Boyfie got hurt (he's okay)

On Oct 31, 6:27?pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
Boyfie came in from rat patrol on Monday evening and went straight to bed
which is not unusual. What was a bit unusual was the look on his face. I
don't suppose anyone else would have noticed except me, who knows him so
well.
When he didn't get out of bed for his breakfast yesterday - well, that is
unheard of. As luck would have it I had the day off work so I could keep an
eye on him. When he *did* finally rise he could hardly put any weight on
one of his front legs.
A visit to TED, then. I picked him up but he clung on to his blanky with
the claws on his good foot and every time I disengaged them he managed to do
it again. Then he made a break for freedom from his carrier..
He wowled and shrieked all the way in the car.
He's been bitten through the shoulder joint by another cat. I suspect that
black one we call THE ENEMY who used to bully him although we have had no
trouble with him for the last couple of years he still lives nearby.

Anyway he got an antibiotic injection & a painkilling one. TED said it was
a very bad place to get bitten in, very painful for movement. She said "I
remember meeting Boyfriend before, I put his microchip in, he's such a
lovely cat." I was amazed that she could remember him, this is a big vet
hospital with a huge turnover of patients. He also got some antibiotic
tablets for 5 days. There is no way I could physically put them in his
mouth - it would still freak him out if I forced myself on him like that, so
his first dose this evening was crushed and hidden in some tiny pieces of
chicken breast with gravy which he scarfed down thinking his birthday had
come ;-)

The vet is really kind. She is sensitive not just to the patient, but to
the owner too. She said "I don't suppose you've had to give tablets to
Boyfriend before have you?" She must have seen me gulp when she got the
pills out. And I am impressed that she remembered his history, how timid he
is and how difficult it might be.
She also remembered my RB whippets and mentioned some of them.

He's better than he was yesterday. He is only limping slightly, has an
appetite like a horse again and insisted on going out for an hour's rat
patrol tonight. Now he is very comfy back in the house on his donut bed.

TED asked me "Is he a fighter?" He is far from it. He's a pacifist or a
"big girl's blouse" however you want to put it. I prefer the former
description.
It was that horrible black cat, I tell you, attacking him in his own garden,
no doubt, like it used to do before. He would never cause trouble himself,
I know it.

Tweed

Purrs for Boyfie to heal fast.
Suz&Spicey

Christina Websell wrote:
Boyfie came in from rat patrol on Monday evening and went straight to
bed which is not unusual. What was a bit unusual was the look on his
face. I don't suppose anyone else would have noticed except me, who
knows him so well.

I'm so glad you spotted it straight away and got him to the vet before
infection could really set in. I bet by tomorrow he won't be showing any
signs at all.
--
Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera)
Cats leave pawprints on your heart
http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk

Christina Websell wrote:
It was that horrible black cat, I tell you, attacking him in his own
garden, no doubt, like it used to do before. He would never cause
trouble himself, I know it.

Tweed

Purrs for Boyfie's shoulder to heal up quickly. And a pox on that mean
black cat who bit him!

Jill

Christina Websell wrote:

He also got some antibiotic
tablets for 5 days. There is no way I could physically put them in his
mouth - it would still freak him out if I forced myself on him like that, so
his first dose this evening was crushed and hidden in some tiny pieces of
chicken breast with gravy which he scarfed down thinking his birthday had
come ;-)

Firstly, I'm very glad Boyfie is ok and purrs that he heals quickly and
without incident.

I worry about crushing most pills because you may end up having the
antibiotic delivered too quickly if it was designed to dissolve at a
certain rate.

As far as getting tablets down a cat, I can share another trick,
depending on how large the antibiotic tablet is. We've had many many
cats and several dogs over the years (the population has varied from
3-13 cats at any one time, 1-4 dogs), and most of them, of course, have
needed pills at one time or another, or for a long time.

Cheese. A bit of soft, mild cheese wrapped around the pill has always
worked wonders, if the pill is not huge. We used to use (Americans,
please don't kill me) Velveeta, which is "processed cheese food". It's
soft, moldable, just smelly enough to make them think it's a treat.

Good luck with him, and scritchies for Boyfie and KFC.

Deborah
Crazy Cat Lady in Training

"jofirey" wrote in message
...
Could the ENEMY be coming over to help out with the rat population?
Wondering if it might be time to bring the rat terriers back in for a
session. The noise alone might keep the ENEMY home where he belongs.

The terriers were only here last on 21 October - the score was 6. I don't
like to take advantage of their good nature to ask them to come too often as
they do it for free. Another couple of weeks and I shall ask for another
appointment with Jess:-) She is the best one, really knows her stuff.

"Rat patrol" is just a euphemism, really, for when Boyfie asks to go out for
a perambulation around his territory. He's not necessarily rat-hunting.

Tweed

"Ann" wrote in message
news
Purrs on the way for a fast recovery.

Thanks, Ann.

When I had to give Samwise pulls I put it in a little moist food. Like a
kitty size meat ball. He thought he was getting a treat before he got fed.

I'm doing a similar thing.

Tweed

"GaDragonfly" wrote in message
ps.com...
Poor Boyfriend, my clowder sends purrs and gentle headbutts for his
quick recovery and I send chin and ear scritches.

Thanks Julie, he is duly chin and ear scritched!

First let me thank
you for telling us in the header that he was all right. I would have
worried through your entire post had you not done that.

I saw someone else do it once and I was glad of it too. Sometimes headers
make me afraid to open the post.


My first thought
was you were going to have to go a rat hunting to find something to
entice Boyfriend to take his pill.

g Oh, no, he doesn't *eat* them, he gives them to his meowmie. He's not
like KFC who would dine exclusively on wild caught prey if she could. He
has eaten a couple of mowsies, was not impressed. He believes real food
only comes out of a tin/pouch/box with a picture of a cat on!

I wonder if The Enemy has decided that since the fence was temporarily
torn down then the dynamics of the territory has changed?

I think you've hit the nail right on the head. The Enemy lives in the next
but one house with the building site between us and the fence is now down
both sides.


Could you
collect some of KFC's urine and sprinkle it around the fence so that
The Enemy smells her?

LOL! How would I do that? Take some wet litter?

I don't know if that would help..but urine keeps
the rabbits from eating my hosta. (You probably don't want to know how
I know that )

Actually I do! Does it work for slugs and snails? I love my hostas but
these UK slugs and snails are very determined to eat every leaf. Grit,
crushed eggshells, organic slug pellets, bring 'em on..your hostas are
history.

Tweed

"Marina" wrote in message
...
Christina Websell wrote:

TED asked me "Is he a fighter?" He is far from it. He's a pacifist or a
"big girl's blouse" however you want to put it. I prefer the former
description.
It was that horrible black cat, I tell you, attacking him in his own
garden, no doubt, like it used to do before. He would never cause
trouble himself, I know it.

Poor gentle Boyfie. We're purring for his wound to heal quickly.


Thanks, Marina. It seems worse to me because he is so gentle. If he was
out for trouble like some cats are - "who do you think you are looking at,
loser?" then I would say he'd brought it on himself and wouldn't feel so
sorry for him.

Tweed

"Karen" wrote in message
news:2007103123275916807-kchuplis@alltelnet...
On 2007-10-31 18:27:32 -0500, "Christina Websell"
said:

Do you guys have Pill Pockets there? Man, if cats like them, they make
pilling way easier. Pearl thinks its a treat. I'm so sorry to hear Boyfie
got hurt though. Purrs for a quick recovery.

Yes, I think we can get them here but I'm sure Boyfie would not eat one. He
is very suspicious of what he thinks of as "strange food" and will not eat
the conditioning tablets which I give KFC sometimes (she scarfs them down)
they are supposed to be very palatable. He is certain they are poisonous.

Tweed

"Gandalf" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 31 Oct 2007 23:27:32 -0000, "Christina Websell"
wrote:

I'm glad that Boyfie is on the mend. It does sound like a bad injury;
painful, at the very least.

Purrs on the way for Boyfie to make a fast, uncomplicated(!) recovery.

Thanks, Gandalf, he's been bitten under the armpit too . No wonder it still
hurts him to walk. Some scabs on his ears too, poor lad.
He's improving.

Tweed