Update on Huntercat

[Lovethesea]

Hey all, just to let you know that Huntercat/Big fluffy tabbie/Rescue one is now all well and healed again!

The poor sod tangled with a vehicle of some kind at the end of May, got home, spent a day pretending he was fine til I saw him standing and realised his front leg was twisted up and utterly broken.

Cue vets, even more expensive vets an hour drive away with orthopedic surgeons, x-rays, lots of muttering about complex shattered fragmented fractures and pet insurance.

Pins into the leg and a nice framework on the outside. Stoical cat then had to be on cage rest. I made him a metre by metre wire cage and we put it in the garden on nice days all summer. I bought every type of dreamie in existance.

A month ago it all came off and he was allowed around the house. Now he is out and about again and utterly delighted with his renewed freedom.

He doesn't even limp.

Petplan coughed up over 4000 to fix him.

We have had our green cross code conversation and I am convinced that absolutely nothing went in at all. We are on a quiet cul de sac but have a rarely used country single track lane behind us with a field over it. Fields mean hunting. He hunts.

So, praying he avoids traffic til the end of his days, but just so happy to see him in his element again, fluffy coat blowing in the breeze, walking the fence line like a leopard, sprinting like a tabbie cheetah across the garden and lounging like a lion in the sunshine.

[cozietoesie]

Great news. (Apart from the lack of interest in the Green Cross Code.)

[Lovethesea]

Yeah, he's not the smartest feline to grace the planet. But probably the softest fur ever so forgiven the palpitations for a moment of burying my face in his gorgeous fur.

He has also made peace with Tortierescue cat who has accepted him again now he doesn't smell of VET.

[ZebraOwl]

Am so SO pleased he's made such a good recovery! Also v glad to hear PetPlan have stumped up to cover [most of?] the vet costs.

Maybe you need to make him wear a high vis vest if he won't follow instructions on road safety

[Iwouldratherbemuckingout]

So glad! I love your description of him, I found your post very moving!

[Lovethesea]

Thanks, he is heart warming and so generous with his patience with the kids. DS (3) decided to walk him yesterday by holding onto his tail and following the cat. The cat just let him until I noticed what DS meant by 'walking the cat' and got him to release the poor feline. He just seems to know they mean no harm and is totally relaxed around them despite their noise and random actions.

Tortie might have taken DS's hand off though She is a little more, um, feisty!

[MissDD1971]

Lovethesea - cats are so funny re smelling of vet - they sense it.

when I had 2 cats - I had one that was constantly at the vets with fights (drips etc...) and his darling sister (no love lost there) would hiss at him for ages when he came in, due to the vet smell - I think disinfectant.

I think we forget how much stronger their sense of smell is than ours!

[MissDD1971]

PS - your cat sounds amazing a real toughie and glad he's ok!

[ZebraOwl]

In fairness, if I'd a tail & a small child grabbed it, I'd be with the tortie rather than the exceptionally sanguine Huntercat.

[Lovethesea]

Oh me too! Funnily enough I don't think DS would ever hold Tortie's tail and go for a walk with her ..... he was high fiving Huntercat this morning, stroking him and kissing him and saying He likes it!

Oddly, Huntercat does like it, he seems to find the kids interesting and rubs against them, follows them about and sits and watched cbeebies with them at times.

I can recommend taking small children with you to rescue pens to assess which cats are bombproof. Both ours cope fine with the chaos, noise and playing while others I saw there were hiding or hissing the moment we looked like going into their pen with 2 preschoolers.

[ZebraOwl]

I think you are very right about it being important wee smalls meet Prospective Cats in advance to help work out who'll be the best fit.

It is lovely your DS has such a good relationship with Huntercat & that he's generally keen on those humans nearest to him in size