Street kitten with blood clot & weak legs: What home care is safe?

That is sad news. It's always difficult when you have to make a euthanasia decision. The blood clot was the result of a heart condition. In my experience these cats don't recover the use of their legs and they die shortly after a blood clot episode, from the heart disease. Therefore I believe you did make the right decision since Jill would not have had a good quality of life and may have suffered if you had kept her alive with such a serious medical problem. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

A clot that causes limping is VERY painful. We do not expect cats that have thrown clots to recover without significant treatment. So, that certainly makes it less likely that Luna had a clot. However, I would strongly recommend having her examined to see what is going on. It certainly is not normal for a 6 year old cat to be limping. If Luna does not do well at the vet, maybe a house call vet would be a good option for her. I'm not sure if there is one in your area, but this might be a good place to look for one. http://www.homevets.org/Find_A_Mobile_Vet.html Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Luna feels better soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hi, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The kitten needs medication, I recommend taking it to a veterinarian as it sounds like it needs antibiotics and possibly pain medication as well. Do not give any human medications as many are toxic to cats. Depending on exam findings, the vet may recommend xrays as well if they suspect significant trauma to the leg. Best of luck, I hope she recovers quickly.

Hi there. This mass is somewhat unusual-looking from what I can see in the photo, so there's no way to know what it is without being able to take a biopsy, or remove it and send it to the lab for testing. So yes, I do recommend taking him to the vet to have this checked in person and see how your veterinarian suggests proceeding from there. If your kitty is acting normal, I would not consider this to be an emergency, so it should be fine to wait and take him tomorrow. Many veterinary clinics have implemented no-contact protocols during this time (curbside service, etc.) to minimize the risk of COVID transmission, so I would encourage you to ask your veterinarian about their current protocols for this if you're concerned.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is not possible to know this just based on this picture. However, with a history of possible trauma and the presence of blood then a fracture is possible. Just based on the presence of blood and the possibility of a fracture, I would highly recommend you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check what seems to be the issue so that it can be treated accordingly. Good luck!

I would still recommend taking your kitten into the veterinarian to have an x-ray performed. She may have fractured the leg and just have a small hairline fracture without bone displacement. She would still need a splint or cast placed to help the bone heal. She may also benefit from some pain medication as well. As for the blood in her stool, I would recommend having a fecal examination performed by your veterinarian. It is very common for young kittens like this to have intestinal parasites that need to be treated with specific dewormers. There are other causes of blood in the stool as well such as dietary indiscretion, foreign bodies, viruses, or stress. Your kitten will likely need antibiotics and a dewormer to help the diarrhea clear up. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

These are all good signs of improvement of blood flow and movement! Encourage her to gradually use the leg as much as possible and discuss with your veterinarian possible physiotherapy exercise (if she tolerates it) to speed up recovery. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.