Not sure what to do about my baby boy :(

My cat simba is almost two years old now. He got into a bad fight about six weeks ago today, he was limping when he arrived home. He had a puncture wound on his hind left leg around the thigh and he also had a wound on his head, they both swelled up very fast overnight. I took him to the vet the next day, she cut the wounds open and gave him an injection and antibiotics, she said he has a bad infection. It has now been six weeks and I am thinking I might have to take him back to the vet, he is still limping, but he walks on his tip toes and he will walk almost completely normal when i take him outside, just with not quite the same amount of weight on the foot. He will let me touch it all over no problem, and even move it, he spreads his toes but only his little toe spreads the same as his other foot, the other toes only move a little. The leg also shakes when he stretches it and his other foot doesn't. The vet said there is no sign of dislocation because she moved his leg and thigh all around, and I cannot feel any bones that are abnormal and I have felt it all over many times. I am not sure whether I should take him back to the vet or leave it? could it be something serious? or just taking a long time to heal. He's acting normal, his leg is the same temperature as his other, theres not weight loss or anything unusual, he seems normal except his walking, no signs of any bones broken that I can feel, he doesn't mind me playing with it, but he still holds it up or stands on his tippy toes inside and walks on it outside but not with all his weight, like his other foot, he seems to be able to have control of it but I also noticed in the last week or two that when sitting he sits with the limping leg further out from his body then his other leg, like he doesn't want to sit it under his weight at all. anybody have any advice? I'm thinking of taking him back to the vet because its been six weeks now and I know things can take time but I'm scared I might make it worse by not taking him? Anybody had a similar experience or think they know what could be wrong? please help I'm worried

It really sounds like he should be taken back to the vet, because she's in a position to tell whether there's still some infection present or further pain treatment is necessary. Nobody here is qualified to make that assessment. that he makes a full recovery.

Yeah, he's at the vet overnight. I'm praying that things will get better once we see the xrays

Any update?

X-rays came back and he has a fracture in his knee. But it is of a small bone that the vet said normally doesn't get fractured, he also said there is not much that can be done. He thinks Simba must of got stuck somewhere for this to happen. The bone will eventually fuse back together and though he won't have the same movement as his other leg, if things go well he will be able to still use the leg a fair amount. Surgery will put him through a lot more stress and pain than its worth and the vet said the outcome will most likely only improve his movement a slight bit. not worth the money or the stress on Simba. He also said it didn't matter if I brought him in earlier or not, it has made no difference in the outcome and the best bet is to let him heal on his own and make sure he stays off of it as much as humanly possible, might have to get him some pain medication though as the vet agrees he will be in some minor pain and discomfort. my poor little baby

Well, I would consider that good news considering all the possible outcomes.  I am glad it will heal on its own..  Hopefully, the pain meds will be able to manage his pain. 

Thanks for the update.

jenniferlorenb said:

X-rays came back and he has a fracture in his knee. ...  might have to get him some pain medication though as the vet agrees he will be in some minor pain and discomfort. my poor little baby

Click to expand...

Just my 2-cents here: I'm not sure pain meds would be recommended because if he can't feel the pain, he will use the leg and possibly injure it further. As long as he is only mildly in pain, I would think the vet would recommend letting the leg/bone heal without pain meds? If the pain became too intense, maybe the vet could splint the leg.

I know when I rescued my little Miss Izzy, she had a painful dislocated shoulder and the vet and I both agreed that pain meds would cause further injury because instead of naturally protecting the injury, she would return to her normal activity level. In fact, I voiced my concerns about any pain meds for this reason--I'm glad my vet was on the same page. Logically, this just made total sense to me.

The vet said it's hard to know how much pain he is in. But he seems pretty happy in general, and I have had a good think and will most likely take a miss on the pain meds, mainly for the same reason you stated, the vet didn't recommend pain meds but said to think about it if i'm worried about his pain levels at all. I am all about being natural and I don't like the idea of my baby being hooked on pain meds either. I think the initial shock of his fracture made me want to get him pain meds as I was stressed about any pain he might be in, I would never want to hurt him. But he seems fairly content and he purrs madly for me. I am going to treat his pain with tons of love and attention.. and dental kitty treats hehe Thanks for the advice, I completely agree.

jenniferlorenb said:

The vet said it's hard to know how much pain he is in. But he seems pretty happy in general, ... I am all about being natural and I don't like the idea of my baby being hooked on pain meds either. ... I am going to treat his pain with tons of love and attention.. and dental kitty treats hehe Thanks for the advice, I completely agree.

Click to expand...

To be clear: It's not about being natural or him getting hooked on pain meds, it's because he could injure himself further if the pain was blunted by the pain meds. I'm all for controlling their pain if a cast or splint could be used, or other circumstances/illnesses where they are in pain.

Aw, I bet he's going to feel like a pampered little king with your loving care.

I'm glad you agree and that it made sense. I'm sending gentle headbutts by proxy ( ) from my kitties to your little fella.