What to Watch For:
The primary symptoms seen are from pain. Cats will try to
hide their pain, so watch for these signs:
- Crying, howling, moaning, or growling, especially if touched
- Not walking, or not using a limb or tail
- Not eating or grooming
- Swelling or bruising at the injured area
Sometimes a broken bone will poke through the skin. This is
called a compound fracture. In addition, there may be other injuries associated
with the traumatic event that broke the bone, such as cuts, bruises, or
disorientation.
Primary Cause:
A fracture is a crack or break in the bone caused by
abnormal stress on the bone, usually from a traumatic event like a fall or
being hit by a car.
Immediate Care:
The first thing to remember is that your cat is in pain,
and animals in pain can bite, no matter how gentle they are normally. The
second thing to remember is that an event severe enough to fracture a bone
could cause shock and other not so obvious problems, some of which may not be
detectable for days. Therefore, any home treatment is just to stabilize the
injury until your cat can be seen by your veterinarian.
Any areas that are bleeding or where bone is sticking out
should be covered with sterile gauze or a clean cloth if possible. The broken
bone(s) should be disturbed as little as possible. Wrap your cat in a thick
towel or put him on a rigid surface to carry him to your veterinarian.
Veterinary Care:
Diagnosis
Your veterinarian will evaluate your cat’s overall health
to assure that more serious problems are under control. Once your cat is
stable, multiple X-rays of the suspected fracture(s) will be taken.
Treatment:
There are many factors that will determine how the
fractures are treated. The most important are overall health, age, the bones
broken, and the type of fracture that has occurred. A splint or cast may be
sufficient for the lower leg, but not always.Often surgery will be needed to
realign the bones and to place screws, pins (metal rods), wire, and/or metal
plates to hold the pieces together.
Some fractures may be so severe as to require amputation,
especially if the tail is involved. Fractures of the spine and pelvis will be
treated by severely restricting activity (cage rest), with or without surgery.
Pain medication will also be part of the treatment plan, and in some cases,
antibiotics.
Other Causes:
Pathologic fractures are caused by anything that can weaken
the bone, such as certain hormonal imbalances, bone infections, and bone
cancer.
Living and Management:
The most important, and hardest, part of home care is
restricting your cat’s activity, especially jumping. Any bandaging material
will need to be kept dry. If it gets wet, especially from urine, or if there is
odor or evidence of chafing, you will need to have the bandages checked and
probably replaced. You also need to keep your cat from chewing on the bandages.
The Elizabethan collar is the most commonly used device, but new collar styles
and bandages that taste bad are also becoming more available.
Bones usually take 4 to 6 weeks to heal. Follow-up X-rays
are normally taken to monitor healing. Fortunately cats seem to heal bones
pretty well. Any metal parts that were surgically implanted to stabilize the
bone will be left in place, unless they start causing problems.
Prevention:
Since most breaks are caused by traumatic events, limiting
access to the outdoors will minimize injuries from automobiles and animal
attacks. Pay attention to where your cat likes to go inside. If he likes
walking along balcony edges or making risky jumps, try to restrict access to
these areas.
