pet injury?

Question

my kitten fell off the kitchen table onto a carpeted floor. she is hiking up her hind leg, and crying on occasion, she will sit on my lap, lay on her side that appears injured and still purrs. how would i spot a break? i am concerned taking her to a vet if it may not be a broken bone because of how expensive a visit can be (plus she has no shots, indoor cat). Is there anything i can look for to spot a potentially dangerous (and painful) problem?

OK Update.
Took her to the vet and it turns out the leg was in fact broken...she is now in a splint and we are going to have to return once a week for about 5 weeks and have a new splint put on along with x-rays. She is so uncomfortable, she is crying constantly with the splint being bigger then she is!!! I'm concerned, will this effect her emotionally, is there anything i can do to help her out at this point?

Answer 1

A very typical sign for a broken bone is total non-weight bearing. If the kitty is not putting ANY weight on the leg at all, at any time, you most likely have a break.
You can GENTLY try to feel for swelling (broken bones typically cause a lot of swelling) by starting at the top of the injured leg and working your way all the way down to the toes. If you need to, have someone else hold the baby while you compare the two legs. BE CAREFUL - if you hit a spot that hurts really bad, she may bite.
You can also try to manipulate the joints as well. Again, use the good leg to determine what normal range of motion is and exactly how a normal joint moves and then try to compare this to the injured leg. They have ACL's and PCL's just like humans and can tear them and they are also just as susceptible to sprains and strains.
The pro's and con's of waiting: if the bone is broken, it may not set correctly, there could be resulting nerver damage from not being set, the leg many not function correctly and have to be amputated. This is worst case scenario but I've seen it happen.
If it is just a soft tissue injury, a splint (put on by a vet - don't try this yourself as you can cause more harm than good) can help keep the joint immobile so that the sprain can heal. Exercise restriction for AT LEAST 10-14 days is absolutly vital to healing. Once she starts feeling better she will try to move around like "normal" and might re-injure herself.
I really hope this helps as I can totally relate to working for a living and also loving our pets and wanting the best for them.
Hope this helps and good luck.
BWT - waiting until morning so that you can see a regular vet and not an emergency vet is fine just so long as she is not showing any abnormal signs like panting, constant crying and refusing to eat or drink.

Answer 2

It's a carpeted floor so unless the kitten fell in a really bad way, I suspect the injury could be just a bruise somewhere in the leg the kitten is favoring. Kittens' bones - like all young animals including humans - tend to be a little more malleable than an adults/ - that is, they are "softer" so it would take a truly bad fall or bad accident to sustain broken bones. If I were you, I'd take the kitten to the vet if kitten continues to favor hind leg for more than 24 hrs. It could be a fracture or bone out of socket. If the latter, the vet will simply "pop" it back into place. If the former, the vet will take an x-ray and decide if fracture is bad enough to completely immobilize he leg by plastering it with heavy bandages. The cost of a vet visit is around $25.00. If the kitty needs meds or special treatment (x-ray) it will be added costs. But don't let this dissuade you from getting treatment for your cat. I doubt if treatment will be more than $100.00 on the worse scenario (fracture). And MOST vets will be happy to work with you on re-payments as long as you can put something down on the first visit. Good luck.

Answer 3

Can you move the leg in a normal function? (This is called range of motion) If so she could just be getting over a sprain. If she yelps or protests loudly while moving her leg...stop. This could indicate a dislocation or a break. You can palpate the leg and feel if anything is different than the other leg if you don't notice a difference(large bump a bone sticking out further)then she is most likely telling you...please comfort me I am hurting baby her but beware they are like small children and husbands if you allow them to continue with this behavior they take advantage of it. DO NOT under any circumstance give her aspirin for pain as aspirin will KILL a cat. This is different for dogs who can tolerate aspirin.NEVER GIVE TO A CAT. If she is still holding this leg up and hopping after a few days she probably just dislocated the leg and it will need to be put back in place. A novice can do this but you really need to allow someone who has done this before to avoid any problem with blood vessels and such things. Please watch for local vet clinics in your area. It is very important to get her immunized for rabies, feline leukemia, and distemper. You never know when she may escape or another cat may have contact with her. clinics are usually offered by local animal shelters or at firehouses in our region. Good Luck

Answer 4

I wouldn't try searching the area yourself, as you can end up making the problem worse. Purring is also done when a cat is in pain, to comfort themselves.
Do not be concerned with the cost of the vet visit, as it is your kitten's well-being in jeopardy, why would you allow her to stay in pain, just because you don't want to pay for a vet visit? Please make sure she has had her first 2 rounds of kittens shots *usually done by the time they are 12 weeks old*, those are the only shots that really matter, and are required, despite if they live indoors or outdoors.

Take her to a vet, don't let her suffer an unknown injury.

Answer 5

You should not hesitate to take her to the vet. She may have a broken leg or her leg may be out of socket. Don't worry about the cost of the vet visit. Most vets will allow you to pay by payments. Whatever you do, do not attempt to help the kitten yourself. You may cause further injury if you do so.

Answer 6

There is really no way to tell for sure if she has broken the leg or dislocated it without getting xrays done. If she is limping she needs to be seen by a vet as soon as possible.

Answer 7

Dakota, lol it particularly is constructive! I holiday over our dogs very often yet we as quickly as had a rottweiler for some weeks and as i substitute into happening the lower back steps and he substitute into attempting back up. We the two have been given in slightly a tangle and that i ended up falling over the best of the dogs and landed flat on my face on the concrete. I wasn't a quite sight for some weeks after. i've got been head butted by using our labrador on distinctive activities. 2 weeks in the past our new puppy took a flying bounce at my legs and took a advantageous chew out which will little question pass away a scar. He additionally likes to chew hair so I even have some puncture marks in my head on the 2d from his little sharp toddler tooth. I even have fairly some bruises on my palms and legs from him by using fact he grabs you and gets a case of lock jaw so so which you could pry him off. My cat as quickly as had a panic attack in my palms upon seeing a dogs walk by using as i substitute into bringing her abode and he or she left a deep scratch on the ingredient of my neck. thankfully that healed ok. aside from that purely ordinary scratches and bruises in all places.

Answer 8

Bambi, Would you hesitate to take a young child to the doctor because it might cost to much. If you answer yes please don't get pregnant.

I have said this before but people please take care of your pets as if they were a loved and well taken care of baby. If you are not willing to take good are of a pet then please do not get one.

It is like some people at Easter by rabbits by summer the kids are tired of caring for them and people release them at a local park where they either die or over multiply and have a food shortage.

Love your pet as if it was your baby....please.

Answer 9

well i've seen stuff like this happen to cats all the time.
It it doesnt get better in about a week then u might have to go to a vet but otherwise i wouldnt worry about it.

Answer 10

yes! gently rub down the leg & fill for nots or anything that shouldn't be there. if you reach a certain part of your cats leg & she cries, meows, or stops purring then theres something wrong!