# Cat With Sore Leg



## brispuss (Jan 11, 2009)

My 11 year old cat has a sore hind leg. It is suspected this was caused by him jumping down from a 6' high fence and aggravating an old pelvic area injury.

My cat has had at least two previous owners. This old injury was not known to myself nor to the previous owner (but most likely known to the first owner). Old injury was picked up in a recent x-ray.

Cat is back home after being at the vet for a couple of days. No apparent broken bones and no dislocations. Injury appears to be due to severe strain on tissues.

My cat can not put full weight on his hind leg for long and can't stretch hind leg too far without causing discomfort.

He's been given medication to adjust his pH value (urine analysis indicated a slightly alkaline level, rather than a desirable slightly acidic value), and anti-inflammation medication. No painkillers prescribed.

He is being kept indoors to minimize movement of his sore leg and give it a chance to heal (hopefully).

I have a large cage which I used for my previous cat. I could put my cat in this cage to further minimize movement and presumably help in healing. However, vet did not specify a cage should be used. Also, I'm reluctant to put him in the cage primarily for (my cats') psychological reasons. I don't think he would appreciate being locked up, which in turn may be detrimental to his health (psychological and ultimately physical).

My understanding is that healing may take weeks or even months!?

Comments? Suggestions?


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

Muffs sprained her leg about a year ago. She was limping and having difficullty jumping, although I didn't have to cage her. I found that she wouldn't do things that would cause her pain. There was one chair she liked to sleep on, and she would go to it and mew, whereupon I gently lifted her onto her chair and she had her nap. When she was awake and wanted down, she would mew again and I helped her down. It took about a week before she was back to normal.

That said, Muffs was much younger that your cat at the time, and she didn't have an old pelvic injury to complicate matters, so your cat will likely take longer to heal as a result. Still, I doubt he'll purposely do things that will hurt him. So, I would keep him inside, as you're doing, and just keep an eye on him. I would only think about using a crate as a last resort. I hope his leg heals quickly.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

I agree with you that caging may be detrimental to his mental state, and I concur with Susan that cat do not do things that will cause them pain, so I doubt he will be jumping around too much. I would keep him indoors, so that he doesn't have to jump out of fright or flight outside which he would likely do in spite of the pain.


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## brispuss (Jan 11, 2009)

Thank you very much for the prompt replies!

I'm happy to write that he was walking reasonably well on his sore leg this morning while getting his breakfast! However, his leg and his belly is still sore. He will yowl a bit when picking him up by his belly.

He likes plenty of attention and cuddles! That is one reason why I didn't cage him.

Given his age and previous injury, I suspect healing will take awhile.

We'll see what happens.

Thanks again!


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## swimkris (Jul 17, 2010)

The only reason that I could think of where you would have to cage him would be if you have other cats bothering him. I haven't heard you mention anything like that, so I agree with the others that he will probably move and heal at his own pace. Pumpkin strained her leg once when she was only a few months old, and I just did what I could to make her more comfortable. I laid extra blankets and toys on the ground with her bed near her food/water dishes, set up a small temporary shallow litter box nearby, and I stacked some boxes up like steps so she could get to her favorite perch without jumping. I was cat-sitting at the time, so I did all this in my kitchen where I could shut the door when I wasn't home. She was back to normal in about 5 days, but she was also a kitten with no prior injuries. I hope your cat heals up quickly!


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## brispuss (Jan 11, 2009)

Thanks for your comments!

There are no other pets at home to disturb him (fortunately).

Interesting that you mentioned steps to make it easier for your cat to reach places! I have also created "steps" by stacking up video cases and old telephone directories in step formation to make it easier for my cat to reach my bed (where he often sleeps), and to reach a couch. :wink

He is keen to get outside!! But I won't let him out until I'm satisfied that his leg has recovered (sufficiently).


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## brispuss (Jan 11, 2009)

An update.

Overall, my cats' sore leg seems to have improved, with little or no obvious limping!

_*However*_!! On odd occasion, as happened yesterday afternoon, his leg when either overstretched and/or twisted while getting up or moving around, causes his lame leg to return for awhile with some associated pain/discomfort.

According to one of the vets, his leg is unlikely to heal _fully_ due to the earlier pelvic injury. Vet suggested that surgery would be needed to correct the hip joint/pelvic issue to ensure the best possible recovery.

Although I have pet insurance, it does NOT cover my cats' _existing_ pelvic injury, unfortunately. Even though a payment plan may be arranged for paying off surgery fees, I can't really afford extra expense at this time due to other financial commitments and limited income.

Anyway, my cat seems reasonably happy at this time. I'll consider surgical options when it appears that my cats' leg is consistently remaining sore, or getting worse.

Thanks for your time!


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## brispuss (Jan 11, 2009)

*Gone!*

Another update.

Happy to report that my cats sore leg seemed to improve, he appeared to have little or no discomfort, and seemed to get about reasonably well. But he still used the "steps" I made for him to make it easier for him to climb up into my bed, up to the computer desk in the lounge (where I often am), and up onto the dining table (which is otherwise not being used).

Unfortunately, I had him put to sleep a few days ago! :sad This was a very upsetting experience as out of all of the cats I've had/known over the years he was by far the most affectionate cat! We were very close! 

He was vomiting intermittently. It was initially thought he may have had just a bit of an upset stomach (which has happened before to him; and it is known that he had a sensitive stomach/allergy to certain foods, particularly dry foods). He was kept indoors to prevent him scavenging and to keep an eye on him.

So he was fasted/starved for awhile and then fed a little boiled chicken (which was done on previous occasions with success). He held it down. But he vomited another meal of boiled chicken the following day. He later vomited bile only.

The last day he ate very little boiled chicken. I tried to feed him some (senior cat) biscuits and a little chicken and lamb casserole. He ate some of the biscuits and a little of the casserole which he seemed to hold down after a couple of hours or so.

He seemed a bit lethargic, and his appetite seemed to have decreased also. His meowing became more of a weak mewing when I took him to the vet!:sad

I went to the vet for a consultation. It was decided that the wisest choice would be to put him to sleep. He was at least 13 years old (possibly much older; he was originally adopted from an animal shelter with very little background information on him). The cause of my cat's vomiting was indeterminate but suspected to be of serious nature.


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## Julie Carvill (Jun 30, 2010)

I am very sorry.


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