Concerned about possible internal injury from cat fight

by Brenda
(Broken Bow, OK)

My cat, Frankie, is less than a year old. He was seen fussing with another stay cat on our place late yesterday eve. He never came in last night. We found him this morning up a tree, but he wasn't even crying or calling for help. We got him down and he walked gingerly into the house and just lay down. He didn't even try to eat after being in the tree all night. He won't let me touch his right leg. I brought some food to him and he ate a couple of hours ago, but I just found where he had thrown up what he ate pretty much undigested. He is resting on the couch and not crying. But, I'm concerned about him not being able to keep that food down. We don't see any signs of injury, but I wonder if he got injured in a cat fight? Could he have some internal injury?


Dear Brenda,

Thank you for writing in with concern for your cat. It sounds as though Frankie could be in pain or have a fever resulting from an injury during the cat fight.

The fact that he will not allow you to touch his leg suggests that he may have an injury to that leg. It could be a slight fracture, or he may have been bitten or scratched. Bites from other animals are frequently not seen by cat owners because the wounds close so quickly. When the wound closes, an abscess can form due to bacteria building up and a fever can start to develop.

While it is possible that nothing of consequence is going on, his change in attitude and behavior is concerning. I recommend bringing Frankie to a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Best wishes,
Dr. Neely