Oh dear. Boy Cat has wonderful timing.

[Flamingoose]

It is Good Friday early morning here. We are all packed up and ready to go camping. Boy Cat has just come limping in and flopped down on his favourite blanket. He has not moved for breakfast which is highly unusual - he is essentially a shouting stomach on legs. He's also being quite affectionate and has let me stroke him for ages without trying to kill me. He even let me touch his legs, trying to work out what's wrong.

Now googling to find a vet which is open on Good Friday.

And trying to work out if we whoosh him straight to the vet, or wait a bit and see how he is. Don't want to hurt him by moving him into a box, which he hates and struggles against. Does he need medical treatment, or a bit of time to rest. It's not straightforward knowing what's best with an anxious and fighty cat.

He's not panting or groaning. But he's not coming for breakfast either. How do you decide how quickly you take them to the vet?

I suppose if you weren't going away, you could leave it a while to see if there's any improvement. As you're going away, it's probably best to err on the side of caution. They so choose their moments, don't they.

We've cancelled going away. We're waiting to see how he's doing. He's moved a bit and made himself more comfortable. Definitely hurt his font paw. Can't find any other damage but it's hard to tell.

Have you had a look for a thorn in his paw? I've taken a couple out of the pads of my cats feet, there's an almost immediate improvement. The thorns were visible both times, not difficult to see.

Oh, sorry, that was yesterday! I hope he's on the mend, OP!

Thanks McSnuff. I did have a look for thorns but nothing there. He's doing much better today, thank goodness. Damage to front and back leg. Now to watch for infection and abscess, which he is rather prone to.

The good news is that he is back to his grumpy self today. He has demanded breakfast, eaten both his and his sister's breakfast, taken a swipe at my husband, and bagged the best spot on the sofa. It's a welcome change from the rather sweet and pathetic boy we had