What should I do for a friend's cat with a broken leg and open wound?

I would take your cat into a vet immediately. This will be extremely painful for him, and he needs treatment for the broken leg. Leaving it untreated can lead it to heal incorrectly affecting his ability to walk. It can also cause nerve damage. Unfortunately you cannot give him any human pain medications, as many human ones are toxic to cats and are fatal if given. He absolutely needs veterinary treatment for it, please take him into a vet now. Good luck!

First off, good on you for trying to cat and help this poor animal. A broken leg would be very painful, and definitely needs treatment. While broken legs can heal on their own, they won't heal correctly, and the cat may not be able to use the leg properly. I would recommend calling your local SPCA for help with trapping the cat, as she needs medical treatment as soon as possible.

If you suspect a broken leg then I suggest you get her to a vet as soon as possible. A broken leg would be very painful and I'm sure if you had a broken leg you want to go to a doctor! Remember, not all injuries can be seen externally. She could have some internal injuries that you cannot see. Over the internet this is all I can offer you. Without examining her myself and/or taking an x-ray of her leg I cannot tell you what to do other than to get to a vet. Best wishes.

Yikes. I'm concerned from your description that his leg could be dislocated or fractured. I would highly, highly recommend a vet visit so you know what's wrong, can formulate the best plan to treat him, and perhaps most importantly get him started on pain meds! In the meantime, keep him confined so he's using that leg as little as possible. Put him in a room with nothing to jump on, with his litterbox, food, and water all there, and a bed or soft blanket on the floor. If that's not possible, a large dog kennel can also work for confinement, if you can fit his food/water/litterbox and a blanket inside. A dislocation will not fix itself without vet attention, and some types of fractures require surgery to improve. However, soft tissue injuries (such as sprains), and even some fractures can heal with rest and time. Cats can be amazing healers. Do *not* give him anything for pain. There are no human medications that are safe or effective for him, and anything you give him could be dangerous, and could get in the way of more effective medications your vet might prescribe. Additionally, don't try to wrap or splint the leg, as you may do more harm than good. I would also discourage you from trying to massage it, since that will only cause further pain for him if he does have a traumatic injury. Hope that helps.

A broken bone can not be fixed at home. The kitten needs to see a veterinarian if you want any chance of saving her. Broken bones are not usually fatal so if she is "about to die" then something else may be going on (like she is in shock or has internal bleeding). She may have internal injuries if she sustained some trauma that broke her leg. Please get her to a veterinarian as soon as possible. It is cruel to leave her in pain and suffering.

Poor Kitter! It depends on the severity of the break. If it's something like a hairline fracture, it can heal on it's own without surgical intervention. It would be very important, however, that he's on pain medication to prevent him from being painful. It sounds like you aren't happy with the vet's assessment, and without seeing him in person, I can't say if this fracture needs further treatment. I recommend taking him into another vet for a second opinion. This may help you feel better about the course of treatment for him. Good luck, I hope this helps!

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.