Foster kitten with broken pelvis: Bladder expression, pain, & healing?

Question

I am about to take on a foster kitten with a broken pelvis. His bladder needs expression and I'm wondering if it will hurt him when I do it? Also what are the chances he will be able to go on his own again ever? And how long on cage rest does a typical pelvic fracture take to heal? Hes only about 5 weeks old. Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | unneutered | 1lb

Daniel Fonza, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Manual bladder expression typically does not hurt if done properly. If you search on youtube, there are some useful videos that veterinary clinics publish on how to manually express bladders. As long as there was no irreversible damage done to the nerves of the bladder, he will likely be able to urinate on his own again in the future once everything heals. At 5 weeks old, he is young so healing will be fast. I usually say about 4-6 weeks for healing time for a bone fracture in a young animal. Pelvic fractures that are unstable in a young animal may take longer. You have to remember that there is nothing stabilizing the fractures so any motion of the fractured bones will delay healing. Healing may take longer but that is a rough estimate. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Foster kitten with broken pelvis: Bladder expression, pain, & healing?

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