Injured cat

[LadyGascoyne]

Calling cat people of HHO!

An injured cat came limping into the yard today, I think it’s had a run in with a car and it’s back leg looks to be badly lame (looks broken).

Cat is in a total panic, and won’t come anywhere near us. It’s hiding behind my muck heap, between some old disused barns and the horse fields. I can’t get anywhere close to it.

Vet referred me to Cats Protection but they won’t come out, so I have picked up a cat trap from them instead because I can’t leave the poor little thing on three legs.

I have put photos (from our cctv cameras) up on Facebook pages and spoken to all neighbours within reasonable distance of our farm. No one recognises poor cat.

Is there anything else I should be doing? It’s so cold tonight and I’m worried about the cat going into sick if it’s had a serious trauma.

 

[[153312]]

If you know vaguely where on your property it is can you cordon off that bit with the trap inside to increase your chances of catching it?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Maybe try some food tuna normally works and try and get him in the trap or in a box of some sort so you can get him some help, poor little thing ?

 

[Snow Falcon]

Sardines in tomato sauce as the bait food. Hope you manage to catch him/her.

 

[PurBee]

my own cat when run over ran away from me in the house and headed for the darkest place, airing cupboard. They go into shock and want to hole themselves in…it may actually be human friendly and just acting that way due to the trauma.

So you may be able to sit nearby with some strong smelling meaty food, and it’ll come out to eat. Only give a wee bit at first. You can try to slowly befriend it to fuss its head…..get near to crate it….but if its too wary put more strong smelling food in a comfy box/crate , or the trap you have…

Poor thing, luckily the adrenaline will be a powerful painkiller but that’ll wear off - you might be best to put the crate in a covered area of a barn…they’ll seek out the quietest, darkest, most protected area they can to lay down and recover….try to put the trap in such a place with food in it.

Its strange for a home-bound cat to not run home after injury. Ive had 2 severely injured and they both made the effort to run home, despite horrendous injuries. So maybe its a stray…or just far away from home?

 

[Equi]

I would try to herd it to trap it in a stable or similar enclosed area if the trap doesnt work, which i doubt it will. I hope you get it, poor kitty.

 

[BeckyFlowers]

Oh poor little love, but as others have said - food in trap, trap somewhere dark and quiet (up against a wall, in a corner etc). If it's still behind the muck heap then I would put the food and trap there up against the wall if there is one.

Keep us posted.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

No luck with trap last night.

This was about midday, when it arrived.


This is the leg it has hurt:


and this was last night.



We left one stable light on and one off, and it went into the one with the light on so we wonder whether it is a house cat who is just very confused and afraid.




No one around here seems to recognise it, and no joy on the
We wonder if it was dumped.

Trap is reset near the stables. Tonight, I’ll leave the light on, and leave the trap in the lit stable.

 

[Gloi]

Poor thing. It may me an indoor cat that got out and therefore had no road sense or to know how to get home. I hope at least you can get it to eat your food and eventually get it in the trap or into a stable.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

You've done the right thing getting the trap. I hope you catch him/her soon.

 

[SOS]

Just a warning about putting anything too tasty in the trap - if it attracts more wildlife and foxes etc.- the cat probably won’t want to go in. So perhaps in the stable with the light on with food in is a good shout. That way the light will hopefully deter the wildlife but not the cat.

Poor little thing with its leg.

 

[twiggy2]

Poor cat, good luck catching it.
Have cats protection said they will take responsibility for it once caught?

 

[smolmaus]

Have you got a blanket or something covering the trap? If you make it dark and cosy in there it will be more attractive. You could maybe try a folded blanket inside the trap as well if you can get it so it won't foul the mechanism.

Poor little baby It could very well have been dumped, or run away in such a panic it can't find it's own scent trail to get home. Hopefully they will get hungry enough that they can't resist the food before the leg gets worse.

 

[Archangel]

I would rattle some biscuits then put warm roast chicken (not too much you want the cat still a bit hungry) down near the trap but not in it - around about the time when you expect the cat and on the cat's usual route. You might have to do this for a couple of days then finally put it in the trap. Once cat is in the trap cover with a blanket. Good luck and good luck pusskin.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Ohh, is that a little tuxedo cat, the poor dear. ?

 

[paddy555]

We left one stable light on and one off, and it went into the one with the light on so we wonder whether it is a house cat who is just very confused and afraid.

I would shut the top door, leave the light on again, put nice food in the far corner, leave the bottom door partially open, wide enough so it is not obviously a trap but so you can shut it quickly, you will only get one chance. Then watch on CCTV. If the cat goes in get in behind it and shut the bottom door.
You may never get it in a trap but if you can get it shut in a stable you can keep it warm and fed and then try to evaluate what next. If you had a spare camera set it up in the stable.
I have one in my barn in this position. Been there a long time, very well fed still no idea how to trap it to get it out.

 

[julesjoy]

Good luck. I think you're doing all you can, until you can get it to a vet for scanning for a chip. Fingers crossed for tonight!

 

[LadyGascoyne]

Trap only resulted in some very annoyed foxes last night. I’m moved it closer to the house and in a spot where we have seen the cat. I’ve left the tack room open and can close door and trap cat it dares to go in.

It was very scarce today - I haven’t seen it since the early hours of the morning. I hope it’s ok!

 

[AmyMay]

Any luck yesterday?

 

[LadyGascoyne]

No luck at all and we haven’t seen the poor thing at all. Husband thinks it might have moved on, trying to get home.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

We have now found the owner of the cat, who is an older lady who lives in a nearish village.

She doesn’t do social media but someone shared the post widely and her daughter, who lives over and hour away, recognised it.

So for all the downsides of social media, it really is as good as the people on it - and the people on the local lost pets page have been great.

Daughter will be bringing her mum up to the farm on the weekend, if cat is still around, as one of the neighbors said they saw it on the other side of the farm on Sunday. It may still be around and very lost.

We think it might have hitched a ride because the village is 5 miles away and the cat doesn’t usually stray.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Cats can behave a bit odd when injured. The neighbors cat, who never leaves her or my property (she has a fixed radius it seems), was attacked by a dog (family member of the neighbor) and went into hiding for nearly 2 weeks. We don't know where she went, but when she resurfaced she was nearly dead. The vet said one more day would've been a day too late.

I would hope the cat would seek out a human if really in trouble, but I don't know. Really hoping his owner can coax him out and he can be tended to. It's good that the owner was able to be found though. Too bad the owner can't come sooner, but maybe the cat will stick around. Wishing all the best for this situation.

 

[Ratface]

Any updates, please, on injured cat?

 

[LadyGascoyne]

Any updates, please, on injured cat?

The cat made it home! It has been returned to its owner, and isn’t seriously hurt. It was clearly on its way home when we saw it, and it made it to the nearest village and was reunited with owner. All ends well!

 

[BeckyFlowers]

The cat made it home! It has been returned to its owner, and isn’t seriously hurt. It was clearly on its way home when we saw it, and it made it to the nearest village and was reunited with owner. All ends well!

Oh that's great news!

 

[fiwen30]

The cat made it home! It has been returned to its owner, and isn’t seriously hurt. It was clearly on its way home when we saw it, and it made it to the nearest village and was reunited with owner. All ends well!

Oh thank goodness!!

 

[Jeni the dragon]

Lovely news!

 

[HashRouge]

Oh that's great news! I've been worrying about this cat!

 

[Ratface]

Thank you for the heartening update. Good news for all concerned.