My cat has a broken hip and is in pain. Can he get a cast or sedation?

Unfortunately, without performing surgery, there isn't a good way to immobilize a broken hip. Placing a cast on the leg will only add weight to the leg and further pull the fractured hip out of place. Often what we mean by staying still is the equivalent of bed rest in humans. The best way to accomplish this is to get a large dog kennel and make this your kitty's new home. You can place a litter box, food, and water inside the kennel, and he should be confined to the kennel until the hip is stable. This can be quite stressful for a cat, so make sure spend plenty of time with him, find toys that he can safely play with, and consider supplements for stress like Zylkene or Feliway feline pheromone diffuser.

It's a little difficult to see in your copy of the x-ray, but it looks like the left femur might be fractured. If the broken bone is above the knee then a cast won't help because it's not possible to stabilize the fracture. If they have recommended pain medication and rest I think that probably is the best option with a broken hip - kittens can heal quickly and it's possible that he will have decent function in the leg. If not, then a surgery called a femoral head osteotomy might be an option once he's big enough for surgery.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Leo! Which bone is broken in the hing leg? I would try again with a splint and Leo needs to be placed in a dog crate, with an E-collar and sedatives. The only bones in the hind leg that will heal with a splint is the tibia and fibula. The femur usually need surgery to fix and can't be splinted well. So if that is what the vet is trying to splint I would stop. You can try just strict crate rest for 6-8 weeks if it is the femur. Cats are amazing at healing. But if the bone is in multiple pieces I would just amputate. Cats do well with 3 legs. I wish you the best!

It's hard to know what's going on with him without seeing the xrays and knowing which pain medications your cat is on. Hopefully there is an opiate on-board like a long-acting buprenorphine injection to help appropriately with the pain. Usually with adequate pain medication cats will start eating after an injury if there is no other issue like kidney disease or a ruptured bladder (like from trauma). If he has not had bloodwork and a urine test done, I recommend these tests to make sure there isn't something else going on besides the fracture. Appetite stimulants like Mirtazapine may help him to start eating on his own, or you may have to force-feed him with a syringe and canned cat food. Hope that helps!

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Poor kitty. Without doing an exam there is no way to completely determine if surgery is an option. That said, even if surgery is an option, that is not surgery that most general practitioner or shelter veterinarians would be able to do or have the appropriate equipment for. If surgery was an option, typically MRI is first needed to assess the spinal cord, then surgery would be performed by a board certified surgeon. The cat would then need extensive physical therapy and even if everything goes perfectly, there is no guarantee of return to function. In most cases this scenario would cost many thousands of dollars. Many owners and shelters cannot afford that level of care, so alternatives such as cage rest and pain management may be tried or euthanasia may be needed in some cases. I'm sure it is not a case of the shelter vet being unwilling to help this cat, but that the resources are not available. In the case of limb fractures, often amputation is a quicker and more cost effective option to save an animals life than orthopedic repair. Many fractures require pins or plates and screws which needs an orthopedic surgeon and would cost thousands to repair and has a much longer recovery time (requiring foster homes willing to do physical therapy). Even with owned pets, many owners cannot afford a $5000 fracture repair or do the follow up care, but amputation can save their life. The majority of dogs and cats do well with 3 legs. Thank you for your interest in helping these pets. It sounds like the shelter vet is doing a good job for these animals.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Eevee! How do you know her leg is broken? Sadly cats are special, unique creatures that can not metabolize human medications like we can or even dogs (some medications). They are missing an enzyme needed to break down drugs like aspirin, Tylenol and advil. Giving them those drugs will cause them to become very sick and even die. There is no safe drug you can give Eevee that will not cause more harm than good. She needs to see a vet to be diagnosed with the fracture and be prescribed medications for pain that is safe to give a cat (onsior, buprenorphine or gabapentin). She needs to be crated in a large dog crate for 6-8 weeks for the fracture to heal. Letting her walk around and go outside will not allow for healing if her leg is broken. At a minimum confine her and see how she heals. Cats are amazing in that way. Good luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Co is constipated you should contact your vet for stool softeners. Medications can constipate. He may just not be able to figure out how to posture to urinate and defecate due to the hip dislocation. I would take him to the litter box often and support him. Hopefully that is all it is. Also be sure he isn't painful he should be on pain medications for his hip. I hope this helps!