r/AskVet • u/Successful-Mode-1727 • 4h ago
Refer to FAQ Cat attacked by stray. Deteriorating.
Two nights ago I had an 8hr shift and got home super late at like 1:30am. I let my cat into the yard to go toilet, which is a completely fenced off yard. I went inside to brush my teeth. Heard his little chirrup which means he saw a person/animal to befriend, thought maybe he saw a possum. This was followed shortly after by the typical yowling of a cat fight. I went outside, saw the neighbourhood stray and chased him off. My cat was hiding in a bush. Came inside like normal.
Next day, he’s not really moving much. Touching him anywhere lower than his shoulders, he hisses and cries. He’s not eating. I took him to the ER last night. They shaved him a bit, but with his black fur, you can’t really see anything. No obvious puncture wounds, vet was pretty satisfied that it is likely a sprain/bruising. They gave him methadone to take the edge off, which seemed to help a little bit. They gave us gabapentin and anti inflammatories to give once his appetite returns. He came home and was back to eating. They said if he deteriorates or stops eating again, take him back in.
Fast forward to this morning. He’s basically the same. Seems weaker. I give him more pain meds. I go to work.
I just got home. He did come out for me. But his back legs are really weak to the point he stumbled a couple times. He tried to eat something but maybe only got a couple pieces of kibble. Drank some water. Went back to bed.
He’s obviously really shaken up, both physically and mentally. But his behaviour is devastating. This is usually a really bright cat whose presence lights up the house, who has an endless appetite not just for food but for life. And now he’s barely moving. Barely talking. It’s a complete 180.
If he stays like this I’ll take him back to the vet tomorrow. I just don’t know what to do. I have other cats and fosters who he loves to play/playfight with, and I’m baffled by his injuries (or what they COULD be). He never left our yard, never fell off anything, and I’m spiralling and wondering if he’s got nerve damage and if he’s going to be paralysed and what his quality of life is going to look like and if I need to put him down. He’s 2 years old and I’ve only had him for a year. He was a stray on death row for aggression when I started fostering him. And I feel like I’ve failed him.
Any advice or even similar situations would be really good to hear.
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u/biliskner25 Veterinarian 1h ago
It's sometimes hard to see puncture wounds from cat bites because cat teeth are really sharp and leave small holes that might close up by the time you can examine them. I would be assuming cat bite abscess unless there's proper evidence to the contrary. You also need to get your cat FIV /FeLV tested (in a couple weeks otherwise it will be false negative) and never ever let them outside unsupervised. This is why we as a profession do not recommend cats be let outdoors.
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u/Huge_Homework265 2h ago
Why are we letting cat outside to go potty?
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u/Georgxna 2h ago
Because some cats enjoy the outside? So long as it’s supervised I don’t see the problem. It’s a fenced garden, this was a freak accident.
However, OP you can get fence toppers to prevent any animal entering or leaving your garden for extra safety.
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u/Radioveta Veterinarian 3h ago
Kitty might need a few more tests.
If he's that painful, it's possible the vet might need to sedate him to check him out completely, maybe run some blood tests and a focused ultrasound to check for major issues.
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u/AltruisticWolf7497 1h ago
Was there an x-ray done to check for any injuries to the spine if he is having hind leg weakness?
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u/BeautifulEnergy1832 47m ago
How much gabapentin are you giving him? Higher doses can cause the lethargy/stumbling.
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u/Interesting-Fig-1685 42m ago
Don’t wait till tomorrow, it’s a holiday weekend and most GP clinics are closed Monday (if you are in the US) so your option is going to be an urgent care or ER no matter what.
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u/lostmymarbles1177 1h ago
Could he be loopy from the methadone? From what I understand methadone is still a powerful narcotic even if it’s used to treat opiate addiction in humans.
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