My cat fell and can't move his leg. Is it dislocated or fractured?

Question

My 1 year old cat has possibly fallen off the fridge during the night. We woke up and he was unable to move his right back leg and when we tried to see what was wrong he whined and bit us. He's still very active and he has been given pain medication. We tried massaging the area but it hasn't gotten any better. He puts a bit of weight on it but not much. It seems to be dislocated because of the position in which he holds his leg. I cannot afford a vet bill at this time and I am worried. Help. Pet's info: Cat | Ragdoll | Male | neutered | 10 months and 23 days old | 8 lbs

Anna M., DVM · Accepted Answer

Yikes. I'm concerned from your description that his leg could be dislocated or fractured. I would highly, highly recommend a vet visit so you know what's wrong, can formulate the best plan to treat him, and perhaps most importantly get him started on pain meds! In the meantime, keep him confined so he's using that leg as little as possible. Put him in a room with nothing to jump on, with his litterbox, food, and water all there, and a bed or soft blanket on the floor. If that's not possible, a large dog kennel can also work for confinement, if you can fit his food/water/litterbox and a blanket inside. A dislocation will not fix itself without vet attention, and some types of fractures require surgery to improve. However, soft tissue injuries (such as sprains), and even some fractures can heal with rest and time. Cats can be amazing healers. Do *not* give him anything for pain. There are no human medications that are safe or effective for him, and anything you give him could be dangerous, and could get in the way of more effective medications your vet might prescribe. Additionally, don't try to wrap or splint the leg, as you may do more harm than good. I would also discourage you from trying to massage it, since that will only cause further pain for him if he does have a traumatic injury. Hope that helps.

My cat fell and can't move his leg. Is it dislocated or fractured?

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