What should I do to help my poor cat?

Question

My cat goes outside quite often and one night, my parents heard her fighting so they decided to keep her outside in case she had gotten rabies. She's been living outside for over a week now, but she finally came back home today. Her front right leg is swollen and she refuses to put pressure on it. I touched it gently and she growled a low growl. Dad finally told me today that he's seen her limping around for about three days now. I want to take her to the vet and have her taken care of, but my parents say it might be too expensive. What do you think is wrong with her? Is her leg definitely broken? And what all will the vet do to help her?

Answer 1

It seems to me that you are much more qualified to care for an animal then your parents are. Putting her outside "in case she has rabies" makes absolutely no sense. It is negligent, and it could be very dangerous. What if she is rabid and bit or scratched someone? Early on she should have been spayed and had shots, including a rabies immunization. At this point the she definitely needs to be seen ASAP by a vet.Since I am upset about your situation I will say no more, except that I hope your parents treat you with more regard than they do a helpless animal. If your folks won't budge, try calling an Animal Welfare group, Pet Over Population, your local Humane Society, or even Petsmart. There are kind people who actually will help a situation like yours. Blessings, and good luck. P.S. My two cats are spayed, have had all their shots, and live indoors with their "grannie" ( me). Much safer for them; and they are spoiled, happy and heathy little companions.

Answer 2

Unless someone on here is a vet, no one is going to be able to "tell" you what's wrong with her. What I want to know is, what is wrong with your parents? Is this the family pet? How can you leave a cat outdoors in a cage? I think you should take her to the vet. Explain that money is tight and is there any way they could put you on some sort of payment plan rather than paying the whole bill outright. If that leg is not looked at soon, you maybe dealing with a whole bigger, and much more expensive problem. If the leg is broken, the vet will have to set her leg. But there might be an infection as well. You should also have the cat tested for rabies. Keeping it isolated for a couple of days is not going to cure the rabies if your cat has it. The cat will need meds, if even that will help. The cat should have been brought to the vet immediately. You might also want to consider taking her to a low cost animal clinic. Most shelters have them. Good luck.

Answer 3

Something almost exactly like this happened to our cat last month. We took him to the vet and it turned out he had an infection in his leg that was probably the result of a bite in a cat fight. I had to give him 2 eyedroppers of antibiotics twice a day for two weeks. He is now perfectly recovered.

Since the leg seemed swollen and was not obviously broken our cat did not get any x-rays. I think he may of also had a slightly elevated temperature which indicated try antibiotics first and see if there is improvement. We spent about $300 (in Northern Ohio) on two visits to the vet and the medicine. If this is the first time the vet sees the cat he may require other tests that have nothing to do with your problem but are required of new patients. I imagine an actual broken leg would cost more.

If it turns out your cat needs antibiotics, make sure you continue to give your cat the antibiotics for as long as the doctor tells you. It is very important to finish the full course of treatment, even if the cat starts to improve before the time is up. You can knock back an infection but can't be sure if you have killed it all.

Show your father how much you love the cat, and maybe his heart will melt as far as the expense.

Answer 4

For heaven's sake! Doesn't your cat have a rabies vaccination? It's the law, you know. Even so, the incidence of cats getting rabies is extremely small. In my opinion, your parents are very ignorant about cats in general.
Number one, if you decide to have a pet, you should be prepared to fork over the dough to the vet if the animal becomes injured.
Number two, why was the cat fighting? My guess is your parents thought it might be too expensive to get her spayed, right?
Number three, why do you let your cat outside? The life span for cats who spend time outdoors is about 4 years (for this very reason), compared to a housecat, which can live well into its teens, and beyond with proper care.
Number four, there is something wrong with your cat's leg, and it is in severe pain! What the vet will do depends on the type of injury. This is something you cannot treat yourself, and it is very cruel to make your cat continue to suffer.
If your parents will not cough up the dough for a vet, they are insensitive knuckleheads! Sorry, but it's the truth. They should not be in charge of an animal's well-being. Call your local humane society, and ask them to come and collect your injured cat. They will see that it gets proper treatment, if possible, or humanely put it out of it's misery if it's not treatable. It will receive it's vaccinations, be spayed, and put up for adoption. If it's lucky, someone will give it a loving home where it will be properly treated.
The hard truth is, though, shelters are so full of cats and dogs from similar circumstances, they can't find homes for all of them. Some have to be put to sleep because nobody wants them. But even that's better than making this poor animal suffer needlessly.

Answer 5

She needs a vet ASAP. She could have broken it or got an infection. She's growling because it hurts very bad. Tell your parents to spend the money and help the cat! It needs to eat & be loved, just like humans. The vet will look at the leg, determine if xrays are needed, clean it really well, wrap it maybe, give him a shot for the pain and possibly pain meds. It might cost a lot but see if you can do odd chores for family & friends to help earn the money.

If your cat was kept inside it wouldn't have these types of situations. Also, ask your vet for a rabies shot.

Answer 6

It would probably be expensive - I'm guessing you do not have a lot of money or a way to get to the vet? Suggest to your parents that you will work off what it costs and get her there as soon as possible. If there is no visible wound, it might be broken, only the vet would know for sure. Has she had any shots or has she been spayed? Try the local Humane Society, they sometimes have lower rates or can point you in the right direction.
Maybe a friend or neighbor can help.

Answer 7

Something traumatic has happened to your cat and she needs help soon. Even as the vet is closed today please call the clinic - most have an answering machine which should give you information on an emergency clinic nearby or sometimes someone will call you back. If a clinic then call them and get directions and get her there. In the meantime please place (carefully) in her carrier if you have one or in a basket (laundry) where she can't climb out. Make her comfortable and make sure water is available. I would not offer food yet as depending on injuries she may need to be sedated. Most importantly do not give her anything OTC for the pain/discomfort. Many of them are toxic and you do not know at this point what the problem/injuries are. Make her comfortable and find the help you need. Is she spitting up blood? If so that is not a good sign and indicates that this is an urgent emergency. Do the best you can to find a vet soon. Good luck!

Answer 8

Just because her leg is swollen doesnt mean that her leg is broken it could be something in her foot...plus if she had rabies you would already know it by now...please convince your parents to bring her back inside and take her to the vet she is suffering and if she was allowed to go outside they should have made sure she was up to date on her rabies shots before they let her out...cats dont live long as outdoor cats maximum 2-3 yrs and thats all

Answer 9

Sounds like an abscess from being bitten or clawed in a cat fight.

Tell your parents it won't be very expensive to have a vet look at her and give her an appropriate antibiotic. At the vet hospital where I work it would be $27.50 for the office visit/exam and about $25-30 for the medicine.

Keep her inside, at least at night. It's dangerous out there for her.

Answer 10

Please please take the poor animal to the vet! She may have a broken bone or an infected bite. If the bone is broken, the vet will need to x-ray before setting and splinting. If it's an abcess, then the bite needs to be lanced and drained and the cat needs antibiotics. It may be expensive, but if your parents don't want to pay, try your local SPCA.
As for keeping her outside in case she gets rabies -- if she's kept outside she's at risk of all kinds of diseases! Keep her in our ask the SPCA to rehome her with someone who cares!