Cat on 5 weeks cage rest

[PurpleBananaPie]

My cat is having an operation today, to fix his wobbly kneecap. He comes home tomorrow and the Vet has said that he needs to be in a cage for 5 weeks, to stop him jumping on anything basically.

I have bought the largest dog cage I can find but my cat is a big boy and I can't bear the thought of him being stuck in a cage 24/7 for 5 weeks! Once he has some bedding and his litter tray in there, there isn't a great deal of room to move around.

Has anyone ever done this? How did you your cat cope with it?

Yes I've done it quite often. You just need to be tough for his own good. They do seem to sort of accept it and become almost 'institutionalised' after around four to five days I find. Just spend as much time as you can with him, talking to him and stroking him.

Is it better to keep the cage in a central place so that they can see comings and goings, TCN, or a quiet place so that they can sleep?

Let's look at this honestly, the average cat spends 18hours a day asleep.
This is 5 weeks of not quite so much fun for fixing the problem.
Most cats adapt incredibly well.

Ive got the cage in the living room at the moment, thinking that he might prefer to be where he can see us. Now I'm wondering if he might prefer somewhere quiet?

He has been lame for almost 6 months now so it is a relief that they have finally fixed the problem but I am still worried about him being couped up for so long.

My boy Billy spent 6 weeks in a cage just big enough for his litter tray and a flat cushion for a bed. He had a broken pelvis. To be honest he was so poorly for a while he didn't care where he was and I spent a lot of time sitting by his cage just talking drivel for him. He adjusted really well and recovered well. Your cat will be ok. Here's. A piece of cat cake for him

Well it's not as if you all have any choice in the matter, Purple. How is he reacting with his cage in the living room?

We had to do this with one of our cats once when she had a broken leg and pelvis due to being run over. She coped fine with it - we also had her cage in the lounge so we could interract and be with her.

At the risk of sounding a bit bonkers, we sometimes put TV programs on that we knew she liked, ie snooker (watching the balls roll) and nature programs (the birds!) figuring it would at least occupy her a bit.

I don't think it sounds bonkers. If nothing else, I've found that cats seem to enjoy and relax a bit with a noise source as long as it's fairly low constant volume- radio, bad TV programmes etc.

Well he's home now and has been in the cage for an hour and a half half. Most of that time he has spent trying to escape. Im hoping he will soon accept that he can't get out and stop trying to bend the bars!

I also was considering leaving the TV or radio on occasionally for him so I'm glad someone else has done this and it isn't just me that's bonkers

I did that for Seniorboy when he had what I think was a little stroke a couple of years back and became suddenly very fearful and anxious. I had to use DVDs due to the available devices up in the bedroom at the time but I think it did him a power of good. (I had a sore head and square eyes but Hey Ho.)

My cat hated his cage - he used to roll around in it in a very 'I'm boooooooored' way.

He also used to flip his litter tray over and stare at us, daring us to open the door to sort it out - at which point he could make his escape #cunningplan