just started acting oddly

[dewpuff]

my 8 year old, super mellow and friendly cat has recently started acting oddly. He goes outside a lot and there are a lot of neighborhood cats. He's not much of a fighter, he'll usually lay down first. But he will get into the occassional brawl. 4 weeks ago he came home limping and he had a "tunnel" on the top of his front paw (entry and exit points less than an inch apart but a long cut under the skin in between the two holes). It swelled up within a few hours of coming home so we took him to the vet. The vet washed it out and he took antibiotics, but he stopped eating them after 2 weeks. His paw has healed. But a few weeks ago he started acting a little weird. It started with him attacking the piping on my bedspread. He looked at it suspiciously and then swatted at it tentatively with his paw. I came home and found he chewed it up, pulling the inside/stuffing out of it in a couple of places. Now he looks under the bed suspiciously and he still freaks out at the piping on the bedspread.

We went out of town for one night last night and left him outside. Normally we come home and he runs up to us as we drive up. If it is the middle of the day when we arrive (like it was today) he might wait until evening (dinner) time to come home. But I went out looking for him at 9pm. He finally came out of the neighbor's yard (as far as I could tell), after I'd passed it a couple of times calling for him. When he did come out he walked towards me but then veered off at the last minute, then stopped and let me pick him up. He used to be really mellow but now he is skittish and jumps if someone in the house moves too quickly - even if it is the person petting him.

A neighborhood cat died a month or two ago - one that was aggressive towards him. I don't know if it was right before his paw or several weeks before the paw, or a day or two after. It was an old cat but I heard it was sudden and they had to put him down because of whatever it was (incurable).

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

 

[Ms. Freya]

I think a vet visit is definitely in order. Outdoor cats can pick up lots of illnesses, some severe, especially if they're fighting. It could simply be an infection, or it could be something more severe like FeLV or FIV. Either way, any sudden changes in behaviour warrant a vet visit.

It could also be behavioural. At 8, you cat is getting a bit older and the injury may have made him a bit less confident in his ability to defend himself. Does he have to go outside? It would be much safer for him to stay inside only, or only go outside when you can supervise him. If he is shaken up, it might also help him regain his confidence to stay in where it's safe.

You don't mention if your cat is neutered. Neutered cats are less likely to fight, so if he's goingto keep going outside, it's something you may want to consider if you haven't done so already.
 

Best of luck!

 

[dewpuff]

Thanks! I will take him to the vet... I wasn't sure if it warranted a visit or not, and really appreciate the recommendation.  

He is neutered and he doesn't really fight much. Maybe once every year or two. And the thing on his paw we weren't sure if it was a fight or if he ran into a stick that poked clean through under the skin. It was too long to be from another kitty's tooth or claw. Still, I will try keeping him inside for a couple of weeks to see if that helps him regain his confidence as well. And of course whatever else the vet suggests...

Thank you!