Hi,

Today my cat fell from my balconie which is 2 story high. The cat hurt his left behind leg and she's limping as a result from it
I took the cat to the vet immediately. The vet said that he couldn't tell wheter the behind leg was broken and making an xray would not be well for the cat at this moment. If I did want to get an xray I'd better come back later that week when the cat is sober and such.
The Vet also said that it's unlikely it's broken at this moment since she could move the leg entirely in all directions witout the cat screaming with pain. Also the pelvis and such seemed to be in order.
Also the lower back of the cat was soar and the cat did have some pain when that area was touched.

Only real concern left is wheter or not the cat has internal bleeding, but the cat seems very frivolous at this moment (3 a 4 hours later) and is very much alive and purring.

Also the cat is trying to walk around as if nothing has happend, which probably is because of the pain killers (injection). Also the cat is getting on the bed, which is a very small jump. It can clearly be seen that the cat cannot apply pressure on his left behind leg. The rest of the cat behavior is normal, as in tending for itself, eating, drinking.
I also got some fluid pain killers from the vet to give after 24 hours to the cat.
Furthermore, I locked the cat in my bedroom, since it's the only room with no height in it apart from the bed and to restrict movement so that the nehind leg gets some rest.

To summerize:
The cat is limping and wheter it is broken or not remains a mysterie. Does anyone have any advice wheter to tell if the left behind leg is broken or not or after how many days I should be able to see some difference in the limping behavior?
Any other advice is welcome as well.

Thanks in advance.

Hi, Vixen,

What sort of a guy is your partner who will not let you get your kitten treated? If it needs veterinary attention - and it seems like it does- you should do the right thing and tell him go take a jump.

W

Hi, Vanessa,

If your cat has been bitten - and it does sound likely - it may heal without treatment, but if it becomes very swollen and septic it should really be treated with wntibiotics.

W

Hi, Robert,

I cannot understand your vet not agreeing to x-ray your cat at once, but maybe he had some very good reason.
If it is bright and well after 12 hours it is very unlikely to have internal bleeding.
The may, however, be a fractured pelvis, a dislocated hip or a broken leg. If it is still limping as badly in 3 or 4 days, I think it should be x-rayed.
From your e-mail address I assume that you are calling from the Netherlands, where the standards of veterinary attention are very high. If I am right, you could ask for a referral to the University Veterinary School at Utrecht.

W

My cat, only about a year now, has suddenly not been able to walk. He has a slight limp on his left, back leg. Sometimes if I touch it he will pull away, but he does not meow. He has hurt his leg before but it has healed within a few days; This time he cannot walk and has not gotten off my bed in a day and a half-no even to go to the bathroom. He is an outdoor cat so I am suspecting he might have broken a small bone or was bit by another cat. I cannot afford another vet visit this year but it would really help if you could give me some sort of direction on what I should do to help him.

Thank you very much!
-Katie

last night around10 my kids noticed my 7 month old cat is hardly walking on his back paws and unfortunately i'm unable to tke him to the vet until next week to find out if it's broken or what happened to him. Do you have any advice i've raised this kitten since birth..

Sincerly,
very sad

Hi, Katie, and Chris,

Without a proper diagnosis, and there is insufficient information from either of you,so I am unable to advise on treatment. There is no satisfactory alternative to getting your cats seen by a veterinarian.

Sorry

W

my cat was fine yesterday, but today i let him inside and he wouldn't put any pressure on his left front paw, he would walk with his oher 3. I tried to check his paw put he would groan if i touched it. His pads are abit sowllen and he won't let me straighten his foot i'm worried its broken.

Ivona

Hi,

This could be a bite from another cat, or it may be broken. In either case, you should really go see a vet with him.

W

my cat got out last night and when i found him on the porch this morning his back leg/foot was all cut up like we think that an other animal got my cat. but when i put any pressure or lift his foot up he cries. i didnt know what to do so i wrapped it but it fell off! he wont move or walk on it. but finally he got up and ate but then puked up the food. he got into the litterbox by hopping. my mom thanks its broken for sure. we need to get him to a vet but my mom doesnt have the money. what is a good way that i can help fix his foot without hurting him?

Hi,

You just cannot allow your cat to suffer in this way- he needs veterinary attention urgently. If you cannot afford to pay for treatment, at least pay to have him put out of his misery and suffereing.

Hello! My cat (1 year old dilute calico) got into a fight last night with the local dominant male cat (we've aptly nicknamed "Bruiser") and last night after we brought her back in seemed to be ok. But today, she has not eaten and not drank water. She keeps the right back leg straight when walking around and when she tries to put any pressure, immediately lifts it up. When we try to look at it, she meows and tries to move away...maybe because it's sore? She still jumps and gets on top of the entertainment center so I do not believe it is broken. Does she just need some time to heal? Thanks in advance for your response!

Hi, Joseph,

I suspect that your cat has been bitten on the thigh. If you can, part the fur very carefully from the top to the bottome of the leg, and you may find one or two tiny puncture wounds - only a millimeter or so across. Many such wounds do become infected because of their deep nature and the dirty mouth of the aggressor. If that is the case, and abscess may develop. To be on the safe side I always preferred to give anitibiotics as sson as possible.

W

I got home from holiday yesterday to find that my cat had hurt its back right leg. it was hardly putting any weight on it last night and was laying down for a long period of time. i called it over and it limped over to me and got onto my lap i didnt see any swelling on the leg after it got off it had some food and went back to sleep. later that evening my dad told me she got stuck in the cat flap as she went to go outside (toilet i guess) he helped her and left the door open for her to come back in. he sat up and waited for her but she didnt come back in. its is 10pm now and she is still not back i am worried she has got stuck somewhere or worse. i was wondering if there is no swelling could this mean it is more likely a sprain? also is it normal for cats to hide when they are injured, and how far do they normaly roam from their home.

Hi, Tom,

So many questions!

Your cat really needs to be examined to check if the leg is broken, ligaments torn or strained, or maybe nothing to do with the cat flap incident, like a bite from another cat..
She may be hiding away until she feels better, probably not very far away from home, or she may have met with an accident.
I cannot make a conjecture of which, if any, of the above apply, but it is an indication to you of the possibilities.

W

hi again thanks for the information, it wasn't the cat flap that hurt her she was hurt before that so it definately is somthing else we didnt see her all day yesterday and she still isnt home this morning. we will take her to the vets as soon as we find her. thanks for the help again

My 18yr old cat came home on Friday refusing to put any weight on his back left leg. We phoned the vets and they told us to leave him for the weekend and see if it got any better (they thought perhaps a strain).
He has got slightly better in that he is scratching himself with the leg (that lovely thumper the rabbit style scratch to their neck!) and he's stood on it, but he's still not walking on it.
I called the vets to update them but spoke to a nurse who told me to take him up. A different vet (not the one I spoke to on Friday) said that he thinks it could be broken at that he needs an xray under general tomorrow.

I have two concerns about this, firstly a general at his age is a little risky isn't it? Secondly the cost. I'm a mature student having returned to study last year, with small children and a budget that is feeling the current credit crunch. We couldn't get insurance for him this year due to his age so we would have to pay the full costs. We don't have any benefits that entitle us to any help (my husband puts in all the overtime possible to make ends meet!) but a big bill (anything over £150-£200) we couldn't possibly afford - even then I'd have to sell things to pay that kind of bill.

I'm really scared and worried about the cat - what happens if we can't afford to pay for him? I can't bare the thought of him being put down due to being short of money.

Hi again our cat finally come home this morning (surprisingly dry after turrential rain) she was still limping and we took her straight to the vets. It turned out she was bit by another cat on the ankle. her ankle is quite swolen. The vet has given her anti biotics and has told us to keep her in. thanks for your help

Hi, Madhouse,

I would certainly think twice about spending money on an x-ray at this stage, where ther is no certainty that there is a fracture, and I would not be inclined to agrre to £200+ work of surgery at this point on an 18 year-old.
Wait another few days - I cannot see that it will deteriorate in that time even if it is broken, from the signs you describe. If it is no better, than review your options.

W

HI
My cat candy will not put purser one his fornt leg. When i squees his middle paw pad he moews louder. I havent seen him for a few days but he's back. What do i do????????????????

Hi,
Candy probably has an abscess in the pad, which is quite painful. If so. she really needs some antibiotics from a veterinarian.

W

Hi,
I have a 1 yr old male cat. Last week he started limping a little bit (still putting weight on it)on his front leg, it progressively got worse and he started limping (no weight on it). This lasted about 2-3 days and it started getting better (a barley noticable limp) and I thought he was on the mend. Now, he has started to started the limping once again. The elbow looks swollen, no broken skin and he still has movement in his paw. He acts more like it is a nuisance to him as opposed to hurting, he lets me touch it with no problem Does this sound broken or sprained? Should I take him to the vet?
Thanks in advance for any advice.

My cat has had the same problem it isn't that bad but if she runs or sits down for a long time she will start limping but soon after My cat will start walking again. I really am worried.

Hi,

You do not say how old your cat is, but the signs you describe are those of osteoarthritis, common in older cats but not in one-year olds.

W

Just so all of you know.... just because you don't have the money upfront doesn't mean there isn't an office out there willing to set up a payment plan for you.

Talk to vet offices...tell them the situation...ask if they're willing to do a payment plan. You won't know till you ask...and ask more than one office. I have a friend who has done her own dental/medical visits this way.

Hi, Ivy,

Thank you for that. I assume that you live in the US. In the UK there are several animal welfare charities - the Blue Cross, PDSA, Cats Protection, Dogs Trust, RSPCA' which will help the owners of animals needing veterinary treatment and who cannot afford private veterinary fees and who do not insurance cover for their pets..

W

My cat leo has the same problem, he went out last night, and came back in the morning with a limp. My dad just looked more closly and there appearred to be some swelling.i am very worried. what shall i do?

Hi,

Probably a bite from another cat. If it is, he should have a shot of antibiotics from the vet to stop it going septic.

W

I have a beautiful 11 year old cat who came hopping home last Wed (front right paw), she then put her paw down and walked with a limp, i kept an eye on her for the next 2 days and she continued to limp and occasionally hop. On the Fri i took her to the vet who checked her over and saw no visable signs of a bite, she also stopped limping in there!. They rotated, pulled, pushed and prodded and Sasha didn't bat an eyelid. She was given antibiotic and antihistamin jabs as a precaution and i kept her in for 2 days to rest, she is still hopping and limping ,however when i let her out and turn my back she jumps up and sits on the garage roof and then jumps down. She doesn't mind you touching her paw. It couldn't be anything serious if it came on overnight and theres no discomfort, could it? I feel a bit of a fraud keep bothering the vet as she doesn't seem to limp or hop in the surgery, however i don't want to leave her and people think she's being neglected. She's eating, drinking and sleeping fine, it's me who's not through worry!

Hi,

If your vet found no signs of a bite or a break, presumably you cat has strained her leg. If this is the case, you do not need to worry, it will mend in time without any specific treatment.

W