Broken leg

[Cobblersandhogwash]

My poor boy came in the morning and his front left leg was all limp.

It's broken in several places. He needs surgery to get rid of bone chips and to set it properly. We don't know how it happened.

Vet said he would then need six weeks in a crate and be kept inside.

Is this actually possible? He is the most active, big, strong cat and is going to be seriously challenged to stay in a crate for six weeks!

Anyone got experience of a cat with a broken leg?

My colleague managed it with her kitten. It was stressful at first. But she did calm down. And they got through it. Main problem they had was that the plaster made walking difficult. Which made her unsteady on her paws.

We’ve had cats on here on cage rest before and it’s not great but it has to be done.

My girl had a similar injury. Broken leg into at least 5 pieces. She had pins and wires put in. She was also put on strict cage rest for 13 long weeks. Whilst she didn't like it, she did adapt and got used to it. Getting the door closed after cleaning was the most difficult part to start with but once she learned that attempting escape was futile even that calmed down. It's hard but doable.

Good luck.

I've been through it. My beautiful boy, now gone, fractured his leg and was in a cage for 6 weeks. I was stressed to hell at the beginning, seeing him so restricted, but soon adjusted. I did cheat a little bit and took him out of the crate several times a day, just so he could have a little bit of freedom. He walked around the room a little and he was fine. Not sure if yours would be ok to do this, seeing as his leg is broken in several places. Put the crate in the room where there's most traffic, so that he can still be part of things, if he's a sociable cat. If not, put him in a quieter room. I'd put a throw over the crate at night, when he's sleeping.

Any ideas how to keep him entertained a bit? He's home now and just looks miserable.

I guess his leg hurts.

Glad he's home safe. Hope he gets better soon. Is he near a window where he can see the birds? Will he watch bird and cat videos on a laptop or TV? Give him treats during the day or spread his meals out. When he's further into his recovery, you could take him out of the crate and let him sit on your lap. Play with him a little in the cage.

He insists in lying in his litter tray.

He's still not up for much. Sleeping a lot. Poor lad.

I guess I needn't worry too much at this stage given how zonked he is.

Next week I will move the crate about the house so he gets a change of scene. He's in my bedroom at the moment where it's warm and quiet.

Aww, poor old thing. Yes, he'll be poorly for a little while and will probably want to rest a lot. He's lovely. Good idea to move his crate about. I've got a little white cat. Hope you're not too stressed out

Poor boy. How about a puzzle feeder or Kong to keep him occupied?

Oh poor little man, his skinny little shaved leg 😿

Might he be wanting the comfort from being in something semi-enclosed? So possibly a box or cat bed or igloo in there (if there's room) might help him.

He's got a lovely plush cat bed in there. He's ignoring it most of the time.

Try a fleece for the bed. Mine prefers fleece to his beds lining.