Cat run over & recovered - would you let him back out?

[catembi]

Ollie is a 4 or 5 year old black moggie...we've had him for about 18 months & he's always has been allowed to go out hunting as much as he likes. He was often out all night or all day & sometimes for a day or two at a time, & would come & go to suit himself. We're on a road (quite a fast one) between a hamlet & a village, with half a dozen houses on one side of the road & just agricultural fields opposite, then our paddocks & lots more agricultural fields behind the house. Ollie went missing for 3-4 weeks, then turned up v thin & injured, & turned out to have a broken pelvis & leg, so presumably hit by a car & then spent 3 weeks trying to drag himself home. It's all been pinned & plated (£3k), & he's done his 6 weeks of cage rest & is now pottering about in the house.

Thinking ahead, what do we do in the future? What have other people done with previously run over cats? Is it cruel to keep him as a house cat when he's used to treating the house as a hotel & coming & going? If we let him out again (obviously not until his leg is better), would he be likely to stay away from the road? It's just that one road; the rest as far as the eye can see is fields, but he was often seen strolling about on/near it when there is unlimited land behind the house. And he's black as well, which isn't going to help people see him in the dark when they come bowling along that road. I couldn't necessarily keep him in at night because he might (given his previous behaviour) be on an extended hunting trip & not bowl up til morning...

I really don't know what to do for the best. He is not ready to go outside yet, so we've got a few months to think about it. Arrrgghhh, what to do...!!

T x

 

[ester]

IME RTA cats either learn to keep away from vehicles (ours did after a small bang) or don't. How fab that he came back to you.
I couldn't keep a cat in full time though either way tbh!

Our black one always wore a reflective/hi vis collar to help

 

[Lanky Loll]

Tricky decision but I'd have to let him out I think. One of ours injured himself, still don't really know how, on the x-ray the only way I could explain it is that his tail looked like it had been pulled out then as it retracted the discs had overlapped in the same way that an over pulled slinky does. 6 years on we've since moved from where we were (suburban new build estate) to a small hamlet with a dead-end road, and he's in his element although I do know he does down to the main road as he's been spotted at the pub!
He's also black, and to begin with I religiously kept a reflective collar on him, which was easy to do in the old house, we were averaging one every 3 days once we got here so I gave up after a while!

 

[chillipup]

I can understand your dilemma catembi, it must be a difficult decision to make. However, I think, as Ollie enjoys his freedom so much he would perhaps become very frustrated at becoming a house cat full time. I was very lucky with the rescue cat I adopted, ( I lived on a main road for a while) thankfully he would only ever go out into the back garden. When I moved to a rural area he loved exploring. Maybe just see how yours goes with being grounded at the moment and take it from there.

 

[NinjaPony]

Just to add an alternative view- if you do decided to keep him in, he may well adapt... my cat was an outdoors cat all the way up until he was about 8. At that point, his diabetes was very unstable, and he was having dramatic highs and lows- I lived in fear that he would collapse in the garden and no one would find him... plus, I was having problems with him stealing food which was also making his illness harder to control. As he recovered from his nastiest episode, and came home very weak, I decided enough was enough and I would have to try keeping him as a house cat. To my surprise, he took to it pretty well, after after a couple of months showed no interest at all in escaping or going out. Since then he's moved house, and is still happy indoors, and his diabetes is much more stable. It really depends on the individual cat, but some of them can adapt.

 

[Shady]

that is really difficult and i've had the same problem, to be honest if you choose to give him total freedom he will, as others have said either make it or not, he will always cross the road if there are fields on the other side, it's where he'll hunt for mice, if it were me i would try and keep him in as much as possible at night , the danger time for cats is dawn when they are coming home from hunting, low visibility on the roads and drivers going fast as the roads are quiet, it could be that he chooses to stay closer to home anyway as one of mine did after getting hit by a car, i'm very glad your boy made it and i hope he stays safe, i did decide to keep all of mine in at night and i've got a good routine with them but as you say it's not always possible. xx

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

Hmmm, it is a difficult one. We got a "new" rescue cat from CPL as one of ours went missing last year. We used to let them out at night. Maisie, is still allowed out but Pusskins goes in the playroom at night (the room she first lived in when she came). The lost of our other cat has made us wary.

 

[Possum]

I think that if I were in your position I would at least try and keep him in as a house cat. If it's clear after a while that he's not adapting and is getting frustrated and bored then reconsider but I think I'd be an anxious wreck letting him roam as soon as he was cleared by the vet to do so. Heart-warming to hear that he came back to you and is now on the road to recovery though, he sounds like a really special guy.

I am the proud owner of a disabled house cat (cerebellar hypoplasia) and he's pretty easy to entertain. He wrestles the dog, chases bugs, sits on the windowsill to watch the world go by, we put bird feeders on the French windows and of course he has a huge range of toys. I know that keeping cats indoors in controversial but I think my boy has a good life in his ivory tower and I live without the worry that one day he'll go out and never come home.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

Glad he came back to you and is on the mend! I'd probably try and keep him as a house cat unless he really doesn't adapt. We live near a main road so my 2 have always been house cats but are allowed in the garden supervised could this be an option for him? If you spend some time playing "hunting" games with some toys each evening he shouldn't be too bored.

 

[Umbongo]

You could see how he goes inside over the next few weeks whilst he is still recuperating? But if he really wants to go out I would let him and accept the risk. If you are really worried about the road is there an option to cat escape proof your garden? He may be a bit more cautious now?

My cat is 14 years old and had to move house. I tried to keep him as a house cat but he wasn't having any of it.
After a few weeks in the new house he finally got let outside and went missing for 1 week. Was found a few miles away, thin and soaking wet with a tooth infection. He was kept in for another 4 weeks then let out again, he now chooses to only pop outside to go to the toilet then come back in again.

On one hand I feel happier that he is choosing to not stray too far again, but on the other I feel very sad that he has obviously lost his confidence and doesn't enjoy time outside.

 

[Ormsweird]

What is your garden like? Is it fenced? We have four and they can go no further than our garden due to cat proofing of purpose bought spring loaded arms and netting. It's not the prettiest of things, but we much prefer it this way so that they get the freedom of being outside whilst we know they are safe. There are a variety of companies that do this kind of thing now and it's not expensive.

 

[catembi]

Our back door opens straight onto the stable yard (front door opens onto spare car park space/road). The front side is 5 bar gate that he could go under/climb through, then 6ft fence, then 6 ft fence with v high hedge. Next side is 6ft fence then run of garage, 4 stables, tack room, gym, hay barn. Back side is gate to the fields, then post & rail. The other side is post & rail, 6 ft fence, outbuilding, more 6ft fence & a gate through to next door. He can (or could) climb a 6 ft fence very easily. I've also seen him on the stable roof. We don't have a garden. It would be v hard to cat proof, unfortunately.

I saw a secure looking cat harness at Olympia & was wondering whether I could take him out for walkies when he's stronger, but I'm not sure if this would be torture, to get to be outside but on a lead & not be able to go off on his own!

We are aiming to get our place finished & on the market within 3 years & move in a Norfolk direction to get more land/fewer neighbours, so he might eventually have somewhere safer to roam...!

T x

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Ollie is a 4 or 5 year old black moggie...we've had him for about 18 months & he's always has been allowed to go out hunting as much as he likes. He was often out all night or all day & sometimes for a day or two at a time, & would come & go to suit himself. We're on a road (quite a fast one) between a hamlet & a village, with half a dozen houses on one side of the road & just agricultural fields opposite, then our paddocks & lots more agricultural fields behind the house. Ollie went missing for 3-4 weeks, then turned up v thin & injured, & turned out to have a broken pelvis & leg, so presumably hit by a car & then spent 3 weeks trying to drag himself home. It's all been pinned & plated (£3k), & he's done his 6 weeks of cage rest & is now pottering about in the house.

Thinking ahead, what do we do in the future? What have other people done with previously run over cats? Is it cruel to keep him as a house cat when he's used to treating the house as a hotel & coming & going? If we let him out again (obviously not until his leg is better), would he be likely to stay away from the road? It's just that one road; the rest as far as the eye can see is fields, but he was often seen strolling about on/near it when there is unlimited land behind the house. And he's black as well, which isn't going to help people see him in the dark when they come bowling along that road. I couldn't necessarily keep him in at night because he might (given his previous behaviour) be on an extended hunting trip & not bowl up til morning...

I really don't know what to do for the best. He is not ready to go outside yet, so we've got a few months to think about it. Arrrgghhh, what to do...!!

T x

So sorry but you were lucky he made it, my Kassie and Lysander did not. Living on a fast road is a nono for cats and I would keep him in now and get a garden play pen or rehome him somewhere quiet.

Cats adapt to being house cats, might take a little while but they do and it is not cruel either.

Many cats have their freedom taken a way for a number of reasons - they survive with the new condition sand providing you catify the house I see no problem

 

[HashRouge]

I think I'd be tempted to see if he will stay in, given you're on a fairly busy road.

Our cat also got hit by a car several years ago and broke his leg in three places. Luckily, he was found very easily as my Mum got worried when he didn't come home, walked up the road calling him, and within two minutes heard him meowing from behind the hedge in someone's garden (good job he knows his own name!). We never tried keeping him in for several reasons. Firstly because we live along a track off a quiet country road, so the risks aren't as high and I think he was just unlucky. Secondly because he goes ballistic if kept in - he once set the burglar alarm off by jumping up at the windows and has worked out how to claw open his cat flap when it's locked, so you have to put something heavy in front of it. If all else fails, he just climbs onto shelves and starts knocking things on the floor (temper tantrum style!). But I did have a few wobbles when we first let him out again and I think if we'd been near a busy road and he'd had a different temperament, we might have done differently.

 

[ester]

most cats tend not to be too appreciative of harnesses. I would see how he goes, how he fixes and then decide. You could also test his car reaction with your own. Neither decision will be wrong because you will do what is best.
All the house cats I have known have been a bit manic though, compared to chilled out friendly yard cats I am used to!

NB OP did say it was a fast but not a busy road I think? As between a village and a hamlet.

 

[HashRouge]

NB OP did say it was a fast but not a busy road I think? As between a village and a hamlet.

My mistake, need to learn to read

 

[Shady]

the trouble in making him a house cat if neither him or you have lived that way is that it involves a complete change of lifestyle for all of you, you have to remember to close windows and doors all the time which is easier said than done and horrible in nice weather, friends and relatives will forget then you will worry where he is and be looking for him all the time , if you think you can adapt your lifestyle for his safety try it but it could end with all of you getting quite stressed, i honestly feel that cats need access to fresh air and grass even if it's just a small space and many don't thrive on their own indoors all the time.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

the trouble in making him a house cat if neither him or you have lived that way is that it involves a complete change of lifestyle for all of you, you have to remember to close windows and doors all the time which is easier said than done and horrible in nice weather, friends and relatives will forget then you will worry where he is and be looking for him all the time , if you think you can adapt your lifestyle for his safety try it but it could end with all of you getting quite stressed, i honestly feel that cats need access to fresh air and grass even if it's just a small space and many don't thrive on their own indoors all the time.

Many cats go from outdoors to indoors in matter of hours/days - as long as they are kept entertained and the house is catified they will adapt.

Sometimes it is the only way to keep cat safe and in the USA many many cats live long happy lives indoors

 

[hackneylass2]

I agree with HGA-12 and also will add, get a cat walking jacket they are very secure and better than a harness. They are the only things thak keep my wriggly Siamese secured. Cats may not take to walking like a dog on a lead but will mosey around the garden for their outside fix. A cat run/catio is another option. If you got him a friend who also stayed indoors, that could help. All cats are different, but most are are more adaptable than is often thought.
Best wishes for your kitty.

 

[acorn92x]

My old cat got hit by a car and sadly lost a leg (And broke his remaining back leg and pelvis) and we chose to not let him out again. He would go in the garden if one of my parents or me were out there but he wouldn't go near the road again and he would only ever go out if someone went out with him. I was petrified of cars and would jump out of his skin if one passed while he was sitting on a window sill at the front of the house (We didn't live on a busy road at the time either). He had his accident when he was about 18 months old and lived til he was about 10. Such a lovely boy who I miss everyday

 

[Honey08]

My dad's cat was knocked over and had similar injuries to yours. One of my cats was knocked over, but not badly injured. Both cats returned to being outdoor cats. My dad's cat lived another 6 yrs and died an old cat. My cat is now really aware of traffic and runs well away from the road if he sees a car coming (he isn't afraid of much else in general). I wish his sister would run with him, but she's not bothered by traffic. Thankfully she is mainly white, so stands out. Our lane is rural and doesn't have a great deal of traffic other than school/work run times.

 

[thewonderhorse]

Id try and keep him in. See how he is and if he's banging on the door to get out then let him out. If he's quite happy being a house cat then keep him in

 

[hackneylass2]

My friend took a 'stray' cat to the vets after an RTA on a very quiet rural lane, only about 12 houses on the lane and a dead end leading to a farm. (cat survived, broken pelvis and tail, - tail was amputated).
Owner was found due to microchip, it was a house along the lane. Owner expressed surprise at the cat being hit and our vet said, 'quiet lane or motorway, it only takes one vehicle'. Wise words indeed.

 

[Suelin]

If he were mine I would keep him in until I had built a pen on the back of my house that he could go into safely. Is that an option for you. Doesn't need to be expensive and can be held on the wall with a few screws so that should you move house you could take it with you. I know of several folk who have done this with great success and made them look beautiful too so that your home doesn't look like Stalag 14!

 

[amandaco2]

Id also try as house cat. Or put in cat proof fence so he can just go in the garden?

 

[LovesCobs]

one of mine was run over, small lane outside our house. he broke his pelvis, both back legs and the base of his tail. his legs are still a bit wonky(and have a bit of metal work in) and he had his tail amputated. he still goes out (after full recovery) it was over a year ago, he doesnt go near the road now. he catches me rabbits all summer, follows me round the fields and lives a full life. I think it depends on your cat. if he wants to go out then I'd be inclined to let him. though I don't live on a fast road. my friends cat doesn't have much interest in going out. i really think it depends on your cat x