Cat with injured/possibly broken leg outside, what should I do?

[lokimonster]

There's a cat outside of my apartment that I've seen off and on for about 4 months, and he has an injured front leg. I can't tell if the leg is either injured, broken, or broken in the past and healed strangely. He hangs out around the unit across from me (in fact about 20 minutes ago I saw him spay the wall by their door and scratch at their window) but he comes and goes a lot so I'm really not sure if he belongs to someone there. I haven't gotten close enough to see if he's friendly and will let me pet him. Today I noticed him while I was checking the mail and got a good look at his leg and saw that he wasn't even putting any weight on it, and I started to get worried if he was in pain and a stray.

The problem is, I have no idea what to do, or who to call. I have 2 indoor cats, and I'm not willing to bring an injured cat into my tiny apartment with them. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to call the animal shelter, humane society or the local vet clinic. I'm also not sure if he belongs to someone at that unit across from me, and I'm afraid to call someone to pick up him up if he does belong to them. Does anyone have any advice or experience with something like this?

(On a positive note, there's also another cat who hangs out outside my apartment that has kittens that look about 3-4 months old. She's gray with white paws and has two black kittens, and two kittens that look exactly like her. They're so cute and fun to watch!)

 

[jmljml19]

I'd try seeing if he's friendly and if he is, take him to the vet. If not, I'd call a shelter or rescue to see if they could come trap him and help him. If he is owned by someone in your unit, they're obviously not doing anything to help him and probably should be taken away from the situation for his own good since he's not being taken care of properly.

 

[Norachan]

I think this cat needs your help. If he does have owners they are being very irresponsible by not taking him to the vet, but from your description he sounds more like a feral cat. You said that you've seen him spray, which suggests he hasn't been neutered. (Un-neutered male cats make very smelly pets.) Maybe he's the father of the kittens you've seen.

Is there a shelter or animal rescue group in your are that does TNR? They could lend you a trap or come and help you trap him and get him to a vet. It would be a good idea to try and trap the mother and kittens too. Little kittens don't last long outside and the mother will have a tough time trying to feed them and herself. If you could get them all trapped, neutered or spayed and then find homes for the more sociable ones and release the rest you'd be doing them all a big favour.

Let us know if you need any more help.

 

[lokimonster]

Thanks for the replies. If I manage to get him to the vet, will they want me to pay for his treatment if he needs it? Or is it something where I can drop him off and they handle his care from there?

I was at work all day and didn't see him today, but he comes and goes. The momma and kittens actually look pretty healthy, I'm starting to think that someone around here feeds them and maybe the male cat too.

 

[lokimonster]

So I had a chance to go up to him today, and he is pretty friendly. The apartment he hangs out by is leaving food out for him and the momma cat, which is good. I got a close look at his leg, and I'm pretty confident that it was broken in the past and healed out of place. There is an obvious protrusion under his skin by his wrist-area, which might be it.  He didn't act like he was in pain, in fact he acted like a normal cat. He even flopped over on his side and showed me his belly and let me pet him. He's definitely a stray, and either he is related to the momma cat or like you guys said, he is the dad. Should I still seek treatment for him if he isn't in any obvious pain? Or would the trauma of putting him through the vet to get his leg fixed be worse?

 

[Norachan]

Hi lokimonster,

Could you talk to the people who are feeding him first of all to find out what the situation is? They might know what happened to his leg and if he has ever seen a vet.

If he is tame enough to pet I think it should be pretty easy to get him to a vet. Once you have got him into a cat carrier or wire trap cover it with a blanket for the car ride, he'll feel much safer that way. He should definitely be seen by a vet, there may be something they can do for his leg and he should be neutered.

Un-neutered male cats stand a very high chance of being seriously injured or even killed in cat fights, plus there is a higher risk of them getting feline AIDS or leukemia because of the fights they get into.

Some vets give a discount for feral cats, others work with TNR groups to treat the stray and feral population. You could try Googling groups in your area and see what they do. If you turn him over to a shelter they'll treat his leg and neuter him, but they probably won't put him back out on the street. Also make sure that any shelters you contact are no-kill shelters. An injured, older cat whose been out on the streets for a while is unlikely to be adopted and could be euthanised.