I usually don't care much for cats....

But we have an out door tom cat that I've known since he was a kitten.. Usually the tom's dont stay around long, after they mature. But this one has. He always seems to find me, and let me know he is around. Some years ago now, I started letting "Max" in the house in the mornings for a bite to eat. Then he curls up in a ball in my lap for some affection. He is always game for some one to pet him. He is also allowed in the shop with my 2 dogs in the winter time, any time he wants. But that all changed last weekend...

Sunday he showed up at the door after being gone for over a day, obviously hurt. He had just enough movement in his back legs and tail to tell me his spine was ok, but unable to use his back legs to walk. I took him in the house and made a bed for him in a box, and Tuesday I took him into the vet for x rays to find out what is wrong. I fully expected for the vet to reccomend that we put him down.. Daughters came to the clinic after school to say good bye too.. But just before I took him over, he suprised me by getting up and walking a dozen steps across the floor.. So I had some hope.

The X rays determined he has a broken pelvis, in two places. $2,500 or so for ISU to do surgery and fix it...

Or he told me just let him heal up, as cats can and do recover quite well to these types of injuries. So that is what we are going to do, even though it may take several months of house care. Had him fixed and vacinated while he was at the vets, so he won't be the stud cat anymore... But at least he will live, and eventually be an outdoor cat once again. I can tell he is tired of just laying around already.

The daughters say they will help out with the chores...Yea right. I know them well... But they are happy we took him to the vet, and are going to get him on the mend.

I think he must have fallen out of a tree or some such thing to get his injuries. But I guess I will never know for sure. He sure seems to be pretty tough, as today I put him out for a time, and he walked away. Had a pretty hard time finding him for a bit...

I cann't believe i am taking care of a cat in the house though. I must be getting soft as I age...

Regards, Kirk

We had a cat when I was a kid that we had taken in as a stray. The thing was approx 5 years old when one day he came crawling home on his two front legs unable to move his back legs. Like you, we took him to the vets fully expecting to have to put him down. Same thing. A costly surgery would have fixed him. We brought him home though and he crawled in behind the wood stove in the living room and only came out to eat. A few weeks later he was able to walk again. This after being run over by a car and having a broken back. He lived till he was 18. Eventually, he went blind and was soo full of arthritis he couldn't bend over to clean himself anymore. Good ole cat he was.

With my Forum name and Avatar you know I like cats. I had a one eyed cat that started me on the whole pirate cat thing. Then I had another one that I found when I worked in a place at the edge of a desert Mtn. preserve. She survived the coyotes and was bigger than the foxes. I ended up taking her home.

I've always had cats. The last four adopted me. I'm on a side street and people used to dump their unwanted cats in my neighborhood.

Three kitties ago I had the same thing happen. The vet told me that she either had a broken pelvis or her leg was broken just below the hip. An xray would not help because he couldn't do much anyhow. Like the others I was told to keep her quiet. She lived until two dogs who'd gotten out of their yard ganged up on her and broke her back. I had to put her down. Heartbreaking.

I never liked cats much, they listen worse than my kids. we had one when my oldest daughter thought she needed one. took it for a walk on the beach and it couldn't even use this great big litter box, because our dog kept pushing it around trying to get a nose full. the exception to cats was the camp cat we had at camp bucca you would be working on a Humvee and out of nowhere this cats face would show up. although the cat was a bit of a slutt(always pregnant) we were able to train her to fetch sit up and a whole host of other dog tricks. I kind of miss that old cat.

The cat is doing ok...

He is much like a dog in ways, wants outside to do his business, and stands by the door looking at it till you let him out. He is getting along better all the time. Not ready yet to be out doors full time, but I think that time may come. I can tell all this laying around is boring him... He would rather be outside.

Turns out another tom cat was around. I wonder if he is why mine was hurt? I think probably so. This one appeared to be wild. Cats living wild take on an appearance, usually with longer than normal hair.. Anyway he won't be comming back anymore, ever. I made sure of that. I don't need another crop of kittens here to contend with, nor do I want the trouble of spaying cats that won't let you touch them. SO no toms are allowed, especially since my tom cat is now fixed.

I will say there aren't many mice around here though...

Regards, Kirk

300 H and H said:

Turns out another tom cat was around. I wonder if he is why mine was hurt? I think probably so. This one appeared to be wild. Cats living wild take on an appearance, usually with longer than normal hair.. Anyway he won't be comming back anymore, ever. I made sure of that. I don't need another crop of kittens here to contend with, nor do I want the trouble of spaying cats that won't let you touch them. SO no toms are allowed, especially since my tom cat is now fixed.

I will say there aren't many mice around here though...

Regards, Kirk

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Your situation sounds a lot like ours. I don't like cats. They show up at the house and I chase them away except for one that I couldn't get rid of. She looked pretty ragged and kept coming back. You know what happened next ... I fed her. She's been here ever since. She's obviously somebody's house cat and has been fixed. She stays outside here though. She follows me around like a dog, all over the pasture and yard. Not up close like a dog but within about 10 feet. We've also got a feral tom running around. He got to stay because although he steals cat food he doesn't tear anything up. First sign of trouble though and he is gone.

Also like you, I haven't had any trouble with mice for almost 3 years. No mice means no snakes. At least cats are good for something.