Month: October 2021

Benjamin seems far more settled now.  We tried the pain relief for the episodes of what appeared to be pain related, however the episodes continued and it is clear now it is an issue he has with feet that surprise him.  If a foot appears and he was not expecting it, he goes into defense position, growls, hisses and tries to bite the foot (or slipper or shoe).  It is heartbreaking to think that his injuries could have been caused by a foot rather than an RTA, or even a combination of both – an RTA followed by a foot out of the way?  I do not know, but what I do know is this is something we will work through so Benjamin does not have to be afraid of feet anymore.

I have the outdoor enclosure in boxes outside waiting to be built for Benjamin so he can spend some time outdoors – as soon as I have it built, I will add photos and some more info.

With Benjamin no longer being ‘top dog’ (cat of course!) Nicolas has stepped in and his now terrorising Bianca who has taken to weeing indoors, but not in the litter tray – anywhere else.  This morning was the washing basket – I was just too late so she weed on my foot too!  They are not used to Benjamin (the big fella) being so chilled and non dynamic, and Nicolas and Benjamin were like a mischievous tag team, so Nicolas is having to get his action elsewhere now by tormenting girls.  I am hoping that as time goes by, Benjamin will become more like his old self and Nicolas will have his best mate back.

But for now, Benjamin is most happy sleeping in my son’s wheelchair (when my son is on his bed) or on my son’s bed (when my son is in his wheelchair) and is not so happy when it’s time to be moved from one to the other to make room for Lewis!

In a house of 5 cats and a dog who thinks she is a cat, Benjamin needs to re-establish his standing – never through aggression or intimidation – just by being the big gentle giant that he was before Friday 13th 2021. – and everybody loved him.

Benjamin has been restricted to the bedroom since his surgery and has managed to move around well enough with his ‘pet stairs’ from Aldi (which I filled with books to make them stable enough) and his (often stinky) litter tray (never miss having a litter tray in the house!)

On the possible further surgery day, the vets assessed Benjamin and decided he was moving about quite well and may not need the full head ostectomy after all which would be great!  So we came home to trial Benjamin being allowed outside of the bedroom (but not outdoors outside) and although Benjamin was desperate to get out of those 4 walls, it was not so kind on his hip.  He can now move very fast (so we called him ninja!) but only for short bursts after which he lays down and growls and hisses at himself – I then pick him up and put him back in the bedroom and he settles for a sleep.

As I was concerned he was in pain, I took him back to see the vet and we have started him on pain relief for a few days to see how he fairs.  It may be that the pain is more of a discomfort which will pass as he gets more used to moving around in a larger area, or it may be that the ostectomy will have to go ahead for his on and off (or more accurately in and out) hip dislocation.

That is where we are now – a few days of PR and then re-assess.  Benjamin is so desperate to go outdoors, and his hiding at doorways in the hope of making an escape.  I have taken him outside, closely supervised, for ten minutes and he just sat and washed himself and sunbathed for a bit before I brought him back inside.

We will see what the following days bring, hopefully some good news for the giant grey fella who just wants to go back to his old midnight stomping ground, but sadly I don’t think he ever will have such freedom again.