Is my cat's leg broken? What are the signs and what to do now?

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.

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.

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!

You can't splint a conscious cat, he must be put under general anesthesia for that. in most cases splints in cats are not successful, broken legs usually need to be repaired surgically. the only thing you can do until you bring him to the vet is putting him in a confined cage to limit his movement and prevent him from making the damage worse.

Great question! The only way to tell is by having an x-ray done by your veterinarian - this will show exactly what is wrong with the bone, and will also give the information needed to determine whether it can be fixed or not. I would recommend taking the kitten to your vet for an exam and x-rays as soon as you are able to - he/she will be able to advise you further on what can be done to help the kitten, depending on what the x-rays show.

That is possible or a dislocation or some trauma to the soft tissues. Either or which is painful. I would recommend your kitty be seen for an xray, treatment plan, and pain medication. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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.