Why is my young cat's leg suddenly swollen and causing him to limp?

If you cat goes outdoors, this is very likely the result of a cat bite. It is amazing how small a cat bite wound can be, but under the skin, infection is building up. Have Coco evaluated tomorrow by your vet because if this is a bite wound, the sooner antibiotics are started, the sooner she will start feeling better. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It sounds like Kuro has a cat bite abscess and a severe fever from the infection. This will require antibiotics and antiinflammatory medications to be prescribed by your vet, especially when it is the lower leg that is affected as this can lead to very serious infections of the joints and bones. Contact your local humane society for information on subsidized clinics or ask if your vet can offer care credit

Hello. I would have this looked at by your vet tomorrow. The most common thing we see in cats are bite abscesses & it is really amazing how hard it is to sometimes find a bite wound. A cat's bite can leave a tiny needle like puncture & an abscess can begin to develop within hours. It can be very painful & make Buddy feel sick. Your vet can quickly determine if this is the cause of his lump, lance & treat it & Buddy will be feeling better very soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. Without any additional information, it is impossible to make a diagnosis, but is it possible that Dexter may have gotten into a fight with another cat & was bitten? Abscesses on the leg are very common & will often blow up like this before rupturing. If you can have Dexter seen by your veterinarian, they can determine if this is an abscess & will put him on antibiotics. Until you can have him see, you can apply warm compresses to the swelling to help with the healing. 5-10 minutes a couple of times a day is sufficient. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is indeed most likely due to the abscess. I would be suspicious that some of that pus and inflammation has migrated to the leg and is causing pain as well. At this point I think this may be require more investigation into the underlying cause of the abscess. I would be suspicious of foreign material that has migrated and is underneath the skin. If that is the case, surgery and possibly further diagnostics like a CT scan as well as long courses of antibiotics may be needed to treat this appropriately. A culture of this wound should be obtained if that has not been done to make sure that the correct antibiotic is used. I recommend that you have Spock reevaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good night!

Poor Cleopatra! There appears to be a wound on the leg and the swelling is likely related to that. Concerns are an abscess, fracture, cellulitis or puncture wound. All of these require care by the veterinarian. At home you can restrict her activity since the more she walks on it, the worse it may get. You may also try applying a cool (not cold) compress but this is unlikely to fix the problem but may give some temporary relief of pain. Cleopatra needs to see her veterinarian today ideally for pain medication and treatment. I hope she starts feeling better quickly and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Almost 100% of the time this is from the bite of another cat. Since this has been going on for weeks you need to get him to he vet. It’s swollen from infection and he will need (at the very least() antibiotics to clear this up. As a side note, if he’s not neutered and goes outdoors he is much more likely to fight (and make babies). You should really consider neutering him. They also get serious viruses like FeLV and FIV from bites of infected cats. ( https://www.petco.com/content/petco/PetcoStore/en_US/pet-services/resource-center/caresheets/cat-spay-neuter.html )