VetClick Discussion Forum

Hi,
My cat Lucy got outside and broke his hind leg last week. We still can't figure out what happened to him. He had some puncture wounds on his leg so the vet thinks he might have gotten stuck maybe on a chain fence and pulled so much that he broke his leg. They did the surgery and said they he will get a false socket. He seemed to be doing better, but the last couple of days he can barely take a step, he is eating good, but not drinking any water. I am taking him back for a follow up this week, but am so concerned that he is getting worse. What do think about this surgery and the false socket? They did not put a pin in it or a cast. Is this a normal surgery? It was very expensive, we paid 1,500 for this. I just hope it was the right treatment. Thanks so much for your time.
Sincerely,
Rebecca

Hi,

Lucky? Maybe you should change his name!
From what you say, it sounds more to me like a dislocated hip or even a broken pelvis than a broken leg. Puncture wounds are suggestive of a cat bite - by far the commonest cause of lameness in domestic cats.
Were you shown the actual x-rays? If not, aske to see them and get the vet to explain exactly what treatment was given. For $1500 you are entitled to that.
Come back to me when you have this information.
W

Dr. Walter.

Thanks so much for taking the time to write me back. I loved your forum and can tell you are a great doctor and a nice man.

About my Lucy...aka Lucky.
My husband said the same thing about the name change as we thought Lucy was a girl when he was a kitten. But Lucy suits him so well...sorta like a boy named Sue...

My daughters and I were away on vacation when this happened, my husband was home and took him to an emergency animal hospital. He saw the xrays and the vet explained what he was looking at. The bone was fractured just below the socket and was sticking out 40 degrees. They said if they put a pin in it might involve several more surgeries, and he would do well with the surgery they performed. When I go this week, I am going to find out more about his surgery.

I also need to find out how long his recovery will be? I hope he will be able to get around better, run and play again soon. I feel so bad for him. He did drink water today and he eats good. He purrs whenever we pet him. But he just lays around sleeping or watching

Thanks so much for all your help. I'll let you know more after his follow-up.
Sincerely,
Rebecca

Hi,
Cage rest ( = bed rest in humans) will probably work and give a reasonable success. It will take 6 to 8 weeks before he will put much weight on the leg, and it will probably end up shorter and straighter but otherwise OK.
W

My cat jumped of the bed the other day and must of landed weird, she was favoring the back right leg and every once in a while sit down and hiss and growl. she is still able to jump on the bed and other places she seems to walk fine but every once in a while you can tell that she has a little trouble with it. she lets me rub the leg and i can't see whats wrong. Any ideas?

Hi, Billie,
If she can walk on it OK at any time, it is probably nothing more than bruising and should settle down in a few days.
W

I left her at my boyfriends house today when we went shopping and when i came back she was limping, her front left paw/leg is normal feeling but when i try to touch it she makes a whiny noise that shows she's in pain.

i don't know if it's broken or of a dog bit her leg, but i can't take her to the vet until a few weeks until i get my paycheck.

she's eating normally and stuff but i just want to know how to watch her and if there is anyway i can know it is broken?

Hi, Krista,

If a visit to the vet with your kitten is really necessary, it cannot 'wait a few weeks until you get your pay cheque'!
You say that she may have had dog bite - was there a dog in the house where she was left? If it were a bite I think you would see more signs of damage.
I it may be possible that she has fallen and sprained her foot. A few days may see it better - if not you really should make an effort to get her attended to. If you live in the UK there are several animal welfare charities who would be willing to help.
W

Hi,

My 4 month old kitten has a swollen left back leg and i'm worried it may be fractured.

The yesterday, his back leg got trapped under a chair leg. He let out an almighty scream at the time and since then has been limping.

He started limping a short while after and i have noticed swelling today. When i touch the leg, he does not make a noise and is still his happy, cheery self.

He can still run fast (albeit not putting a lot of weight on the leg) but i am obviously concerned. He has a vet's appointment for next Mon to have his booster injections.

Is it possible that the leg is bruised and will heal naturally or does it sound like a fracture? The earliest i could get to the vet's is in two days time. Should i take him to an emergency vets?

Sorry for all the Q's. I'm a bit protective mum with him at the moment.

Thanks
L

Hi, L,

The leg may be badly bruised, or it may be broken. However, I do not think it is likely to take any harm for two days when you are taking him to the vet anyway.

W

This morning I found a feral kitty crying out in pain outside of my house. My mom and I found the kitten who was hanging by one hind paw between a wooden fence.We managed to get him out but his hind leg is clearly broken and he is dragging it behind him and unable to jump.I considered taking him to a vet right away but seeing as he is a feral kitten and is still being nursed by his mother I'm really not sure what action to take. Would it be best if I left him with his family or if I took him to a vet?

Hi, Lucy,

You should contact your nearest animal welfare charity to take this kitten. It should not be left to nature to treat it.

W

I have called several humane societies in the area but so far they have all told me they would put the kitten to sleep in this situation. I tried looking online for a animal welfare charity in the Los Angeles area but I haven't been able to find one that offers help in this situation. Do you know of any I can contact or should I try to capturing the kitten and bringing it to a vet? As far as I can tell the hind leg is broke but there doesn't seem to be a bone protruding.. would it be okay to wait a day?

Hi,
I am sorry to hear that the animal welfare charities in your area are so
UN-animal walfare minded!
It should certainly be either treated or put to sleep. If you can afford the veterinary fees to have it fixed, and then adopt it, that would be ideal. If it has been injured for several days it needs urgent attention, but one more day should do no harm

W

Hi

My 11 months cat came home one night back in April this year limping. He was 'crying' and apppeared to be quite a lot of pain. My boyfriend took him to the vets the next day, who advised us that he has sprained one of his back foot.

Although he seems fully recovered most of the time, every now and again he starts limping again - I suspect because he has jumped and landed awkwardly.

I am worried that his foot might get worse and could end up in very expensive vet bills. What can I do to prevent this? Am I able to insure my cat against this possible expense since from looking on the internet no insurance company will insure for pre-existing injury/condition?

Hi, Sue,

It would surprise me if your cat still had after-effects iof an injury to his foot as long ago as April.
There is a well-recognised syndrome in dogs known as 'sympathy seeking lameness' where a dog will put on an act to get attention, remembering the attention he got when he actually did have a pinful injury!. However, I have never come across it in cats but just in case you may try totally ignoring him when he puts on a limp!

W

Hi, my kitten is 8 weeks old.
We have a big puppy but it would never hurt her.
While i was cleaning, i thiek he scared her and she fell off the bed.
I do have insurance on her just need to get it activated, but i cant afford anything to do for her.
She seems to be walking on sometimes and barley putting pressure on it but shes walking on it . and the other time she just scoots it.
Shes still able to climb on the bed and walk down the stairs.
Is there any form of medicne i can give her to help her with the pain.
and should i take her to the vet or let her walk it off since shes walking on it.
Theres no signs of swelling, or an abrashion.
and shes not an outside cat, like i said shes only 8 weeks old.
PLEASE HELP
-Heather

Hi

My 5 month old cat is really silly and she can not seem to judge distances. we suspect that she fell/jumped out of a first floor window as she has been limping and we found her outside crying and sittind in the bushes in my front garden.sometimes she does put some weight on her leg and other times she puts no weight on it at all. do u think her leg is broken and if so what expenses should i expect (please could you give approximate figures). i am worried that it will cost too much and in this situation i will have to give my cat to the cats protection charity which is where we got her from, as all i want is for my cat to be well looked after and to be healthy even if it means giving her up.

This happened yesterday and today i have stayed with her and she is still limping badly. She still has a good appitite and is acting normal so do you think that it may get better on its own (if its not broken) or do you think that this is because cats have high tolerance levels?

i am taking her to the vets in two days and i would really appreciate a reply.also i would like to know about what i can do for my cat in the mean time before she goes to the vets

Thank you very much for your time and sorry for the essay! Hope to hear from you soon

Love Becky xx

Hi, Becky,

I think you should contact the CPL since you got your cat from them, and ask them for help. I cannot give you an estimate of the cost of treatment, - all practices have their own scales of fees, and I do not know what will be required in the way of x-rays etc.

W

Hi, Heather,

It is unlikely that a kitten of this age will have a broken leg from falling from a bed.
Get your insurance 'activated' immediately in case there is something more than I suspect
Do not given her any 'pain-killers' which you would use for humans, even children.

W

hi my has just come home limping and his left leg at the top is swollen he is eating and drinking fine and wants to go out again the swelling is quite big and he wont let me touch it

hi, my cat (12 years old) is limping with a back leg after falling from loft ladder,he is has not moaned or made a noise,eating,sleeping fine just walking/ small jumps with a limp. any ideas would be appreciated as cannot afford vets. will a broken leg or sprain heal on its own?is there anything at home i can do?
thanks
wayne

Hi, Wayne,

His leg nay well be broken. If it is, and you do not get proper veterinary treament for it, you would be laying yourself open to criminal charges of cruelty. The should be an animal welfare charity willing to help if you cannot afford veterinary fees.

W



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/27/2007 07:49AM by Walter Beswick.

my cat came home after missing for two days with a high fever and front leg dragging along. he never growls but he was in deep pain. the vet said that with the xrays they took that his leg was dislocated and broken. the surgey is $1500 to fix. they left us with him over the weekend with pain med and amcillion. they said he may never walk on his leg because of his nerves. they wouldn't know till after the surgey. or they could take his leg off! i am very upset, not knowing what to do or how to pay for this surgey. we just moved from michigan to florida and then this happened. he is our family pet and we and the kids love him very much. does anyone know where to go that might take payments or/and be cheaper in the surrounding tampa, fl area?

Hi, Renee,

If the skin is not broken and the bone exposed it should take no harm if it is left until tomorrow.

W

Hi, Lisa,

This sounds like the best otion may be amputation. I cannot offer you advice about help in paying the veterinarian's bills, I do not live in the US and I do not know what is available, but there is often an animal welfare society not too far away who mey be able to help.

W

Hi,
I have all indoor cats, but one managed to sneak out of the basement window. He was gone for 3 days and then returned home a little battered. His rear claws and pads are torn up, and he had a small cut on his belly, and a cut on his rear leg. He doesn't appear to have been hit, but rather as if he was stuck somewhere and had a hard time climbing out. None of his injuries look severe, and I've been keeping them clean. His color is good, his nose and gums are pink, and his eyes are clear. He is alert and purrs when I pet him. His legs show no sign of swelling, and I feel nothing out of place when I prod at him. The only time he whines is if I touch his back foot (where his pads are torn up the most) to clean it. Also, he is cleaning the wounds himself.. I'm just keeping after him to make sure they are really clean.
I have seen him walk a few times in the last few days, and everything seems to be moving properly, his legs are all functional.. but after a few steps he will sort of fold his legs beneath him and rest. He has been staying pretty much in one place for the last several days. He is taking water, but i'm not sure about food. I'm having a hard time isolating him from the other cats to observe his eating.. but I have put him in my bedroom tonight for this purpose. He seems just fine... but why isn't he doing anything? Could it just be that his feet are that sore?
Also, I should say that my bank card was recently stolen, and I have been cleaned out. I'd have taken him to the vet immediately, but I am literally beyond broke at the moment.. and his injuries don't SEEM severe. Would it be normal for a cat to rest for several days in one spot if his feet are hurting him? Sorry for the long message... thank you!

Hi, Peggy,

I think you are doing a good job here. Just continue as you are doing - he has been severely traumatised and he will take some time to recover.

If he does show any signs of infection, however, you really should get him seen by a veterinarian.

W

I'm really not sure if that last response was directed to my question, or to Peggy's.
Just in case... my question is basically.. how long is normal for a cat to rest in one place? He has pretty much laid in one spot for days. If I move him, he will just stay in that spot. I know that he CAN walk. But he doesn't seem to want to. Is that okay? Is it because his feet hurt?

Hi, Neffie,
Sorry, but my reply was meant for you, not 'Peggy'.
There is no 'normal' time for an injured animal to stay in one place - it depends on so many factors - the severity of the injuries, the temperament of the animal, the attitude of the owner etc.
If he is in pain he will be reluctant to walk, but you should endourage him to take a little execise. is he using a litter tray? Can he manage to get to and from it on his own?
W