How to trot up a cat?

Meowy Catkin

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I suppose the answer is 'with great difficulty'. ;)

The cats have been through the wars a bit with one being bitten by a rat (we think) on the tail and another having an eye ulcer. So after much time at the Vets and struggling to give medication, we have a healing tail wound and a recovering eye. All good except Kasp (tail wound) also looked about 1/10 lame in trot on his OF. No issue with the leg was found and of course with all this rain he's rested the leg very well. But how do I trot him up to see if the lameness has gone or not?

It's a real quandary.
 

Rumtytum

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Poor Kasp! Could you get someone to hold him on the floor with you crouching down several paces away with a handful of his favourite tasty treat? Kasp is then released and in theory should trot to you and treat... however being a cat this is unlikely to happen, he will more probably sit/lie down and refuse to budge or walk slowly away in the opposite direction :rolleyes:
 

D66

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Our cat comes to call... and a Dreamie cat treat. Her recall is actually better than the dogs.
You could try putting her food down, let her see it, and then put her down on the floor some distance away.
 

SEL

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Tried it in the vets earlier this year. Place cat on floor and wait for her to try and escape whilst watching intensely.

Cat sulks and refuses to move.

Vet gives up and injects cat equivalent of bute. Bill is as bad as a lameness eval in a horse.

Cat still "off" but can scale a 6ft fence so guessing it's not that bad.
 

Rosemary28

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One of mine (the one in my avatar) trots away from me when she is injured (she is the only one who has been injured *touch wood*, her scaredy sister is ok so far...), because I am the one that puts cream on/gives tablets/washes poorly paws etc. OH is the great protector, so all I would need to do is walk towards her and wait for her to run to him!

Sorry that the cats are poorly, hope they are feeling better soon!
 

Meowy Catkin

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I tried lunging him. His friend was much more enthusiastic and I could have taken lots of footage of the wrong cat trotting.

So from this rather unenthusiastic lunging, is my cat lame?

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Meowy Catkin

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At least his tail is wagging well, when he first had the bite it was hanging limp and he wouldn't move it at all. So he's definitely much better in that way.
 

Mule

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Poor Kasp! Could you get someone to hold him on the floor with you crouching down several paces away with a handful of his favourite tasty treat? Kasp is then released and in theory should trot to you and treat... however being a cat this is unlikely to happen, he will more probably sit/lie down and refuse to budge or walk slowly away in the opposite direction :rolleyes:
I love their contrariness :D
 

SEL

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I do think he isn't quite right behind. I thought off hind to start, but not sure. Is he usually reluctant to run after stuff? Might have strained something.

Btw - if you say looks bilaterally lame behind to a small animal vet you get an odd look.
 
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Meowy Catkin

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ETA - yes, the grey one. :)

Kasper would have been more enthusiastic if the other cat hadn't been there as Kasp is quite shy, where as Dragon's Bane is very bold and forward.

Sorry about making people dizzy.

I'll keep an eye on him and hopefully he'll just continue to get better. What he was doing hunting rats I have no idea. This is the cat who once proudly gave me a caterpillar after all. DB on the other hand probably could take on a dragon... ;)
 

Theocat

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I also agree he's off.

My junior car has been off behind for some time: just a bit of a John Wayne walk intitally. Wouldn't move at the vets, but had a "pain" reaction to having two thumbs very firmly and suddenly pressed into her hips (I am not convinced it wasn't just surprise). X rays showed nothing. She can still climb fences but in the last few weeks is starting to get a bit clumsy in things like getting off my knee, but still nothing you can really capture on video or that will display at a vet.

I will be really interested to hear if you pinpoint anything with yours!
 
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