Why is my indoor cat limping for a week with no swelling or pain?

You didn't mention if it was a hind leg or a front leg. There are different possibilities for injuries based on which leg is injured. She may just sprained the leg but if she is holding the leg completely up and not putting any weight on it then it could be broken and she needs to see a vet. If she is putting weight on it but just limping slightly then just watch her for a few days. If it doesn't resolve then she should see a vet.

There can be many sources of pain. Fractured bones are a possibility. There are many tiny bones in the paws, but if Mizzy lets you press firmly on all 4 paws, long leg bones, and along the back and ribs, she may not have anything broken. Second, ligaments or muscles can strain or tear. Sometimes this causes swelling and pain in a specific place, but not all the time. Third, she could have a wound or bruising in an area that is hard to see because of the fur. I would recommend just monitoring her for a few days. Watch her eating and drinking, and watch for improvement of the limp. If any thing changes or isn't better in a few days, she should be evaluated by a vet. Mizzy should also stay inside during this monitoring phase since cat's that are sick or painful may hide and don't always come back home for you to care for them.

Oh no, poor Belis! It is certainly possible that her leg is broken, but it could also be sprained or infected from an animal bite if she's allowed outside. She has to see a vet for this, so I would bring her into one right away. Given that it's really swollen and she's been walking around with a limp limb for three to four days, medical attention is required now. Please bring her into an ER vet or find a vet on call to see her now.

Since it has only been going on a few hours and she does put some weight on it when jumping I think you could monitor her today. I would try to keep her indoors and confined to small room so she stays quiet and rests the leg as much as possible. If swelling starts, she starts acting lethargic, or the limping doesn't resolve in the next 24 hours I would have her evaluated by a veterinarian so they can assess her for wounds or more serious injuries. Hope she feels better asap !

The chance that there is a blood clot contributing to these clinical signs is very unlikely. Typically, when something like this happens, your cat would be in absolutely uncontrollable pain, screaming and crying like nothing you have every heard. You might also notice that the feet and limbs are noticeable cold. This doesn't sound like the case. In all likelihood, Autumn simply sprained or strained something and is now experiencing some discomfort as a result. One other cause of shifting or sporadic lameness in the limbs are tick borne diseases such as Lyme disease. While these are far more common in dogs, they can definitely occur in cats as well. Depending on your geographic region, the type of tick borne diseases that are most common will vary considerably. Hope this makes sense. Get Autumn into the vet for some examination if the symptoms don't subside in the next day or so. Just don't try and give any over the counter pain medication at home as there are none that are safe for cats.

Poor Spooky! I would be very concerned that he has done something serious to his leg if he has been limping for a couple of days, there's swelling, and jumps on three legs. Cats can be very good at hiding their pain, so he is likely in more pain than he lets on. He could have a broken bone, but he could also have a sprain or a torn ligament. He does have to see a vet for this as soon as possible, so take Spooky in first thing Tuesday. Keep him as quiet as possible, and do NOT give him any human pain medications. Many are toxic to cats and are fatal if given. The vet can prescribe him safe pain medications as needed.

I am sorry to hear your cat is having lameness. Cats are masters at hiding pain and illness so they don't typically scream out unless there is substantial pain there. But limping and a pet not willing to place a foot down is an indicator of a certain level of pain there or else they would put entire weight on the limb and paw. This most likely is not a fracture because that pain would be very evident with her not allowing you to touch it and there would be a substantial amount of swelling there. So that leaves a muscle sprain or ligament partial/complete tear. The key is to localize where on the leg the pain is coming from, look for obvious swelling, and then treat the pet with anti-inflammatory medication if sprain is suspected or do an x-ray if the knee or joint is suspected as the source of the pain to rule out a ligament rupture. Unfortunately there are no safe over the counter pain meds available for cats but your vet has safe products to prescribe for your cat for conservative treatment at the very least to see if this will improve her condition.