Cat seems old and enervated, but is stronger. I have now twice applied a topical antibiotic to the abscessed area – which appears to be healing some. (I am surprised I could touch the animal with a finger – and that is a function of weakness.) It ate pretty well this evening.
I am on the fence on whether to euthanize the cat. I am afraid it will pass away over the fence in the neighbor’s yard.
Right now, I am good with letting it live out its remaining days in this yard, and her shelter.
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your cat. I understand how expensive and difficult it is to manage an injury like this. This is a difficult bone and fracture to treat. In all cases of broken bones it is ideal to see an orthopedic surgeon and be at a facility that specializes in this. There are board certified veterinary surgeons in our area. You can google them for a facility near you. If you are staying at this hospital please inquire who is doing the surgery and what their credentials are.
This fracture is beyond the scope of what our hospital can do. For cases like this we would offer a referral to a specialist or cage rest and pain management. This is a young cat and it will likely heal with strict cage rest. In my opinion this should always be offered before discussion of an amputation. Your cat must stay in a small cage with a low bed, low sided litter box and rest for 4-8 weeks. Even if you have the leg surgically repaired these cats need strict cage rest for 4-8 weeks. Re-Xray every 2 weeks.
In 20 years of practicing veterinary medicine almost all of these cases were managed with crate test alone due to clients not being able to afford the $6-10,000 estimate for surgery. They have ALL done well with cage rest. I also recommend that she is spayed after healing. Best of luck.