Hi all,
I'm new to the forum (along with my dear sweet boy, Ozzy). Apologies if I'm positing in the incorrect section of the forum, but I'm not quite sure where this should go.
So basically, Ozzy, my two year old black moggy was involved in an altercation on Thursday night. I had been out for a couple of hours, returning at approximately 10:30 and noticed Ozzy was limping. On closer inspection, I could see that the majority of his claws looked as though they had been ripped (they were all really quite jagged and split). Ozzy also had a a mark to the left side of his nose which looked as though had been bleeding. Ozzy was barely able to put any pressure on his back left leg and wouldn't let me touch it. I didn't feel that he required urgent attention as he was full alert, still incredibly chatty and was eating and drinking without any issues. I made the decision that I would call the vet first thing in the morning and get him booked in. I went up to bed, and Ozzy followed and slept at the foot of my bed (something which he hasn't done since he was a kitten - he very much likes his own space). I barely closed my eyes for worrying about him, but he seemed content enough.
I called the vet first thing and was very fortunate to be told to bring him straight in. Ozzy protested greatly when he saw the dreaded cat carrier appear. Off we went to the vet for an examination. The vet gave Ozzy a thorough check over, examining his paws, claws, eyes and his legs and very luckily for Ozzy, nothing was broken and the vet wasn't too concerned. The vet suggested that Ozzy had in fact been knocked over due to his claws being in such a mess. The thought had entered my mind the previous night but I genuinely believed he may have just fallen from something, using his claws to try and stop himself on the way down. The vet administered Ozzy with a pain killing injection and gave me some more anti-inflammatory medication to give him over the next few days.
Luckily, Ozzy is absolutely fine, albeit incredibly grouchy as he is under house arrest and is likely to remain that way for the foreseeable future. I now have a huge dilemma on my hands - do I keep Ozzy in for the rest of his days or allow him out once he's recovered? I honestly feel that I personally wouldn't rest whilst he was out but I fear Ozzy will become depressed (he really does love going outside). Has anyone had any experience of converting their outdoor kitty to the indoors? I've been looking at outside runs and enclosures - does anyone use one? I figured taking the enclosure/run route is the only happy medium I can come to - I have peace of mind knowing that Ozzy won't be in harms way and Ozzy will still get to have fresh air. Would this be too cruel, keeping him penned in outside for a couple of hours when he's previously had the freedom to roam? Or would it be more cruel to keep him indoors and not let him feel the air on his whiskers? Another option I've just discovered is cat proofing the garden by making alterations to existing fencing. Again, has anyone done this in their garden? I'm only three full days in of him being under house arrest and he looks at me with these big sad eyes and then at the door, crying. If anyone has any tips they can pass on, or advice to offer I'd be super grateful. Ozzy is such a happy little boy and I'd had the thought of him being down because he can no longer go out.
Many thanks in advance,
Rhi
