Poor Paddington :(

**Walter Coonkat** · 9th July 2011, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by Jolly

Had the call we were dreading yesterday. The Orthopedic people have reviewed Paddingtons X-rays and he does have a small fracture in one of the bones in his wrist. The vet told me that this *might* be able to heal itself with strict cage rest for 2 weeks and if not surgery will be our only option at a cool £2500.

Acquired a cage last night and will start the cage rest today. Poor little guy, he is going to hate this :(

Any ideas on how to keep an MC entertained whilst on cage rest? Any experiences????

J
x

Poor Paddington. It is a shame all the people here can't take turns cuddling him and keeping him entertained.

**jckkerrison** · 9th July 2011, 02:04 PM

Just try to keep his cage wherever you happen to be so at least he doesn't feel out on a limb{no pun intended} or can he go out in the garden while you are about & bird watch,I think it is one of the hardest things you have to do with a cat,pity he wasn't put on that right at the start,he would have been through his sentence by now.....!
Give him a cuddle from over here & fingers crossed for him....x

**H&SWells** · 9th July 2011, 06:41 PM

poor paddington i dont envy you at all

**Jolly** · 9th July 2011, 09:32 PM

Does anyone know if he should be allowed out of his cage at all. It just seems so horrible keeping him caged all the time? I just put my hand in to stoke him and he seemed desperate to escape :( It makes me really upset.

**Carol ann** · 9th July 2011, 10:33 PM

I know it sound's hard but ,he is better off staying put. I you let him out once he will want to come out again and again, and it could end up causing more damage. I once had to keep my daughters horse in a stable for 16 wks it was hard but the end results were worth it.
Hang in there , get Paddington some nice catnip.

**jckkerrison** · 9th July 2011, 10:38 PM

Originally Posted by Jolly

Does anyone know if he should be allowed out of his cage at all. It just seems so horrible keeping him caged all the time? I just put my hand in to stoke him and he seemed desperate to escape :( It makes me really upset.

Why not try just having him out with you so you can monitor him,with a whopping big cast on he is not going to go too far but if he will cuddle up with you it shouldn't hurt him,just don't let him jump off of anywhere,it does seem a bit like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted when you think how long ago he first done it but you want to do all you can to avoid it not healing,if he has to have an op could be cage rest for a lot longer,don't want that,laying with you is not going to be any different than laying in his cage though & he hopefully will accept going back easier,if he does get really freaked out being in there have a word with your vets on Monday....x

**catslave** · 9th July 2011, 11:42 PM

Perhaps a treat ball or kong? Lots of attention, and agree with keeping him near you, and keep talking to him; tell him why he is in there etc. Maybe leave a tv or radio on for him if you need to go out. Could you dangle some toys through the cage on his good side (supervised of course)? Make sure he has his teddies. You could change cage round daily, ie move bedding, food, litterbox just to give variety. Maybe one of those plugin feliway things might help as they are supposed to relieve stress and relax cats. Poor babe will probably sleep more due to natural healing process and boredom. Don't forget to adjust his diet as he could easily gain a lot of weight being grounded. Can't imagine what your going through, but be strict on the cage rest however hard it seems. If he has to have op he will need about 6 weeks in the cage to recover.

Big hugs to both of you from me, Buddy and Millie xxx

**Jolly** · 12th July 2011, 08:24 PM

Thanks for all the advice.

We take him out of his cage and cuddle him every now and again and have been changing his cage around so he doesn't get bored. Different toys too every day.

I have attached a photo of him in his cage. He has his grass in there with him too (its his favourite thing).

Have just noticed that his cast has a little crease forming on it and it seems to have slipped so it looks like we are back off to the vet tomorrow morning for a cast change. Getting a bit sick of going to the vets :(

Paddington keeps going for number 2's at inappropriate times. His cage is in our lounge/dining room and the last 2 days he has done his business just as we sit down for dinner. Nice.

J
xxxxxxx

**catslave** · 12th July 2011, 11:41 PM

Unfortunately the poor babes cast is going to get loose due to lack of muscle tone and swelling going down. Or being the intelligent cat that he is he's worked out that damaging his cast equals freedom from the cage, even if for a trip to the vet where no doubt he gets lots of fuss and attention.

As for the untimely pooping, as cage is large take it moving it to another room is out, so, could you alter his feeding routine times, or yours (possibly easier) so they don't clash? He could well be crossing his legs and waiting as said in protest.

Give Paddington a massive cuddle from us three, and hang in there, I know its hard but this time next year you will be laughing about all of this xxxx