How to help a stray kitten with a broken paw that won't be caught?

First off, good on you for trying to cat and help this poor animal. A broken leg would be very painful, and definitely needs treatment. While broken legs can heal on their own, they won't heal correctly, and the cat may not be able to use the leg properly. I would recommend calling your local SPCA for help with trapping the cat, as she needs medical treatment as soon as possible.

Please have your kitten seen by a vet right away. That wound looks extremely painful and will require pain medication and antibiotics. The kitten will need to have the wound cleaned out by the vet and will likely need sutures/bandaging of the area. Pain medication meant for people can be toxic to kittens and should not be used without checking with your vet. If you cannot keep the kitten and don’t know anyone who will take on his care and vet expenses, please contact local animal shelters and rescue groups so that he can get vet care asap. Thanks for trying to help these cats!

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.

You should really convince your friend to take the cat to a vet as soon as possible. This can be corrected if a vet gives treatment soon enough and they can also give medication to control the pain. Otherwise, it is considered cruel to not give the cat appropriate care and the cat will be prone to infections and life-threatening complications. If your friend can't take the cat to the vet, then I would recommend calling animal control. I hope that helps and the cat gets treatment soon.

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.

You can strongly recommend to the owner that he/she bring the cat to their veterinarian for an exam. That paw looks painful and possibly infected. The cat will need an exam, x-rays (to diagnose fractures), bloodwork, antibiotics and pain management. An e-collar (cone) will prevent licking and chewing. You can't legally do anything since you are not the rightful owner. If you do, you risk litigation if the cat takes a turn for the worse. If there is no owner, contact your local animal control officer or humane society.

A broken bone can not be fixed at home. The kitten needs to see a veterinarian if you want any chance of saving her. Broken bones are not usually fatal so if she is "about to die" then something else may be going on (like she is in shock or has internal bleeding). She may have internal injuries if she sustained some trauma that broke her leg. Please get her to a veterinarian as soon as possible. It is cruel to leave her in pain and suffering.