We currently have three guests at the cats-only boarding facility who make a very good case for keeping cats indoors.
One is easily one of my favorite all-time guests. He’s a big tabby fellow and a total sweetheart — that’s probably why his family called him Pooky. These days, Pooky is a lover, not a fighter. But in his past? He was probably a fighter. He’s got a few good-sized scars running down his nose that speak of old fights.
Pooky is an indoor cat now, and I wonder if that’s what gave his lovebug side the opportunity to show. When he stays at the boarding facility, he’s chock full of cuddles and kisses.
My second example is named for a famous cartoon dog: Odie. Odie is another frequent guest, but when he came in last week, his face had a story to tell. According to his owner, Odie snuck out the door one day and was gone for over a week. When he came back, he had a large wound behind one ear and another on his chin. Odie will be paying a visit to the veterinarian side of the building to get his wounds checked out, just in case. Nobody knows for sure, but Odie tangled with somebody while he was away from home.
The third guest is pretty amazing. He’s a handsome snowshoe Siamese, sweet as anything. Thimble is boarding with us for the first time, and is only here because he’s seriously injured and needs frequent attention.
Thimble tangled with a raccoon and nearly lost his life. I’ve counted at least six claw marks on his face — some down the nose and some across the forehead. His worst wound is on his rump. The injury is at least three inches long and deep, exposing muscle and all sorts of other things I can’t think about too much without feeling a little queasy. The vet tried to stitch it up, but for whatever reason, the skin in the area started to die.
So instead, Thimble gets hydrotherapy four times per day: the area is rinsed with lukewarm water for as long as he’ll tolerate it. He’s pretty good about it, much to my surprise. Between sessions he gets antibiotics and pain medication to help keep him comfortable.
I look at these three young, loving cats and it breaks my heart that they’ve been hurt so badly while roaming the neighborhood. Odie’s adventure wasn’t intentional, but I know that Thimble is regularly allowed out to wander… and get into scrapes like this. Outside under supervision — in a cat run or in the yard with family — is one thing, but these three examples demonstrate that roaming at will can be dangerous.