My stray cat limps. Vet says minor, but is a fracture or cast needed?

It sounds like this is a feral cat, so the best way to catch her is to use a trap cage. Often cat rescue organizations or shelters will let you borrow them. You put food inside and the cat enters, then the door closes. Then you can take her in the cage to the vet, where they can safely administer drugs to anesthetize her so that she can be properly examined. At that point, the best thing to do is x-ray the leg. It may not appear to bother her, but an x-ray is needed to fully assess that. If there is pain, amputation may be indicated to help her be pain-free. At that point I would recommend making her an indoor cat for life, to keep her safe for good.

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.

He really needs an x-ray of the leg. If there are broken bones sometimes just a cast for few weeks will fix it. The wound does not look that bad but antibiotics may be needed to heal it. I do no think you have to worry about an amputation but if he does need that cats do great with 3 legs. It sounds dramatic but they really adapt well. The first step is getting the diagnosis. If you want to post again with more information about your location we can try to help find you a low cost vet clinic.

Poor kitty. If there is an appreciable amount of swelling and if she is having a hard time walking on this foot, then she could have a fracture. The only way to confirm is with the an x-ray of her foot. I would recommend trying to clean it with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water to keep it from getting infected. I would not recommend applying any topical ointment on this open up my own court could make it worse. You can also do a cold compress on the area for 5-10 minutes to help reduce any swelling. Try to find a vet that is open on tomorrow for further care, which will likely involve flushing the wound, closure of this wound, and oral antibiotics +/- pet friendly anti-inflammatory/pain medication.

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.

It is impossible to know what is causing him to be lame without an examination. The best thing would be to have a vet take a look at him to do an orthopedic examination and take an xray, if needed, to determine the exact cause. He could have an infection, fracture, or strain/sprain. Once diagnsed, your vet can decide the best way to treat his problem. He may just need an antibiotic and/or an anti-inflammatory/pain medications. I hope Smokey feels better soon!