Charlie Recovery – Inside or Outside

This is an update on Charlie’s story and I would like to thank the people who commented who sent their best wishes for Charlie. He is sending big paw hugs to you all 🙂

Updating on the recovery

Its been relatively smooth sailing with Charlies recovery despite a few things that i’ve noticed which I will be covering in this post.

As of Firday 12th of May Charlie had is stitches removed and his collar taken off and I can say that there has been an instant change in his mood to a more positive mood. He can now scratch and clean himself which I think he was hanging out for 🙂

His appetite is still not the greatest and this is something I really wanted to touch on here because he is usually a little pig when it comes to food and I think other cat owners my testify to this.

No Energy to eat?

Prior to the accident, Charlie would be clammering around my feet for food at pretty much every chance he gets and now he dosnt do that, and as a result he has lost a lot of weight.

With that said, he was never a fat cat to begin with — however I am finding that he only eats properly unless I spoon feed him like a baby, but as soon as he gets some food in his belly he automatically pirks up and would eat a whole bowl.

But if I didnt spoon feed him to begin with he wouldnt eat nor would he announce that was hungry which has been very strange and a little concerning.
I have come home from work with his food bowl still full…

However I am dealing with it by feeding him at common meal times with the rest of the family and it seems to keep him on track. But maybe its still the early stages.  — Would love to know if anyone has seen this in their own cat. 

Inside or Outside thats the question?

I am grateful to have had a lot of support on this site from other pet owners, however in the earlier stages I joined a few big cat facebook groups to seek help and I literally got told off by a few people for letting him outside in the first place for this accident to happen….

It seemed kind of snarky and weird, but I was getting many people messaging me saying to “never let him outside again”, which I thought was insane for a cat like Charlie who is accustomed to the outdoors and doing his own little cat things.

Despite these weird and patronizing comments, Charlie is back outside where he is laying in the sun and his mood has dramatically made a huge change for the better.

At first i was apprehensive based on these people’s messages and comments, but i couldn’t think of the fact that he wouldn’t be able to have a truly happy life without doing what he loves – being outside and laying in the sun and playing with his cat friends.

So if you have a cat who is accustomed to the outdoors I would invite you to not be discouraged to let them outside. I think 3 – 4 weeks of recovery time is ideal to let your cat back outside to venture. Obviously don’t do this unless you get clearance from your VET.

But other than that Charlie is making a speedy recovery and things have been really looking up.

 

Thanks again for reading

5 thoughts on “Charlie Recovery – Inside or Outside”

  1. Hello and Welcome
    I’m sorry about Charlies accident.
    Charlie is such a handsome guy!!!
    Everyone always has a opinion on a indoor vs outdoor cat. When there is a accident outside people will tend to want you to keep Charlie indoors to prevent any further accidents .
    Obviously it is your decision and you have Charlies best interest at heart so do what works best for you and Charlie.

    I do think people are only trying to help in telling you their opinion on one way or another.
    Just weed out any comments that are not helpful to you and remember people are most likely commenting & trying to help.

    As far as Charlie not eating , how many days was Charlie on pain meds?
    That is concerning that he is not eating. Keep on hand feeding or do whatever to help him eat.
    I do wonder if he is in pain? Have you addressed this with his vet? If not I would call the vet and address it with them.

    Our cat Purrkins lost his front leg due to cancer, Purrkins would not eat in the hospital. Once he came home we didn’t have a problem with appetite, He didn’t eat as much during recovery but he always ate.

    Give Charlie extra chin scratches from us.

    Hugs
    Holly & Purrkins

  2. Good on you Charlie for recovering so very well so quickly! And for getting rid of the stitches and bothersome cone!!! All reasons to celebrate!
    As for the inside/outside debate, that is an issue that has been debated for ions. It is true there are, in general, more dangers outside but it is entirely up to your husband ( I think I remember that Charlie and he are bonded?) and you to make the choice for Charlie!
    Would say though that Charlie would be EXTREMELY vulnerable as a TriKitty outside without direct supervision; however, there are many folks on the site who have outside enclosures/porches/sanctuaries, etc. where their TriKitties relax, play, and bask in the sun. Would Charlie have access to anything like that so that he can enjoy the sights and smells without your direct supervision? Kudos on having such a fantastic recovery!!!

    1. Thank you for your comment and kind wishes 🙂

      Me and my partner are very mindful of him and we work from home so thats probably an advantage, we keep a close eye out for him. He has his own yard with trees and plenty of grass and he tends to stay very close to the house. I think he knows his limitations of what he can and cannot do. Before he use to venture to the neighbours house, but it looks like that he has got his place under a tree and he just lazes there for most of the day.

  3. My philosophy…of sppon feeding is what it takes ro get him started eating his meal, do it!! Getting through recovery has lots of little quirks like that and we just have ro go with what works!

    Overall it sounds like Charlie is doing very well! It’s so hard ro be patient, butnit IS MAJOR SURGERY and the fact that he is using all his energy to heal. So he may be resting a lot for awhile.

    Do not pay any attention to those comments you got from the other site. They were well intended, just maybe not phrased the best way. Charlie is your cat and you know Charlie best! You know what HIS definition of a quality life means ro him!

    And yes, we have had cats bere who were outdoor kitties and stayed that way. We’ve even had a feral cat or two!

    Purrki s offered a couple of suggestuons that may, or may not work for Charlie. Something to think about IF you think he woukd be happy. Some cats are happy lounging around outside and just staying close to the house as outdoor kitties. Maybe Charlie will decide staying close to the house is a good idea!

    Hugs to all!

    Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!

  4. Congratulations on a smooth recovery!

    I had no problems with my tripawd Mona eating because the vet gave her canned kitten food and she loved it. She was easy to transition back to her regular food. I know of some cats there were not interested in eating when on pain meds but I don’t believe that continued. You want to check with out with your vet because it can be unsafe for a cat to lose weight quickly. Perhaps Charlie just likes the extra attention being spoon fed!

    Indoor/outdoor? It’s well documented that cats live longer and have fewer injuries when they live indoors. More birds live too!! My tripawd Mona is a 95% indoor cat. She does go outdoors and stays on the porch, deck or enclosed garden area. Although our tripawds do well, they still won’t be able to run as fast, climb as easily or defend themselves as well as when they had 4 legs. Charliebear’s suggestion to create a safe sanctuary for your Charlie is a great idea and something to consider.

    Enjoy that sunshine Charlie.

    Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona

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