My cat has broken her foreleg :'(

[NickMyLipple]

My poor girl Mildred was limping around yesterday afternoon after a morning of usual adventures outside. She ate dinner as normal and didn't seem too distressed when I tried to look at her paw to make sure there wasn't anything obviously stuck in it. I didn't notice a wound or anything, and called the vet for some advice who said to keep her in overnight and bring her to the surgery in the morning if she's still refusing to bare weight.

So we pop her along to the vet and he has a good fiddle around with her leg which she's a little bit unhappy about, and when he weighs her there is a little streak of blood in the scale - so the vet said he thinks maybe there is a small wound there too, so they'll do some xrays and let me know the outcome.

He then calls to say it is actually a pretty serious open fracture and needs surgical repair by a specialist orthopedic vet, so she's carted off to another "hospital" for her treatment.

Because of the nature of the open fracture they're likely to do IV antibiotics for 48 hours before a surgical repair with pins and plates.

I feel terrible that she mgiht have been in dreadful pain overnight but I'm glad she's comfortable now. She's had surgery this afternoon to wash out the wound and re-align the displacement and hopefully will have her surgery on Wednesday or Thursday.

Apparently it will take 3 months to heal properly and she'll be crate-bound for 4-6 weeks. Is this as horrific as it sounds?? She's going to hate it - is there anything I can do to make it more bareable for her, us and our other feline friends in the house??

Thanks for listening, mainly posting for handholds and advice of cats who've had similar injuries ❤️🐱

Oh the poor thing!

I think initially she'll be exhausted from her ordeal and hopefully have some pain relief that will help her rest. Some Feliway might help her stay calm as well.

No advice, but wanted to offer my sympathies. Poor baby!

Poor thing! I know your pain as our dog broke her leg in seven places. Had surgery to pin it back together and now is right as rain and that is in the past. You have some hard days ahead but you will get there. Xx

Ouch. Fingers crossed for good healing.

Oh poor thing. A few years ago my 17yo beloved, timid cat Buffy, who hardly ever went outside, got spooked in the garden and ran away. She was lost for a whole week and it was like a miracle when she suddenly turned up in her usual place behind the sofa. She was limping so we took her to the vet, turned out she had a broken leg. Fortunately we had insurance as she needed surgery - firstly to pin and plate the bones, and then later to remove the pin and plate. Plus x-rays, stays at the vets etc. We bought a sort of pop up cat apartment (Amazon). Her own pet bowls and litter tray, plus fleecey blankets. Our other cat (young and bouncy) couldn't get in. Buffy loved it. She had to stay in it for a few weeks. She recovered well and lived to the grand old age of very nearly 21.

PawHut Dog Pen, Pet Playpen, Portable Foldable Dog Cat Playpen Soft Dog Cage with Storage Bag for Puppies, Rabbits, Kittens, Guinea Pigs, 114 x 89 x 59cm - Yellow https://amzn.eu/d/e6s2D4Z

It was similar to this. We did also have plug in feliway, and treats etc.

My little darling fractured his pelvis in September (probably from a fall, said the vet) and was prescribed 6 weeks of cage rest followed by 6 more weeks of being an indoor-only cat. He coped with the cage imprisonment much better than I thought he would. After all, he had a warm place to sleep and a regular food supply, which are two of the main things that cats want. We’d play games with him through the bars and engage in regular conversations with him. He has made a full recovery and has been allowed outside since Saturday, and is taking every opportunity to explore the neighbourhood.