Question about Broken Paw

Last night my kitty friend got into a fight with a dog. When he came back inside he was a bit annoyed but seemed fine.

This morning his front leg has swollen up and he is hopping around on three legs. He doesn't mind me touching it too much (just pulls away but doesn't vocalize or scratch) and I couldn't see anything in his paw or any cuts.

I suspect that he has a broken paw and I was wondering what the process is for a cat with this type of injury? Do they get casts? Will he have medication? Will he need x-rays? Is it safe to x-ray a cat?

I am taking him to the vet in about an hour (earlist possible appointment I could get).... Any idea as to how much all this might cost?

X-rays here run $45.00 it could be broken, crushed, sprained, or is it possible the dog got a tooth in him somewhere and he is fighting an infection?

If at all possible try and keep the cat inside from now on. If he has tangled with a local dog, they will tangle again and he might not come out of it this time.

Good luck, please let us know what the vet finds?

We recently moved and so this is the first time the kitty ever met a dog He just showed up one day, and decided we were his humans. I think it would be very difficult to keep him inside all the time due to his previous feral nature. The first two weeks that I kept him inside after we moved he spent the whole time (and I mean the WHOLE time) scratching at the door.

Any tips for making him like the indoors? We have a gas fire that he loves, but even with that going he would prefer to go out into the rain.

ahh he is feral then? Sorry, I didn't know that. You can acclimate him to the inside, but it has to be done in degrees. I know how hinkey they can get when they are contained. When I have a new feral here, I open the back door, and keep it open and let him make up his mind if he wants to come in or not. Once he is inside, I do not shut the door (even though we have a cat door there). They feel more at ease if they know they can flee at a moment's notice, and they just gradually start coming in for longer periods of time. When they are inside, I ignore them and if they flee, I don't pursue them. Pretty soon they waltz through the cat door like they own the place.

Some people advocate crating them for a week. But I think that breaks their spirit, and I won't do that unless the cat is really ill and needs vet intervention. I prefer bonding with them on their terms not mine.

I agree with hissy. He will need to stay in for a few days after the vet visit so he can heal and you can give him his meds. I'm guessing you're in New Zealand or the Eastern States of Australia?

It turned out quite well. Kitty had a chip of toothi embedded in his foot pad and that was causing the swelling. It has been removed and I have some anti-biotics and a salt bath to give him for a week or so (and no more outside with the dog).

Its quite amusing trying to give a cat a bath.

He won't like being inside very much, so that will be a challenge. Although we have had him for about a year he was originally a stray, so being inside all the time is a bit stressful for him. I think he gets bored with the same surrondings, so are there any tips for changing things around a bit?