My cat got into a fight earlier today

[Not_Giving_Up]

She came home soaking wet, but it wasn't raining. She's got a scratch on her left ear, and a small spot by the left side of her mouth. When she dried, I realized it was mud. Poor thing, I had to put her in the tub and rinse her out. She was well behaved, not one growl or emerged claw. Now, she's at the door, wanting back outside. I keep telling her I've grounded her for fighting, and I don't care who started it.

[oregonjen]

1. My cat does that too

I usually put hydrogen peroxide and neosporin on his wounds and most of the time I can dodge having to go to the vets. On occasion, he develops an abcess and then we are off to the vets. It's tough having an indoor/outdoor cat, huh!?

[Not_Giving_Up]

2. This is the first time she's come home bloody (and muddy!)

Once, she came in not bearing weight on a front paw, but after a nap she was walking just fine. I'd really like to know where she got that soaked - I though someone had sprayed her with a hose until it started getting dry, and you could really see the mud. There's a small ditch nearby, and there's water in it since it rained yesterday. I'm thinking that in the heat of battle she went in. Either that, or they were under somebody's trailer (judging from the mud, more likely). Small scratches, don't even warrant Neosporin that I can see (maybe the ear).

Of my three kitties, she's the only indoor-outdoor. She loves outside, and I'm not going to deny her that. My male goes out, but only on a harness. He's a fifteen pound chicken. Scribbles looks outside, finds it fascinating, but never even tries to go there.

[barb162]

3. ground her forever okay? SHe will be better off. I used to let my

cats out up till a few years ago and then I stopped totally. No more fleas, no more extra vet trips, no more calling for them and running around the neighborhood frantic at 1:00AM wondering if they got killed....

I have had the exact same thing happen, where my cat got in a bad fight and three hours later he wanted to go out again. They love to feel the grass, climb trees, etc. But if they go out now, I am standing right next to them in the back yard and they are on a leash.

[Not_Giving_Up]

5. She sticks pretty close to home

Usually, I can just open the front door and she's there. If not, all I have to do is call.

No fleas, we use Advantage, and the only trips to the vet she's made were for regular shots and getting spayed.

[Not_Giving_Up]

7. Another note

She gave up at the door and is curled up sleeping.

[barb162]

8. glad to hear it

I can tell you stories....

I took in this one feral 6 year old beaten up male. It took me a year or so to get him in and even when he was in, he still wanted to go out a few times a day. So I would let him out and he'd find other cats to fight; I think he thought he was the guard cat and territorial. SO I got so tired of getting him fixed up at the vet I just fought with him; he had to stay in. It was a struggle because of the constant meowing and pacing to go back out. Finally somewhere along the line he realized he wasn't going out anymore and things settled down.
Also I have 3 other cats and if one gets out and gets fleas, three other get it and we all know how much Advantage costs. I was also so afraid of them getting run over by a car...I think there are some people who like to kill cats and even though there isn't much traffic around here, some people drive up the residential streets like they are expressways.

One of my other cats got out (ran between my legs as I was closing the door) and I found him laying down in the middle of an intersection and he was rolling around in the street.

I believe cats, like dogs are "of the earth" and they just love being outside. They just love sniffing around, rolling around in ther grass, exploring, etc. But the dangers....

[Not_Giving_Up]

10. I know...

I won't let her out if no one will be home to let her in if she needs it. Luckily, she doesn't go all of the way to the front of the trailer park. I was walking up to the store one night, and she followed me. When I rounded the corner (where all of the cars COME from), she stopped and waited for me to come back. Now, she stays on the driveway and watches me walk up there. There are speedbumps, and they are huge, so most people slow down, but I've watched her, and she's very attentive to the cars.

I get Advantage from the Humane Society, so it's a little cheaper than at the vet, and all kitties stay free of fleas.

She's still sleeping, maybe she'll get over her need to roam outside.

[barb162]

11. GOOD LUCK with her (they are persistent little shits, aren't they?)

[Not_Giving_Up]

12. Yes they are

She's a good kitty though.

She knows not to use her claws on the door...just paws!

She has learned claw control, and even when play pouncing with me, uses no claws. (I wish the other cats would learn this!)

She's my snuggle kitty. When I go to sleep, she's right there, in the crook of my legs.

I WUV my Dora!

[barb162]

14. I hope snuggle kitty and you are friends for a very long long time. So

anyway, speaking of not using claws on the door, the cat that is the escape artist (Babe, who was rolling around in the intersection) bangs as hard as he can on the windows when he wants to go out. And he weighs about 15 pounds so when he bangs, he really bangs hard on them. He does it a few times a day. He is a very oppositional-defiant cat. They can be worse than some really snotty/ bratty kids.

[Not_Giving_Up]

15. I have a 15 pound male who hides in my kitchen cabinets

My other kitty opens the shower door while I'm taking a shower. I think she's trying to rescue me.

[barb162]

16. My female likes to sit on closet shelves; she's a torti and you

KNOW how crazy they are. She also beats up on 2 of the males, except the youngest male, Bobo, who is huge.

Bobo , who is 2, beats up on everyone and will play all day and night if you let him.

Babe , 14, is the con artist, and when I used to let him out years ago, would come back with burrs under his front arms, with mud and dirt, etc.

Boom, my oldest, 16, is the smallest of the four and he used to love being outside also. He would hide under plants and thought he was the great white hunter. He would chase squirrels and NEVER catch them; I think it freaked him out when they would run on the vertical part of fences. He seemed to always stay far back enough from them where he would be close but would not catch them.

I used to let them out when there was a fenced back yard. Now there are open yards around here in this house and the woman next door has a labrador and even when that dog is near the property line they run from the window. It's a big dog.

It wouldn't surprise me if your cat is trying to rescue you. She probably can't figure out why you purposely go in the water.

[Not_Giving_Up]

17. Actually, she loves water

She puts her paws in the water dish, drops toys in the water dish and splashes them around...I can't brush my teeth without her in the sink...I have to push her out of the way to spit.

[barb162]

18. do they ever fall in the toilet?

[Not_Giving_Up]

19. The water kitty has been spotted straddling the bowl

Half in, half out, drinking. I use drop-ins now, so insist that the lids are closed.

[barb162]

20. some of my cats insist on drinking from a dripping faucet or from a sink

that has the water stopped in it. One will only drink from a toilet. Bobo only drinks from water glasses. Babe insists on the toilet and he falls in about every 6 months. Makes no difference if they see me changing the water bowl near their food; they never drink from the actual water bowl. Doing that is against the rules

[Not_Giving_Up]

21. That is too funny

Scribbles is my only water lover. The other two won't go near it.

I was so proud of Dora tonight when I put her in the tub. Granted, I had to hold her in place...but no claws, teeth, growling, nothing. She tried to escape twice, but didn't get very far. She hid under the couch for an hour after I towel dried her.

[barb162]

22. is Dora the one who got mud on her from being outside

(some are really traumatized from baths; my oldest is that way...he shakes and thinks you're trying to kill him). I would give them flea baths before Advantage and Revolution came out. Ever since Advantage, no cat baths in this house

[Not_Giving_Up]

23. Yeah, the only reason I would have done that to her

I did kitty baths forever until I started with Advantage. Bathing a 15 pound male (Bear) is not fun...and he'd claw and bite. Scribbles is an all around spaz, forget that!

Poor Dora, she was just covered in dried mud, I had to do it. She's cool with me now though, climbed up in my lap and head butted me.

[BikeWriter]

13. Very good advice, Barb! Thank you. :-)

[lastknowngood]

4. They kill birds and rabbits and just leave them so please don't

let them go loose. She may have tangled with a squirrel, they look like easy prey but they have some nasty teeth and can put a real hurttin on cat.

[Not_Giving_Up]

6. I'm fairly certain it was another cat

I've run off a male a few times lately after hearing the growling.

[meow2u3]

9. The best thing to use on a cat's wounds

Zinc ointment! I don't know how it works on a cat, but it works wonders.