Elbow fracture - not confident about vet diagnosis?

[CatSat]

Short version:
Cat has injured their front leg. Vet has diagnosed a fractured elbow (without x-rays). Cat booked in for x-rays and immediate amputation on Tuesday. But cat walking fine on all 4 legs. Is it possible the vet misdiagnosed her?

Long version:
Cat came in during the early hours of the morning (having scaled two 5ft leaps to climb in through a small open window, carrying a mouse). Has clearly injured her front leg and won't let me touch it. Fur was a little matted to I cleaned her up to check for cuts but found none. Doesn't really want to move much. Lies on side with injured limb upwards. Not placing paw properly when putting foot down.

In the morning she is now happy for me to touch her leg and feel for any bumps and lumps and compare it to her other leg. Both feel similar to me. Now able to place paw properly when she walks. But walking with a limp.

Take her to vet. Not able to x-ray there and then but vet gives pain killers and diagnoses a fractured elbow. Recommends amputation £2000 or pinning £4000. Cat booked in for x-rays and operation on Tuesday morning.

Get cat back home and put on cage rest. By the evening the cat appears to be walking and putting weight on her leg just fine. I worry that it might be due to her being drugged up on painkillers and not a real indication so delay giving the next painkiller until this morning. She looks fine this morning, walking totally normally again, paw placement looks normal, claws working normally, choosing to lie down on the injured side.

Desperately hoping that the vet has misdiagnosed her and it is just a sprain or something less traumatic. If she had stayed out another 24 hours and come back home now rather than yesterday morning I wouldn't have even noticed a problem. Any thoughts? Is it possible that without an x-ray to look at, the vet has misdiagnosed her?

If she's not been x rayed. It could well be just a sprain. Discuss it with your vet when you next see them.

Given the improvement between midnight and taking her to the vets in the morning that's what I thought. Thought I might have been over reacting in getting her an emergency appointment and thought I would probably just be sent away with pain killers and crate rest.
The vet was quite insistent she would need full surgery. Would have had me sign the papers and kept her in for an operation later that day if they hadn't been a Saturday and quite so busy.

I just can't see how a cat that is looking so well and appears to be walking could need an amputation?
I would also like to try and avoid any unnecessary full anesthetic for an x-ray unless it is really needed.
Equally, I want to do the right thing for the cat and I don't want her to not be treated if she needs it.

I have been sent all the forms to sign already via email. I have had an email and phone call about a payment plan.
It is my usual practice (large national chain), but apart from the yearly vaccinations for a household full of animals we have very very rarely needed any vet visits before, so I don't know any of the vets at the practice to ask for a second opinion.

Vet here- if she's walking on it normally it's not a broken elbow.

If she's walking normally, no further action needed.

To diagnose an elbow fracture without X-rays would have meant the vet felt lots of crunching of bone- not sure what's gone on here.

Either go back for a second opinion , or cancel Tuesday and see how it goes for a few days .

Thank you all so much for your replies. Just had another phone call asking me to confirm I was still going ahead with Tuesday's appointment and to email over more payment detail things. I can't help but feel they are putting a lot of pressure on to have x-rays and run tests and 'do something'.
I think I will continue to review how she gets on, and possibly try and get another vets practice to take a look at her on Monday if I can.

Vet definitely didn't mention crunching bones or anything like that. She said there was swelling around the area so gave her an anti inflammatory injection. Then extended one leg backwards and then the other and said that as she felt resistance with the good leg, and no resistance to going backwards with the bad leg then it was an elbow fracture.

Dr Google is definitely saying she wouldn't be walking if it was a fracture.
Fingers crossed.

I’d be very wary of any vet pushing for payment details like this .

Personally I'd take your cat to a different veterinary surgery for a check up.
I was told by a vet that one of our cats (with a limp) had suspected bone cancer and needed £600 of investigative tests. Took to a different surgery to be given metacam for another week after which the cat was absolutely fine. Needless to say we transferred all the cats to the new surgery as a result of this.
There are both good and bad vets.

This is potentially very "outing" - my cat broke a leg last year (confirmed by xrays). Vet instantly said the leg would have to come off because of the nerve damage, or we could try pinning it, but that would be even more expensive. I was very shaken up and emotional, and said I'd think about it.

Next day I had a phone call from the vet saying that I should really make a decision by the end of the week, and did I want to just book in the amputation for Friday. Cat was on pain meds, and wasn't putting any weight on the leg, but didn't seem overly distressed otherwise, eating normally, happy to sit on my lap for a cuddle (I had her in a large dog crate any time I wasn't directly hands-on supervising).

I told the vet I was going to give it at least a fortnight to see if there was any improvement, despite the fact that he told me it was cruel to keep a cat on crate rest for that long. Within 3 days it was clear that the nerve damage was healing, within 5 weeks she was absolutely fine.

I've reluctantly come to the conclusion that the reason he was pushing me to make such a quick decision was precisely in case it did heal on its own. A good vet should never pressure you into a quick decision.

Are you sure it wasn't more of a case of she may have fractured it, we need to do xrays on Monday and if so it'll need pinning at this much or amputation at this much? Ie worst case scenario prognosis and cost wise?

Rather than she has definitely broken it and needs amputation.

Sadly not a 'worst case scenario ' conversation. Very much pay up now and get it sorted. Cat is 10 years old (best guess as originally a stray cat), so really don't want to start with anesthetics unless we absolutely have to.
DH is going to get a 2nd opinion tomorrow.

This evening's check in: eating, drinking, putting weight on it, perhaps a very slight limp occasionally but not consistently, wanting head rubs and enjoying her special tuna medicine 😁.

How is the patient this morning @CatSat