Kitten vs Rat – Kitty lost. Now what?
Our 6 month old kitten apparently found a rat last night. He’s been in pain all morning, walking funny and meowing whenever we pick him up. No blood visible, but his rear leg or hindquarters seems tender. He really doesn’t want us inspecting it. Will be be okay?
Pain = take him to the vet!
You should definitely take the kitten to the vet.
Are you sure that it was a rat?
One misconception people have is that rats have rabies. Rats very, very, very rarely have rabies. Most animals who attack rats and do have rabies will eat them instead of passing it along. Also rats have a dry bite and are even more unlikely to pass along rabies if on the exceptionally rare occasion they do have it.
Still an infection is a possibility so taking the cat to the vet and getting antibiotics etc is a good idea.
You need to get the cat to a vet RIGHT NOW! It’s a rat, I don’t need to tell you they are diseased. If you let the cat out, this is what happens- it’s not OK to do that, and the cat eventually will not be OK.
Since we can not see your kitten nor most of us are not a vet
I would think the smart thing to do is take your kitten to the vet
so you can get an intelligent answer to your question. Also you might want to do something about the rat problem.
You need to take the kitten to the vet or animal hospital right away. He might have internal problems,not to mention rabies from the rat. And set rat traps to catch the rat.
GET OFF THE COMPUTER AND TAKE HIM TO THE VET IMMEDIATLY!!!! Rats carry many viriuses that can kill your kitten.
It’s a personal decision you are going to have to make. My mom’s cat got bit by a snake (unknown kind) and since my mom lives on a farm and has like 10 farm cats, she can’t always turn around and take her animals to the vet. She’s a realist and knows that things happen and sometimes animals can’t be saved. Anyhow, he wouldn’t let her mess with it and you better believe it got worse before it got better. But, it did end up getting better. Now, had she taken him to the vet, he might have healed quicker. That being said, it’s a call you’ll have to make. If you are concerned enough, and know you can afford it, then go ahead and take your cat in. Hurry before closing time so you don’t have to pay 24 hour clinic fees, those are outrageous! Good luck!
Are you sure he tangled with a rat? Perhaps he ate something, and it got stuck. Or has he been wormed regularly? Also, at 6 months, I’ll bet he hasn’t had his rabies shots. I would carry him to the vet. Cats are pretty tough, but everyone needs a little extra care sometimes,..
Good Luck!
Take him to the vet. Sounds like he got bit, and it’s possibly getting infected.
We don’t know if the kitten will be OK – we haven’t seen his injuries!!
Take the cat to a vet. It’s most likely he has bite wounds, which will quickly become infected and abscessed, rats not being the cleanest creatures.
Just a note – an animal in pain is ALWAYS an animal that needs a vet! No exception!
Chalice
EDIT: It’s not a personal decision actually – it’s your responsibility to get help for an injured/ill pet. ‘Some animals can’t be saved’ – what a rubbish thing to say, a cat with bite wounds most certainly can be saved, if taken to a vet!
Bring the cat to the vet right now there could be something wrong and if she starts favoring her other legs it could result in her loosing muscle and eventually it would have to be amputated. It could also be just sore but it is better to be safe than sorry. You should probably have somebody come to your house or apt to get the rat situation under control as well that is nasty unless the kitten was outside.
well you really should take him to the vet to see what is wrong. Also if the kitty had been bitten by a rat, sometimes rats have diseases and maybe the cat could have gotten an infection.