My Cat Is Limping...how Serious?

THIS MORNING, my indoor cat i love was limping, front leg/paw. She has a habit of jumping up counters in the middle of the night, however yesterday afternoon, we had a kids in the house and one kid said another kid was playing rough with her. My cat was not limping last night.

This morning she is limping and startiing to hide in corners.

SHe can walk but barely can touch the floor with her leg. We checked her paw, no tacks or anything. It could be her elbow area or possibly her should blade area too.


I can not afford a vet visit so im going to have to wait it out.

any advice,experience?

My sister's kitten (and Izzie's brother) had fallen off the top of a chair and limped on his front leg too. He had a spiral fracture and needed surgery. I would definitely think you should take your cat to the vet because it sounds like she's in pain and needs medical treatment.

that is not an option at this moment. if swelling starts to appear or another sign of a more serious condtion, then it will become something that is done immediately.

I would take the kitty to the vet too. You never know. While the kids were playing rough they may have hurt her and if she jumped off a shelf during the night it could have made it worse so she is limping today. Poor things. I panic when kids come to the house.. GRRRR Kids can be so mean.

I realize paying for vet care may not be an option, but I think you should contact a vet. If the leg is fractured, it's better to fix it before it breaks completely or causes permanent damage. I know my sister didn't have the money at the time to go to the vet, but I allowed her to borrow money from me. Maybe the vet can put you on a payment plan?

vets have gone the way of doctors ethics, first question is where is your insurance card or payment in full. 24-48 hours,if there is no improvement, i will bring her to the vet. i am going to have to go the route of rest and relaxtion for now.

for the time being,she is sound asleep as normal. her happy demeanor is still her prevailing atttitude right now.

when i place my finger in the palm of her paw,she can sqeeze and put on a nice strong grip. does that narrow down where the injury is at all?

Our cat started limping out of the blue once. We could manipulate her limb and everything with no apparent pain from her, but she continued to limp. Finally, we took her to the vet, and the vet found a burn on the inside of her paw, up hidden where the pad joins the foot. We were flabbergasted. We still don't know how she got burnt there. She was an indoor cat and if she did something like step on the hot stove (which she never went near) she'd have burned the bottoms of her pad, not the top.

On the other hand, we had a dog that started limping badly one day. We made an appointment for the vet the next day, and the next day she was walking absolutely normally. Turned out to have been a minor muscle strain, and she was just a baby.

Either way, good luck!

thanks everyone.

a night does not go by,we dont hear a thum-thum,my cat jumping down from the counter. about a 3 foot fall. that appears the most likely senerio.

i just rubbed her, from top of shoulder blade to paw and back. she seemed sensitive but did not pull away at all.

update

my cat's leg appears to be getting stronger

I'm glad to hear your cat seems to be getting better. Perhaps it was only a sprain. And I do hope your cat continues to improve.

I hope your cats leg continues to improve too!

I am glad to hear your kitty is doing well!

It would not hurt (no pun intended - did not mean to use THAT phrase ) to bring her the vet as soon as you can afford it just to make sure there are no lasting effects that will hinder your kitty in the future.

And I can't pass this up so pls indulge me;
" vets have gone the way of doctors ethics"

I am a doctor and I would never turn ANYONE away. I practice in Canada mind you and specialize in pediatric oncology - hematology (I see some AIDS patients as well) so that means GP's or other specialists refer very ill children to me. And except for their own accomodation, other incidentals and some prescriptions, most Candians - depending on what province they reside in - are covered for their health care. I recently had a young patient whose family and neighbours raised money so her parents could build ramps for a wheelchair she needs to use but they had no other bills. In our province, if I contact the Minister of Health, he can use what is known as "Ministerial discretion" to ensure all the prescriptions are paid for if thge family does not have supplemental insurance. And many provinces pay for scripts until a child is 16, 19 or 21 - depends on the province and then they likely have other coverage for their scripts and other health needs, say O2 at home for example.

I have heard horror studies of the US though so I think I know what you mean. That said, many of my colleagues in the US hate HMO's because they say they end up with someone working for an insurance company determing what diagnostic procedures and even tests they feel their patient needs. That would frustrate me to no end!! So before you blame the docs - and yep, admittedly no profession ios perfect - I would look to the insurance industry. (I am not too happy with pharmacutical companies either but that's another matter - there is a great book out by Marcia Angell, former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine about how some drugs have been devleoped purely for profit and not any ethical consideration.)

I also am fortunate to have a great vet. Have you considered pet insurance? You might want to read both sides of that issue before you spend money on it tho - many things like vaccinations are not covered.

First off, I'm glad to hear your kitty is showing signs of improvement. Yesterday evening my cat had a limp and it worried the heck out of me. She gets it from time to time due to osteoarthritis. I fear there will come a point where she won't recover as fast as she currently does. So, yea, it's difficult being in a position where your only option is diligent observance.

Secondly, I completely understand not having the money for vet care. For me it is a struggle, sometimes life and death, to figure out just when it is imperative to get vet care. I live off disability funds and just getting by is hard enough. Vet costs are ridiculously expensive (my vet charges $35 for each and every visit not counting the cost of whatever help I need for my babies). I have had several vets and none of them have been willing to set up payment plans. I also called around to every vet clinic within a 50 mile radius; same scenario. For those who have vets that are willing to work out payments, you are very lucky.

With this being said, I sold off 3/4 of my belongings once to get Sammy an emergency abdominal surgery. I went without your basic material objects for a good long while (tv, stereo, etc) but in return I have gained 7 amazing wonderful years (and counting) with Sammy. As I look around my home now I would be more than willing to sell everything again if it extends the lives of my kitties. We each do what we feel we can do in times like this. I'm in no place to judge others who say they cannot afford it (although I would recommend those to seriously consider all financial options).

Just thought I'd toss in my two cents


I wish you the best outcome for your kitty.

- cOOkie -

Can cats tear their ACL's by any chance? I know dogs do it a lot, but I haven't read anything about cats tearing their ACL. My dog tore his last week, and I'm learning quite a lot now (I always learn so much when he gets hurt, lol)

Forgot to add that I hope your kitty is okay and that it's nothing serious. ACL surgery can be pricey (originally the cost of Jake's ACL surgery was $1,200 if we stayed here in this city, $3,200 if we went to Calgary, but we're having my uncle do it so it's only $500 now).

thanks everyone,every word of every post helped.

3 weeks later, cat's leg is 100%. this cat is accident prone

Originally Posted by empirefalls

3 weeks later, cat's leg is 100%. this cat is accident prone

Click to expand...

wonderful news

I'm glad to hear your cat is better. I thought the incident only happened last weekend not 3 weeks ago.