Red Cat didn't come home last night. My neighbor just called and asked if all my cats were all right. I told him NO! He said there was a big cat fight just outside their garage in the middle of the night, and there is a big pool of blood and some orange fur in it on the concrete. I looked and it doesn't look good. Red Cat has never stayed away this late into the next day. I'm going out now to look, but with all the dense brush around, he could be right on my property or on this block and I still might not find him. I'm in tears.
It doesn't look good. There is a lot more fur out there than I saw at first, blown further on the property. And my neighbor said, though he thought it sounded like two cats, it is possible all the cat screaming came from just one cat. With all that blood and fur, I'm very afraid that Red Cat met up with a coyote, put up a fight, and lost. My neighbor and I have been beating the brush, but with the dense underbrush here on the coast, it is just impossible to even get through the brush on this block. And at this point, I've almost given up hope.
I had given up. I was sure that RC had become coyote dinner. One of the neighbors said he had seen a coyote in our neighborhood just a couple of days ago, too. RC has never been gone this long before. And I'm just surprised that he didn't come home sooner since he is injured.
RC has a big bloody spot and fur missing right at his neck. So far he hasn't let me really examine it, but I thought I'd let him eat and drink first before I try again. Naturally, this is the afternoon the only vet in town is off and it will be considered an emergency call - if the vet is even around to call him in. And here I had an appointment for RC for 8:45 this morning for his routine exam and vaccinations that I had to cancel.
I'm beginning to think he must have been in a fight with another orange cat, as I don't see how all that fur could possibly have been just his from the looks of his injuries.
OMG!!!! I am so very happy that he survived! Bravo!!!!
My cat Callie was attacked by a coyote years ago. She had two puncture wounds (one on each side of her torso) from the coyote's fangs. There was not a lot of blood, but the punctures were deep. It took a long time for her wounds to heal.
These bite wounds, whether from a cat or canine, become infected easily. So, please take your boy to the vet first thing tomorrow.
I am joining in your celebration of RC's return. It could be that he was "holed up" and the predator (coyote, raccoon?) was just there waiting, and finally gave up. At any rate, I hope that RC makes a speedy recovery! Also, maybe the men in your area could "mark territory" (yes, I do mean with urine) as coyotes respect that kind of communication. Just make sure to keep the area reasonable, so that coyotes feel safe in the fields, hunting rodents & rabbits for their dinner.
I decided to take Red Cat in as an emergency this afternoon. The vet was in a neighboring town, but was ready to head back this way anyway, so it was a relatively short wait. I'm glad I did take RC in, as he had two very nasty gashes, one at the throat and one on the side of his neck. It had been hard for me to tell exactly how bad they were with all the dried blood in the matted fur. The wounds weren't so long that stitches were required, but they were deep. The vet said the wounds really need to drain, so he avoids stitches where he can.
At least I got RC started on antibiotics and other necessary meds. RC is a very difficult cat to medicate, so I'm not looking forward to putting meds on his wounds several times a day plus giving him oral meds a couple of times a day. But he is home safely and I just want to hug him and hug him. Red Cat, my favorite kitty, I