My cat has been limping for about two weeks now. Her back right leg seems to be a bit caved in and she acts as if she is in pain sometimes. She can still put pressure on the back right leg, but limps as she walks on it. I'm not sure if she dislocated her hip, pulled a muscle, or fractured it somehow, though I am sure if she broke it she wouldn't be walking on it. I do not currently make enough to take her to a veterinarian, so if you could help me in any way possible it would be much appreciated.

Hello, funkepunke,

I think you could well be right in your diagnosis of a dislocated hip.

If your cat will let you, get someone to hold her front end - careful not to get bitten - and extend her hindlegs backwards in line with her spine, If the hip is dislocated, the affected leg will be about half an inch shorter than the other.
Dislocated hips in cats cannot be successfully put back in place, put after a period of 2 to 3 months a 'false joint' forms, which gives the cat about 85% of normal mobility, and seems to be pain-free.

W

Dear W,

Thank you for your assistance with my cat's dislocated hip. You were absolutely right about the 'false joint' forms because she is already up and moving around seemingly pain-free She's healing very quickly and is looking quite healthy/spoiled. In fact, she won't stop trying to help me type this reply to you...lol

Funkepunke

Hi, Funkepunke

That is great news. Delighted to have been of help.

W

if my cat had a dis located hip or broken hip is he still able to jump from the bed to the night stand .. hes not crying no more n has alot of anger still getting arouund

Just because the cat is jumping does not exclude a broken hip. See your vet and get the cat examined to know for sure.

Hello,

my cat 2 days ago acquired the similar symptoms as Funkepunke cat. He is limbing, but till kind of uses hes leg when he walks and can jump on the sofa. He don't really seems to be in pain when I touch damaged limb unless I'm extend his hind legs backwards. But the both legs are similar length.

Is it a hip fracture?

We can't really take him to the vet to check because he don't tolerates cars at all, so we try to avoid all trips until it's really necessary. So if you could help me it would be very appreciated.

If he appears in pain when you extend his hindlegs backwards, then he has definitely done some damage and it could be a hip fracture or dislocation or it could be muscular damage. Either way you need to stop him jumping onto the sofa and anywhere else that he could do further damage to himself and ideally he needs to be kept from jumping at all. You also need to take him to a vet so a proper diagnosis can be made and appropriate treatment or pain relief given to him at the very least.

I'm afraid this will be a necessary trip to the vet and you'll just have to cope with the car journey. If you want to minimise the stress of the trip, phone ahead and advise the vet or receptionist of your concerns and try to book him in for an appointment first thing in the morning. Take his food away from about 8pm the night before, but he can have water until you get up in the morning. Then if the vet needs to keep him in for xrays and sedation, you should be able to leave him there for the day and this will save multiple car trips & stress. Also try covering his cat carrier with a towel during the journey, but make sure there is air able to get through for breathing - this can also lessen the stress of a trip.

Thank you very much!

You're very welcome & I really hope he's ok.
Keep me posted!

Zara The Vet
(www.zarathevet.com)

my cat was diagnosed with a cracked hip approximately 1 month ago. . he walks with a slight limp and sometimes does a little cry when he gets up from a laying position. we are trying to keep him from jumping but is very difficult. how long should we expect it to take to heel?

Hi

I would expect a fracture to take at least another 4 weeks. If you can him as confined as possible and without him jumping as you have, he will be in less pain and will heal more quickly.

Cathy Wickenden BVet Med MRCVS
Barton Lodge Veterinary Centre
1 Midland Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 5BH
Tel: 01442 216048 24 hours
[www.bartonlodgevets.co.uk]

I was wondering could my cat have sprained his joint where his right leg joins the hip because when he walks he is limping and when you try to pull his right leg out he meows and is in pain but i notice if i just grab his right leg he does not meow.
The only time when he does is when i pull his right leg out so it makes me wonder if it is his joint that hurts him.
Also i don't know if you agree or not but i live in a apartment and my cat is in recovery because he was declawed back in september of last year and he re opened his wound and then he had to get restitched and he took off his bandage that the doctor gave him even when he had the cone on.
so when my vet gave me a bandage to put on him i tied it tight so he would not get it off and then it ended up causing him to loose circulation in his left paw then he gained his feeling back in his paw 3 weeks after being at the vet for that amount of time.
Then we had his stitches cut and now he just needs his fur to grow back and he has a little pink on his arm that our vet told us needs to disappear then his cone cane come off for good.
We keep his toys away from him so he can recover, he can't jump on our dining room window because the cone is in the way as soon as he tries to jump up on the window he ends up falling back down because the cone gets in the way, the cone will bump into the window and cause him to fall back at the ground and then he realises i can't jump there so he gives up and then goes and lays down some where.
Our two youngest cats who are in recovery to because they were neutured and declaw back in january 4th of this year they have cones on to and we keep them when ever we are asleep or not home in their carriers so they can recover to and our female who likes to keep to her self we put her in our bathroom with her food and water so she does not bite our black and white cats scabs he had before the vet cut off his stitches he still had.
Last thursday and friday me and my common law were not home we had to do some unfinished stuff and we did not get home both days till around 4 pm and were out around morning period.
when we came home both days i noticed that our door mats were out of place they were in our hall way instead of around the front door.
so something tells me that he might got hyper and tried to play and then he bump into the wall and now he is hurting when ever you pull his right leg.
See i even said to my vet i know cats are smaller then humans are bu to me it takes alot to brake a bone whether you are a cat or a human i mean if he had no one chasing him to cause him to bump into the wall and hit the wall pretty hard, or if he had not jump off of our dining room window then how can it be a fracture.
he is going in the vet on the 2nd of march to me it is just hard to beleave he can fracture that easy, that is like saying hit a glass on your nose and it should shatter when glass is a very easy object to brake so how can a cat a living being just brake that easily?
could it not just be a sprain?