How to help a small stray kitten with a broken leg, no surgery?

It depends on the type of break and where it occurred on the bone. Kittens heal really quickly, and a 4 day old kitten doesn't have much actual bone formation quite this early. It may heal funny or it may heal perfectly normal. There isn't a good way to splint a leg in such a tiny kitten that won't affect the normal growth of the surrounding bones. In the worse case, if the bone heals oddly, amputation is an option.

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.

Unfortunately, without performing surgery, there isn't a good way to immobilize a broken hip. Placing a cast on the leg will only add weight to the leg and further pull the fractured hip out of place. Often what we mean by staying still is the equivalent of bed rest in humans. The best way to accomplish this is to get a large dog kennel and make this your kitty's new home. You can place a litter box, food, and water inside the kennel, and he should be confined to the kennel until the hip is stable. This can be quite stressful for a cat, so make sure spend plenty of time with him, find toys that he can safely play with, and consider supplements for stress like Zylkene or Feliway feline pheromone diffuser.

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Poor kitty. Without doing an exam there is no way to completely determine if surgery is an option. That said, even if surgery is an option, that is not surgery that most general practitioner or shelter veterinarians would be able to do or have the appropriate equipment for. If surgery was an option, typically MRI is first needed to assess the spinal cord, then surgery would be performed by a board certified surgeon. The cat would then need extensive physical therapy and even if everything goes perfectly, there is no guarantee of return to function. In most cases this scenario would cost many thousands of dollars. Many owners and shelters cannot afford that level of care, so alternatives such as cage rest and pain management may be tried or euthanasia may be needed in some cases. I'm sure it is not a case of the shelter vet being unwilling to help this cat, but that the resources are not available. In the case of limb fractures, often amputation is a quicker and more cost effective option to save an animals life than orthopedic repair. Many fractures require pins or plates and screws which needs an orthopedic surgeon and would cost thousands to repair and has a much longer recovery time (requiring foster homes willing to do physical therapy). Even with owned pets, many owners cannot afford a $5000 fracture repair or do the follow up care, but amputation can save their life. The majority of dogs and cats do well with 3 legs. Thank you for your interest in helping these pets. It sounds like the shelter vet is doing a good job for these animals.

I am so very sorry Willow broke her leg! I certainly understand being distraught and upset over this, it is an upsetting situation. Kittens have a great blood supply to their bones due to their growth, and broken bones tend to heal very well; in fact, cage rest is sometimes all that is needed. And yes, splints are often not needed! It can heal without a splint. Kittens can be good at hiding their pain, but one way to tell is if she is eating and drinking. A kitten in pain will not eat or drink, and if she is eating and drinking, that means she is feeling good, so she won't be in pain. If you do have concerns, however, you can give your vet a call to discuss things. I hope this helps!

Poor Kitter! It depends on the severity of the break. If it's something like a hairline fracture, it can heal on it's own without surgical intervention. It would be very important, however, that he's on pain medication to prevent him from being painful. It sounds like you aren't happy with the vet's assessment, and without seeing him in person, I can't say if this fracture needs further treatment. I recommend taking him into another vet for a second opinion. This may help you feel better about the course of treatment for him. Good luck, I hope this helps!

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.