Puss is not himself since fight ...

[Tiger's Mum]

Yesterday afternoon, we came home and called our cat (Tiger) in. He walked inside very slowly, and it was evident he was hurt in some way, although he appeared to have use of all his legs and was not limping. One of my neighbours told me he and a big (bully!) tom cat from the area had been in a nasty fight outside their house and he'd sprayed them with water to split them up, after which my cat made his way home and must have climbed over our metal fence (approx 5ft) to get in the back garden, where he was sheltering from the rain when we got home. He lay in the corner and growled if we tried to move him. However, he let me feel all over his body and push back his fur to check for bites/wounds, and there is nothing there. He seems able to bend and move all his paws OK. He has also managed to clean himself. I slept downstairs to keep an eye on him last night. His breathing is normal. The only signs that he is injured are when he moves around and lies in a different position, he gives a little growl before he settles (a bit like a human flinching if you touch them where they're bruised etc). As he seemed to settle and want to sleep, I chose not to take him to the vet last night as it was obviously giving him discomfort when I moved him. I gave him some cat calpol through a syringe, and managed to squeeze a bit of milk and water into the side of his mouth as I don't want him to become deydrated. Obviously it's too early in the day to assess his eating and stools etc, but his mouth and eyes seem Ok (I double checked to see if his third eyelid had appeared and it hasn't). Is it quite usual for cats that get bruised or suffer things like hairline fractures to heal themselves after a few days of sleep and care? He still purrs when we stroke him etc and his eyes are bright and alert, but he is very subdued and the top of his leg/shoulder seem to hurt a bit when we put pressure on them (although he doesn't scratch and flinch, he just kind of 'lets you know' if you know what I mean.)

 

[vince]

Tooth puncture wounds can close up and are often hard to find. We had a fixed tom that frequently got into fights and sometimes came home bitten-up. They sometimes got abscessed and we'd have to take Ajax to the vet for a shot and possibly to have a drain tube put into the abscess. Head and shoulders were the places where he got injuries most often.

Just keep watching Tiger for continued listlessness and decreased appetite and take him to the vet if his condition doesn't improve in a couple of days.

 

[Tiger's Mum]

Thank you Vince. He's actually got up and started eating and moving around now - he even came into the kitchen and stood on 2 legs while I put some cat soup in a bowl! I'm will definitely keep him inside for the next week and monitor however.

 

[susanm9006]

Just wondering whether Tiger is neutered since I neutered males are much more likely to get into fights with one another. I wouldnt wait much longer before getting him to the vet for an assessment.

 

[Tiger's Mum]

Hi - yes he is neutered. He's actually picked up a lot this afternoon. Just a bit stiff. He's eating, drinking and moving around and we've been able to thoroughly examine him. I think my neighbour managed to split them up before any wounds could be inflicted and he's just bruised, but we are still keeping him 8n and monitoring.

 

[nwengel]

Thank you Vince. He's actually got up and started eating and moving around now - he even came into the kitchen and stood on 2 legs while I put some cat soup in a bowl! I'm will definitely keep him inside for the next week and monitor however.

This is off-topic, I hope tiger is ok!

I was just wondering what kind of “cat soup” you feed tiger…my kitty is very picky and tends to favor soups, so I am always looking for something new.

 

[Tiger's Mum]

Hello! I'm not sure if it's officially cat soup but we call it that because of its texture. It's "Lick-E-Licious" by Weber , salmon flavour. Tiger loves it. It's also a good way to get him to finish dry food. I'm pleased to say he's completely back to normal now - jumping up and butting us under the chin and trying to get in his "treats" tin Hope your kitty likes it too x

 

[ArtNJ]

V vince 's advice was good, assuming you don't find anything after really combing through the fur. Bite wounds are teenie tiny punctures, like 2-3 mm circles, sometimes there might only be one, sometimes two depending on the angle. Quite often you wont see them until infection sets in, at which point two things happen: (1) the hair falls out making the puncture easily visible; and (2) you'll be able to feel a puss pocket in a larger area underneath the wound -- it may already be hardened. Once in a while a nail will make what appears to be a puncture wound, but those typically don't get infected, so its really quite hard to tell.

Fifteen years later, I'm still offended by how much $ the local vets charge to drain an abscess (I've had to deal with it twice). Better for both of you to find any puncture wounds and get antibiotics. I once took my cat to the vet for what looked like a puncture wound and it was a nail wound -- wasn't bothered by my mistake, money well spent given how much more they charge to drain an abscess.