Hello everyone! I (28F) have a male grey tabby, Max (6M). We live in MA but are on the border of RI where my cat's vet is. A little over a week ago, I had come home at 9pm and he was limping and hissing (he never does). A trip to the vet and some x-rays the next day showed he had fully torn his ACL on his left back leg. He is mostly indoors but goes outdoors to the backyard often to watch the birds, but never catches or brings back critters. The vet assumes it was from him jumping from a higher shelf at our house or who-knows-what could have happened outside. Either way, the vet suggested he start with conservative treatment and withhold from surgery for about two to three months to see how he heals. The vet herself and research I have done does suggest that it is best to let cats heal naturally from this injury if possible. It would also be around $3,800-$5,000 and a very serious surgery with a tough recovery to heal from so I really want to do everything I can to be avoid surgery. It is also anticipated he will limp for life either way. He is under STRICT rules to NOT JUMP AT ALL or be too active. His next appointment is May 13th.
He has been put on a diet - he is 16lbs and will be making his way down to about 12.5. I had inquired about his weight in the past and was told by the vet he was just a big cat (he is) and that his weight was not dangerous (it probably was still too much pressure on his little cat joints). I have already implemented his diet by feeding him ½ can wet food in the AM and 1/3rd cup dry food in the PM in a puzzle bowl. He does get some treats throughout the day. I split one lickable a day to help him take his 2 Cosequin (joint vitamin) tabs and 1.5 gabapentin (He gets ½ in the AM and 1 full in the PM). I do have a pill shooter but he is generally snackish enough to be unfazed about taking the pill as long as there is a taste of lickable on it. He gets freeze dried minnows, little frozen tuna treats (home made), and a mix of catnip treats and dry food bits throughout the day in said puzzle to help keep him entertained.
I have purchased him a cat stroller (crazy, I know) but he likes to go outside for walks in it to get some sunshine. He has one smaller metal crate which we put in the living room so when he is laying down with us he is safe (he actually naps in it even when the door is open so he does like it). In the office for when I sleep, I transformed the office space to a cat-safe room (or as close as I can get). I set up a pop up playpen tent and have put a tall metal wall to block off all the jumpable desks and tables in the room. In his playpen, I fit his litter box, a scratch pad, his cat bed, water, and his food puzzle.
So THIS is where my current problems are.
He now has learned he can tear holes through the netting of the tent. I spent TWO HOURS hand-stitching the holes back closed but it happened a third time so I need a better solution. Probably duct tape?
He knows he can jump taller than the tall cage so I still want him to stay in the smaller playpen overnight to minimize his risk of jumping at night. During the daytime, my mom (68F), who I live with and is retired, is able to spend a lot of the day with him. Unfortunately, as a cat he doesn’t understand what is happening and has been a real rascal at night. He is being very loud because he tears through the pen then yowls that he can't get back in as he locked himself out of his litter box and food. He is driving me crazy and I go to lay down with him in the mornings before work from 4-6am-ish to help quiet him down. I love him so I just want him to be safe and to have the best quality of life I can give. I have already spent so much money between his bills and safe-proofing his room I want to make sure my next steps are logical.
ANY ADVICE IS WELCOME, I appreciate you guys sticking around to read this long post about my boy. I included pictures of him and the set up. He had also had a cat dental cleaning two weeks before this debacle so for funsies I added pictures of his dental x-rays. At that time he did have some extractions and was placed on prednisone, which may have made him a little more spiffy than usual. Thank you so much for your time and advice to help with my lil guy.
The tent:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IS5TGZS?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
The food puzzle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCYVRD8L?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title