Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering if anyone knows how to determine if a cats leg is broken and where the break is? One of the stray cats in my neighborhood has been holding her right front leg up when she walks - a little over a week now.I caught her and took her to a vet and explained I could not afford x-rays. I asked if he could tell me anything about the leg without x-rays.At first he said it was probably a break in the lower part of the leg and he would put a splint on it.About an hour later he said that once she was out,he was able to look at the leg better and the break was at the elbow but it was still in place.He said no splint - surgery or wait for 2 weeks to see if it heals on it own.I decided to let her stay in a bedroom for the 2 weeks and hope it heals.Is it really possible to know if and where a break is? Does anyone know anything about broken cat elbows?

Hi There,

It's difficult to tell exactly where a fracture is without an x-ray, but once a cat is under anesthesia you can get a much better idea. Once the cat is totally relaxed the vet can move the leg around freely and determine if a fracture is present. Sometimes you can feel abnormal bone movement.

In my opinion this vet should have applied a splint to the leg to prevent the cat from further damaging the leg. Stabilizing the break would also go a long way toward helping the cat to be more comfortable. It would be a full-leg splint or cast, most likely. Surgery might be recommended at a later date, but you have already made it clear that you couldn't even afford x-rays. The vet should have been willing to work with you.

My vet would have skipped the anesthesia, taken an x-ray, and applied a splint. Perhaps if the kitty doesn't improve you can take her to another vet that would be willing to arrange a payment plan with you.

Thanks for caring for this special kitty. I will be thinking about her and wishing her the best.

Regards,
PHKitkat