the garden though with some sort of pergola/mesh contraption... but the neighbours might think I was some sort of crazy cat woman... not to mention the OH.

Has anyone ever seen anything like this done? In my mind, it would look like some sort of mediterranean veranda with trailing vines and maybe some lovely fairy lights. but in reality it would probably look like a cattery gone wrong.. :rotfl:

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

TBH, if the little angel is that dim, you could keep him in only to find that he decides to try;

tap dancing across the cooker (Ginger, also known as Ginge the Singe)

eating your socks (Sockmonster Meep)

blinding himself with cat litter (Oggbot the Stupid)

breaking something falling off the top of the wardrobe (Chubbs the Bosseyed, wirejawed, bionically rebuilt from a car accident, fell off when sleeping)

getting shut in a door and losing his tail. (Tigger-No-Tail lived to 22 afterwards and BIL still cringes at having to tell his father at 13 that he had just chopped the cat's tail off - although he never slammed any door ever again)

Some are just feline disaster areas.

Let him live as he wants - he'll probably find as many different ways to maim himself as there are blossoms on a cherry tree, whatever you try!