axlAxl, my cat, is hurt. He’s okay, but he’s definitely not well at the moment.

He didn’t come home last night for dinner, which in itself is not unusual. Often he’ll stay out late, and just come home when he is damn good and ready. So I thought nothing of it.

Until tonight, when he did come home for dinner at the normal time. I went to pat him down his back, when my hand came to his tail, he yelped bigtime. I took a quick check, and there was a very large pussey discharge. Then I noticed his tail wasn’t up. Trouble.

A quick, panic call to the RSPCA, they could take him in straight away. I built the cat tank (as I call his carry-box), and stuffed him in, followed by a fast sprint to the RSPCA clinic (which is only about 10 mins away thankfully).

He’s got a very bad tear in his skin on the base of his tail. The discharge was an abscess that had burst. We think it was in a fight with another cat (there has been a new ginger cat hanging around lately). The doc said that was a good thing in a way, it’s getting rid of the bad stuff. He’s given Axl a good dose of antibiotics, advised th leave the wound open (it’s not bleeding), and ocme back on Friday. Best scenario – he’ll be fine and the wound will close itself. Worst case – surgery.

Been a real shock to me. Axl is nearly 16 years old now, and this is the worst incident he’s had. Normally Axl can take damn good care of himself, and there hasn’t been a fight he;s been in that he hasn’t come out on top (and I mean verses cat OR dog!!). But this is a definite sign he is feeling his age, and can’t scrap like he used to. I don’t want to loose him now.