My cat broke his leg. Can he live with it, or do I need a second opinion?

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!

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.

The only way to know if Yuki's leg is fractured is to have him evaluated and x-rayed by the vet. However, cats are amazing animals, and many fractures will heal naturally with time. But only with a vet visit will you be able to provide Yuki with appropriate pain control and help him stay more comfortable while he recovers. It's important to keep Yuki rested, and prevent excessive running/jumping. I recommend confining Yuki to a small room with no furniture to jump on, and keep his litterbox and food/water close by, so he has everything he needs with minimal movement. Hope this helps.

Ploffie is quite handsome. This could potentially heal on its own if it is a minor soft tissue injury or a minor fracture, but he needs to be confined and not allowed to roam or jump. My concern is that if it is secondary to an abscess or some type of infection or a large displaced fracture then it may not heal. If he isn't improving, I would try to figure a way to catch him and take him to your vet. Your vet will be able to determine the cause and get him started on the proper meds. I hope this helps!

The answer is a bit of a catch 22. Yes, fractures can heal on their own, however they don't always heal in a good position naturally, so letting it heal on his own could lead to greater issues long term. However, money doesn't grow on trees, and if you can't afford x-rays and surgery, I'd recommend talking to your vet about what your budget is and what the best plan will be within that budget. That is something that vets are very familiar with and can work around.

Hello sorry to hear about Casper. It definitely sounds like Casper will survive especially since he is starting to be more like his normal self. You need to keep him rested without any running, jumping, or rough housing as this can exacerbate his injury. Continue his medications and wait until you can obtain his x-ray to confirm he doesn't have a fracture. Monitor the leg for any swelling, discharge, worsening pain, fever, a decreased appetite, diarrhea, or vomiting. If you note any of these then please have Casper evaluated by a veterinarian. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Without having an xray done it is almost always impossible to determine if it can be repaired surgically or if amputation is needed, i strongly recommend having the leg xrayed before getting to such a conclusion.