Upson County Cat Reinjures Leg
It was Sunday night. Suvy, in her usual summertime habit was out late. At 9 pm, when it gets dark, she enjoys chasing the insects that come out after dark. But this night was different. At 8:30 pm, when I checked on her, I heard an unusual, plaintif, high pitched wail coming from the back lot. I walked back there and found nothing unusual and the wailing stopped. Suvy did not come when I called her at 9:30; she didn’t even run past me to let me know she was alright as she often does. At 10 pm, I turned on all of the outdoor lights and took a flashlight outside to find her. I was assuming that she was hiding from me in an attempt to stay out all night. After five minutes of calling her, here she came, limping out of the dark shadows of the bushes. She then lay down in front of me in a gesture of wanting her stomach rubbed, which I did. I then picked her up and brought her inside. Her leg was injured but not broken apparently. When I put some Aspercreme on it, she scratched me with her paw. She would occassionally meow in a way that signaled pain and aggravation. She slept next to me on my bed and I gave her all of the room that she needed to get comfortable. Neither she nor I got much sleep that night.
On today, Wednesday, I am proud to report that her leg is better. Unfortunately my plans to begin letting her stay out all night have to be changed. Her previous leg injury happened after dark one night and I feel that she has misjudged her ability to safely function after dark. My new policy is to bring her in before dark until she is able to walk without limping. Her ability to jump and to climb have been impared since her broken leg occured months ago and I feel that she needs to be able to jump and climb in order to escape the occasional predators that visit this property. We have had visits from coyotes and foxes late at night. I am happy that Suvy did not get killed in this latest mishap.
With relief,
I.C.