# Cat broken or sprained leg?



## Athravan

Has anyone had a cat that has broken or sprained their leg before?

Sparrow came up to me limping today - I have absolutely no idea how, this morning it was just a mild limp and I assume she'd landed badly, but now she is holding the back leg up as high as possible, won't put any weight on it at all, cries horrendously if I try to examine it (but can't see any wounds at all or any cuts), and the foot has now swollen to almost twice the size of the other one. She's still purring and begging for belly rubs but is obviously in pain if if the leg is touched and won't put any weight on it at all.

I've phoned the vet, and I'm waiting for a callback as it's emergency surgery at the moment, but should be able to fit her in later this afternoon or this evening, but everything's closed tomorrow and it's a bank holiday weekend so they said if it's not a total emergency they can do a quick consult but may not be able to x-ray today.

Fingers crossed the vet will say it's a sprain later but has anyone got any experience with a cat breaking or injuring their leg and anything I should be doing for her? She's just lying on the sofa looking at me and crying at me to come and rub her as she can't make it up the stairs. I've seperated the dogs just in case they knock her down by mistake and cause her any pain and now just waiting to hear back from the vet.

Why do animals always injure themselves when vets are closed for regular appointments and on a bank holiday weekend too!


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## Athravan

She's not moving at all now, I've managed to get an emergency vet appointment elsewhere so just waiting for my lift to arrive and we're off, but I'm pretty worried, she seems to be losing energy fast, won't even take two steps before she falls down, so fingers crossed the vets will be able to help.


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## freekygeeky

my kitten was limping a few weeks back no sign of anything, it turned out he had a type of cat flu...

However it didnt swell up or anything... 

If its swollen i guess he/she has done somthign to it.. scooby keeps getting stung by wasps and swells up and cries.. but he doesnt cry tooo much..

Sorry i cant help you too much.
At the vets 2 days ago there was someone who had brought in their 4 months of kitten, she had broken her hip , and it was going to be pinned poor thing.


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## RawrIsDinosaurForILoveYou

sounds like it hurts real bad!
hope the little uns ok!


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## vetdebbie

Could be any number of things - sprain, fracture, sting, bite. What you need is a vet who is open every day (says the bored vet at work all weekend!).

I have to say I expect over the next few years there will be increasing numbers of vets who do open more and longer, our society kind of demands it.


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## Athravan

I'm back.

He said it was too swollen to tell if there was a crack in the bottom of the leg, but he didn't want to do x-rays today. She has an extremely high temperature, way above any normal stress levels he said, so it's possible it's swollen because of a bite or a sting, so she had painkillers & anti-inflamatories and an antibiotic injection, and is going to go back first thing tomorrow morning.

He said it might be a small facture in the bottom of the foot, but he couldn't feel anything wrong with the top of the leg/hip and because of the temperature it was more likely to be a bite/sting with a bit of infection setting in. It's a bit scary to think she can have that high a temperature just a few hours after it initially started swelling up so I'm glad I went and we'll go back tomorrow morning for another injection and look at x-rays after the weekend if the swelling doesn't go down.

Only cost £18 for the consultation and 3 injections on a Saturday too and they're open sunday mornings as well  I have to say the thought of waiting till Tuesday to see someone after the bank holiday was a bit terrifying, I tend to be over protective and it is nice to be able to get in to see a vet at short notice or on weekends when necessary. I only have to take my cats or the dogs to the vets maybe once or twice a year but they always manage to injure themselves after closing time or on the weekends.

After a thermometer up her butt and the injections (she howled and hissed at the antibiotic one so I'm guessing it wasn't pleasant for her, but she is a bit of a wuss), she is now sitting on the chair next to me chastising me by yowling at me for putting her through such a horrible horrible time.


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## MSL

vetdebbie said:


> Could be any number of things - sprain, fracture, sting, bite. What you need is a vet who is open every day (says the bored vet at work all weekend!).
> 
> I have to say I expect over the next few years there will be increasing numbers of vets who do open more and longer, our society kind of demands it.


It does, and at £130 just to go to the surgery as an emergency/out of hours I think its bloody awful!!.....
My cat went missing and came home after a few days unable to move his back legs at all,he had dragged him self to the front door, took him to out of hours surgery...total £148! to be told no injuries and heres a pain killer, didnt even do an x ray! obviously we were glad there were no injuries but it was a very expensive 30 minutes!

Athravan sounds bad but be positive, sounds just ike my cat was and as above, just a bit tender for a few days.


Just saw above post.......sounds ok??
Pen


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## feorag

I was trying to post earlier, but just couldn't get on - I guess high usage today!

Christie was thinking reaction to a sting was a possibility, especially when you said that she had stopped moving altogether, but I'm so pleased you managed to get to a vet and I hope the treatment works and that it isn't anything more serious like a broken leg. 

My vet is a single practice guy so obviously can't be open every day and every night (he does deserve a life!! :lol, but another practice (my old one actually) about 15 minutes away is a 24 hour vet and they cover his emergencies, when he's not on call himself, which helps at lot!

Keep up updated with how she gets on!

As far as your comment about pets always taking ill or injuring themselves when vets are closed - I totally agree. Either that or in my case, they never do it when I'm not at work - it's always a work day and most weeks nowadays I only work 2 days!

Bally cats - they'll have us all in early graves!!


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## fenwoman

Athravan said:


> I'm back.
> 
> He said it was too swollen to tell if there was a crack in the bottom of the leg, but he didn't want to do x-rays today. She has an extremely high temperature, way above any normal stress levels he said, so it's possible it's swollen because of a bite or a sting, so she had painkillers & anti-inflamatories and an antibiotic injection, and is going to go back first thing tomorrow morning.
> 
> He said it might be a small facture in the bottom of the foot, but he couldn't feel anything wrong with the top of the leg/hip and because of the temperature it was more likely to be a bite/sting with a bit of infection setting in. It's a bit scary to think she can have that high a temperature just a few hours after it initially started swelling up so I'm glad I went and we'll go back tomorrow morning for another injection and look at x-rays after the weekend if the swelling doesn't go down.
> 
> Only cost £18 for the consultation and 3 injections on a Saturday too and they're open sunday mornings as well  I have to say the thought of waiting till Tuesday to see someone after the bank holiday was a bit terrifying, I tend to be over protective and it is nice to be able to get in to see a vet at short notice or on weekends when necessary. I only have to take my cats or the dogs to the vets maybe once or twice a year but they always manage to injure themselves after closing time or on the weekends.
> 
> After a thermometer up her butt and the injections (she howled and hissed at the antibiotic one so I'm guessing it wasn't pleasant for her, but she is a bit of a wuss), she is now sitting on the chair next to me chastising me by yowling at me for putting her through such a horrible horrible time.


 Given the number of wasps about at the moment and given that they are slow and drowsy and very grumpy with it getting a bit cooler, I would lay money on her either standing on one accidentally or patting one and the toxins in the sting has caused the reaction.
BTW do you know that purring is a sign that a cat is in pain?
Crazy eh? So when I'm stroking my cats, how do I know they aren't in absolute agony lol.


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## freekygeeky

well im glad she is back and doing ok for the moment...
simba had to have his temp done the other day at the vets, it took about 15 mins to do.. lol... not fun.

zingi and scooby always get stung and they have quite bad reactions... this was one of them...

you cant really tell but foot on the left went about 4 x bigger than the other foot. his nick name has been fat foot ever since... lol


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## feorag

fenwoman said:


> BTW do you know that purring is a sign that a cat is in pain?
> Crazy eh? So when I'm stroking my cats, how do I know they aren't in absolute agony lol.


Yes, that's when knowing your cat becomes most important!

How's she doing now Christie - have things settled down any???


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## butterfingersbimbo

Hope Sparrow is starting to feel a bit better for the treatment, poor kitty! cats can be very resilient luckily, fingers crossed!


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## Athravan

She ate her dinner fine so I think she must be feeling a bit perkier now although still can't put any weight on it and has spent most of the evening sitting here watching me and didn't even follow me to the bathroom :lol2:

The swelling has gone down a little bit so fingers crossed I was panicing for nothing and she won't need any x-rays.


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## freekygeeky

Athravan said:


> She ate her dinner fine so I think she must be feeling a bit perkier now although still can't put any weight on it and has spent most of the evening sitting here watching me and didn't even follow me to the bathroom :lol2:
> 
> The swelling has gone down a little bit so fingers crossed I was panicing for nothing and she won't need any x-rays.



silly cat probably got stung! mine never learn... twits. lol


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## butterfingersbimbo

It's good to hear that she's had a bit to eat!


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## feorag

Very true, eating is very important, especially where cats are concerned!

Glad to hear the swelling has gone down a bit - hopefully it was a sting then.


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## asm1006

Sounds she'll be ok hopefully. 


The cat I am hoping to rehome (on another thread) had a broken leg which had recently healed itself and will always limp. Vet thought she'd been recently hit by a car.


I remember an abyssinian we had got hold of a toad/frog
and it got poisoned somehow and as a result Monty (cat) died. Made his heart swell up.


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## feorag

Some friends of mine had an Aby that was stung and suffered severe anaphylactic shock. They phoned the vet immediately he was stung and rushed off in the car, but hHe was dead before they managed to get to the surgery.

That's why I was wondering if it was a sting, when you said she had gone very quiet and stopped moving.


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## freekygeeky

feorag said:


> Some friends of mine had an Aby that was stung and suffered severe anaphylactic shock. They phoned the vet immediately he was stung and rushed off in the car, but hHe was dead before they managed to get to the surgery.
> 
> That's why I was wondering if it was a sting, when you said she had gone very quiet and stopped moving.



luckily mine just get fat feet!! none of this shock stuff!! however simba is goign out soon, i wonder if he will be ok?


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## asm1006

feorag said:


> Some friends of mine had an Aby that was stung and suffered severe anaphylactic shock. They phoned the vet immediately he was stung and rushed off in the car, but hHe was dead before they managed to get to the surgery.
> 
> That's why I was wondering if it was a sting, when you said she had gone very quiet and stopped moving.


Poor Aby thats sad


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## feorag

His owners were gutted and their other Aby never got over it. He was very clingy for months afterwards. They had always said when they lost one of their Abys they wanted a Somali from me, cos they adored Harry and his sister Kisha, but they felt that Simon wouldn't accept another cat because he'd remained very clingy without his big brother around.


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## butterfingersbimbo

How is Sparrow this morning?


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## ditta

freekygeeky said:


> well im glad she is back and doing ok for the moment...
> *simba had to have his temp done the other day at the vets, it took about 15 mins to do.. lol... not fun.*
> 
> zingi and scooby always get stung and they have quite bad reactions... this was one of them...
> 
> you cant really tell but foot on the left went about 4 x bigger than the other foot. his nick name has been fat foot ever since... lol
> 
> image


 
gina is simba not micro chipped? wen we took ninja they scanned his chip as it has a thermometre in it now, they took his temp by scanning his chip!!!!!!! no bottoms involved


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## freekygeeky

ditta said:


> gina is simba not micro chipped? wen we took ninja they scanned his chip as it has a thermometre in it now, they took his temp by scanning his chip!!!!!!! no bottoms involved


oooooooo
no not yet, tuesday.  too young you see (well until tuesday.. he is also gettign the snip.. HA)


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## ditta

well our vet said all the new ones have this abilty so no more bottoms: victory:


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## freekygeeky

ditta said:


> well our vet said all the new ones have this abilty so no more bottoms: victory:


ooo well hopefully its one of them, he absoltlyl hates it, i think its cos when he was tiny and very sick he had it done liek 3 times a day every day 
zingi on the other hand didnt care less at the vets lol. he just sat there. lol


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## Athravan

ditta said:


> well our vet said all the new ones have this abilty so no more bottoms: victory:


Mine were only chipped a year ago and they don't have it, still have to have it up the bum! Poor things :lol2:


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## freekygeeky

Athravan said:


> Mine were only chipped a year ago and they don't have it, still have to have it up the bum! Poor things :lol2:


i do feel mean 
well he has been microchipped today i forgot to ask about the temp thing, i will ask when i collect him!


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## ditta

Athravan said:


> Mine were only chipped a year ago and they don't have it, still have to have it up the bum! Poor things :lol2:


 
well ninja was done at 10 weeks and hes 16 months now, so i dont get that


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## fenwoman

Athravan said:


> Mine were only chipped a year ago and they don't have it, still have to have it up the bum! Poor things :lol2:


 I bet zooman would never have the modern chip then.:lol2::lol2::lol2:


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## Frogmad

only some vets are doing the new style chips with the temp thing, cos it costs a lot more to buy them and also they have to buy a brand new scanner which costs an absolute fortune really, so a lot of vets are sticking to the old type at the mo!


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## freekygeeky

Frogmad said:


> only some vets are doing the new style chips with the temp thing, cos it costs a lot more to buy them and also they have to buy a brand new scanner which costs an absolute fortune really, so a lot of vets are sticking to the old type at the mo!


yup mine have the old normal type ones.


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## Andy b 1

iv had cats all my life and had a few that have done that. 

some have limped because theyve been bitten by a dog. others stung by a bee/wasp and some that landed wrong after jumping off the fence


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