Change of Territory

[IanClements]

This is my first post here so hello everybody, hopefully you can offer me some advice. I had my first and only cat from Cats Protection seven years ago (he's about ten now) and over time he's developed his own territory which luckily is in the opposite direction from the main road which is about 150 metres away. He's a 6kg cat with only one other nearby big enough to really compete with him.

Anyway, last week he came in with three claws from another cat stuck in his head which didn't come out easily, no blood though and he seems happy enough so no need for the vet on this occasion. Now though for the first time ever I've seen him wander to within a few metres of the main road where he marked his territory before I called him back in.

I think there's a new cat in the area which has forced my cat out and now I'm more worried than usual about him getting run over. Is there anything I can do to persuade him to go back to his old hunting ground?

[Ruth B]

Welcome to the forum.

There is very little you can do to control where your cat goes when he leaves the house unless you are willing to cat proof the garden and restrict him to that. It's a worry a lot of us face everytime we hear the catflap go. If his old territory is land you own, or have access to then it might be worth spending time out there with him so he knows he has back up if there is a new cat around. Hopefully things will settle down and new territorial boundaries will be settled on without any more fights.

I would also add, while the wounds might not have bled, if the claws were penetrating the flesh you need to be really careful that the wounds don't become infected. I would suggest a trip to the vets just to have them checked over, or at the very least washing them twice a day with a saline solution (if you don't have any bottles of saline in the house, boil some water, let it cool and then add a good shake of salt to it and use that). Any sign of swelling, increased tenderness, or discharge and he needs to go to a vet as an abscess is likely to be starting and the soon they are dealt with the better.

Hope he's feeling better soon and is back to his old routes.

[bobbys girl]

Agree with Ruth, cats claws are filthy, keep a close eye on those wounds, especially if they feel warm.

Who knows what goes on in the mind of cats. I know there is a big political agenda going on with mine at the moment. Bob was the only male and quite sure of his position in the clan (mummy's boy) now there are two pretenders to his place. Situations li!e this need careful management. Would it be possible to cat proof your garden?

[IanClements]

Thank you for your replies, unfortunately I live in an upstairs maisonette so I don't have a garden as such, I am currently looking for a house though so your suggestion of cat proofing it may come in useful.

I guessed there probably wasn't much I could do to control where he goes so will just have to hope for the best for now at least. I'll keep an eye on his wounds but they look OK at the moment.

[lilynmitz]

Sometimes there's a bit of "argy-bargy" when new cats move into established territory, and eventually battle lines are drawn and each retreats to his or her corner thereafter. I often find new cats in my garden who are never seen again (not that Elsie could frighten off so much as a sparrow!), and certainly when I've brought new cats home they explore the entire area before deciding which bit it "theirs". Elsie did this, and now has decided to rarely leave the back garden, thankfully.

Hopefully the situation will settle down again with your lad, but as others have said, do keep a careful eye on those wounds. Cat fight injuries frequently develop into abscesses which are nasty and require urgent vet treatment. Meanwhile, keep the wounds clean with cooled boiled water with a little salt in (NOT antiseptics designed for humans, some of which are toxic to cats). If in doubt, off to the vet.

[bobbys girl]

Yes, Gracie used to wander for miles (we followed her once - through two fields and a wood!) But now she barely leaves the house!