Cat fractured leg healing process

[Fidgetbottom]

Hi.

I am just hoping someone can put my mind at ease.

My older cat (12 years) fractured her leg pretty badly the other week. She had her fractured repaired and is on strict cage rest.

I was wondering if any of you lovely folks who have gone through this can tell me when/if your cats started weight-bearing on their surgically repaired leg?

My cat seems to be doing alright but is very sullen and hiding a lot. She kind of hobbles about using her poorly leg when she needs to move but I do notice her sitting with it ever so slightly raised quite a bit of the time.

Can anyone give me some anecdotes of how your cats got on with with their leg after a surgical fracture repair? When they started being more comfortable using the leg etc?

My vet didn’t seem worried but when she was there, she was pretty lively as she tries to find a place to hide so was using her leg to shuffle about, but when she is home she is much more settled and chooses not to weight-bear on it as much.

Thank you lovely people.

I can't help with advice about the fracture, but should it come to this my 18 year old girl broke her leg very badly this year, and is living a great life as a tripod (we really didn't have a choice to save her leg, my vet said even a kitten would have needed an amputation with her break). We're back to baby gates on the stairs, but other than that nothing different. She was on fentanyl at the vet for 5 days and then came home with at home pain relief and antibiotics for another 5 days. Recovery done. I'm not suggesting you have your cat's leg amputated, just wanted to reassure you that it isn't the worst thing in the world if it comes to that.

I am glad your older lady is doing really well after her injury. :) (Also 18 years! Great age for cat!). Cats really are incredible creatures. I think I project myself too much onto my cat, I would hate to lose a leg so I am doing everything possible to stop her losing hers… even though she probably would get on alright.

I just can’t help it…

She is currently getting the world handed to her on a silver platter, as I desperately beg for her forgiveness for helping her after she went out and broke her leg!

So, mine was younger when needed this, but it wasn’t just a fracture, it was multiple, and the only way to save the leg was for a steel frame to be put around the leg and hip, with rods into the bone holding it in place, and steel pins in the bone. Because he was only 3 it was felt to be worth it. (He’d been attacked by a dog when out, it’s a miracle he made it home). He had to be caged for some time, and the main thing after that was stopping him from trying to jump off furniture. I felt hugely guilty as once the cage was off and he was healing, he did try to jump on the sofa, and re-injured his leg quite badly falling off. If your cat isn’t doing this, and is being careful, she should heal up fine. My boy did, and whilst he was younger had had a heck of a lot to heal from!

Thank you @AllTheChaos I needed to hear some positive cat injury recovery stories.

I am so glad that he healed up and was all fine in the end. I do just wind myself up with worry, I am concerned that she isn’t using the plated and screwed leg as much as she ‘should be’ at this stage but I don’t actually know how much that is anyways! I have just read some stories of cats having their leg surgically repaired and then walking on it normally very soon after surgery. Which my lady isn’t.

I just want her to be okay.

Aaah, @Fidgetbottom, my female cat is a similar age, and she is definitely not very active, happy to just lie around and snooze, so I think it’s normal as they get older! Plus recovery takes longer and makes them tired. Honestly, it’s probably a good thing as she’s more likely to actually heal than if she was trying to be active. At 12 she’s the equivalent of at least 60 in human years I think, so would expect her to be slower to heal than a youngster. It sounds like she’s doing well, with the help of her human handmaiden!

@AllTheChaos Thank you :) I will take it as a positive that she isn’t very active and jump-y and just keep buying her love by feeding her all of her favourites.
Pets really do bring so much joy… and so much bloody stress and worry! She doesn’t even know or care how many dreamies I could have bought her with the cost of her surgery! Haha :)

It is good that your lady is chill. My little darling was ninja-ing her way up onto our (high!) bed within days of getting home, which is not ideal. I hope her recovery continues!