Dobby is having a bad day (long)

[CTReptileRescue]

I'm happy he is ok, glad he'll be going home to you soon.
I bet he is happy to keep his tail
Rusty

[Marla]

I'll bet he is, too, Rusty. Poor guy learned he's not the toughest thing in the neighborhood.

[Hoomi]

Despite the fact that they don't always appreciate it, we really put a lot of effort into keeping our cats indoors. In fact, when we adopted our son's cat from the Humane Society, we had to sign an agreement stating that the cat would be strictly an indoor cat.

Now if we could just convince the cats that it's for their own good. We have one female cat that tends to be very good at slipping out, but usually she does so into the back yard, where our dogs have a grand time trying to herd her back into the house. They won't hurt her at all (they know she belongs here), but they also know she's not supposed to be in the back yard, and our Australian Shepherd, especially, loves to try and put her back where she belongs.

Glad to read that Dobby isn't going to be permanently damaged by his experience.

[Marla]

Well, he'll probably have a scar on his tail and his experience and subsequent lockup certainly isn't doing the window blinds any lasting good, but he'll be okay thank goodness. For what it's worth, neither he nor Jezebel (the other cat) has been allowed outside since the incident. Dobby got out once and had a merry chase around the yard before being brought back in, and has had quite a bit of commentary over his confinement but he seems to be dealing with it. He may be joining his brother living with my mother, where his confinement will absolutely be continued -- his brother only goes outside to go the vet.

[Hoomi]

What we've found helps to motivate an escaped cat back to the house is one of the more powerful "Super Soaker" squirtguns. I don't know about your escapees, but when ours get out the front, they like to duck under the car where they think we can't reach them. A good squirt with the Super Soaker usually convinces them that outside isn't really where they want to be, without causing them any harm, other than the injured "dignity" of being slightly wet.

[Marla]

Ha ha! We've been known to use spray bottles of water for correcting behavior inside, but I have a feeling if I pulled out a super soaker, Dobby would be long gone into the woods instead of into the house. I'd rather have him ambling through the front yards than wandering around in cottonmouth & copperhead territory back there, though.