Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU leaving injured cat

54 replies

cloudbusting12 · 27/12/2025 20:00

Please give me your opinion on who is BU.
Dcat has an injury on his back leg which is infected. He has been on antibiotics for 4 days and has a course for 2 weeks.

Today we had to take him to the vets as the injury looked liked it has reopened. Vet said it is healing ok but Dcat needs to where a cone as he is fiddling with it.

Dcat is not a house cat and goes outside to toilet through cat flap. Can go out using cat flap and vet said this is ok.

Here is the AIBU. We are due to visit relatives for a couple of days and have a cat feeder who will come twice a day to feed and also dispense medicine.

one of us thinks someone needs to be at home to make sure Dcat is ok. The other thinks he will be fine with the feeder visiting 2 x a day.

who is being unreasonable?

OP posts:
FrankSinatraonToast · 27/12/2025 20:01

I'd stay behind just to be on the safe side.

Only2daystogo · 27/12/2025 20:01

How can he fit through the caf flap with a cone?

Floatingdownriver · 27/12/2025 20:02

Stay behind. Poor cat. This shouldn’t even be a question.

EmpressaurusKitty · 27/12/2025 20:03

I wouldn’t leave him.

Whaleandsnail6 · 27/12/2025 20:03

Whoever wants to leave the cat is unreasonable.

You either need to rethink your trip or rethink your pet care to have someone there majority of the time...I think he needs closer monitoring than a couple of times a day

Arlanymor · 27/12/2025 20:03

I think investing in a litter tray would be a sensible idea to avoid dislodging the cone. My mum's cat is an outdoor cat, but has an indoor litter tray.

I cat sit for friends often and have had to give antibiotics and take to the vets for asthma injections. But I know the cats well, which I think makes the difference. If yours are just there to feed that's different, I move in to look after these cats.

XenoBitch · 27/12/2025 20:03

What happens if the feeder visits, and your cat is not in the house?

Personally, I would be staying home to make sure the cat is ok and the wound is healing ok and not re-opening etc.

TerminallyScunnered · 27/12/2025 20:04

Is there anyway you can bring your cat with you?

YodasHairyButt · 27/12/2025 20:04

Your cat, your responsibility. Stay home.

DancingPony · 27/12/2025 20:04

I would not leave him. I voted yabu because your title asks "would ibu to leave him", but it doesn't say which one you are, so sorry if I got it wrong!

vanillalattes · 27/12/2025 20:05

Can the cat feeder stay at your house while you're away, instead of popping in?

I wouldn't leave any of my cats in that condition.

catownerofthenorth · 27/12/2025 20:05

Of course you can’t leave him at large. He’s unwell and much more vulnerable than normal. You could book him in to a cattery. He would be safe and monitored and he’s not infectious so no reason why not.

WiddlinDiddlin · 27/12/2025 20:06

You ABSOLUTELY cannot leave a cat unsupervised AND going outside for that length of time wearing a cone -and I would put money on it the vet did not say that was ok. They may have agreed the cat could go out to the toilet wearing a cone with supervision, but not unattended, thats a super high risk for your cat strangling itself or getting hung up somewhere.

Stompythedinosaur · 27/12/2025 20:06

I wouldn't leave my cat in this circumstance

Shedmistress · 27/12/2025 20:08

I wouldn't leave a cat for 2 days and to be honest I probably would want to make sure i was home with cat until the cone was off full stop.

DeepBlueDeer · 27/12/2025 20:09

Gosh no, of course you can't leave him.

dcadmamagain · 27/12/2025 20:11

My cat recently was put to sleep. I knew he wasn’t himself as soon as I saw him. Your cat is struggling recovering at mo - how would you feel if he got worse when you are not there?

WinterWooliesBaa · 27/12/2025 20:13

Tell him to go by himself if that's more important to him.

you cannot leave a cat in a cone home alone.

Toddlerteaplease · 27/12/2025 20:14

I’d be worried about him injuring himself on the cone if no one is supervising. Definitely have a cat sitter if put him in a carttery.

Seawolves · 27/12/2025 20:16

I wouldn't go, part and parcel of responsible pet ownership is being home at times like this.

Original poster
cloudbusting12 · 27/12/2025 20:17

@Only2daystogoit’s quite a big cat flap and a small cone

OP posts:
XenoBitch · 27/12/2025 20:19

The cone just stops him from fussing it. He could still do further damage to it in the garden etc.

WarmGreyHare · 27/12/2025 20:20

Can't vote as not sure which way you mean. But you don't leave an injured pet on medication unsupervised.
And if he is injured to the point of needing to wear a cone I don't think you should be letting him outside ATM either.

Original poster
cloudbusting12 · 27/12/2025 20:23

Thanks all. I just wanted to prove to DH I am not overreacting in wanting to stay with Dcat.

DH wants to leave the cat to visit relatives and think DCat will be fine.

He is now planning to take the kids to visit and come back earlier than planned. I was upset about having time off work over Christmas and not being able to spend time with kids as they will be at relatives but did not want to leave Dcat.

OP posts:
InTheWindow · 27/12/2025 20:25

Stay with your cat. I left my last Dcat with XH for 2 nights when I went away with DD. He had recently had an injured foot which I thought was getting better. I asked XH to take him to the vet if he felt it was needed. XH sent me updates saying DCat was well and happy. I got home to find a very poorly cat in obvious pain XH didn’t know him like I did just thought he was being quiet and calm. Dcat ended up on antibiotics and really strong pain meds but seemed to get better after a couple of weeks, however he became ill again a few months later and died of liver failure. He was 15 but one of the vets wondered aloud if it was due to the medication he had been on. I really wish I had stayed to look after him.

Swipe left for the next trending thread