Cat Question:

[Danustouch]

My cats are driving me crazy this week!

Now, I think our youngest male either has a sprained, or broken paw. He won't put any pressure on it, he's just hopping around the house with one of his front paws up in the air. We've run our hands over it, and he doesn't cry, or jerk it away, and we can't feel any bones moving around, but when we put just the slightest amount of pressure on it, to see if it could bend, he freaked out. Do any of you know about injuries? Does this sound like more of a sprain, or a break to you? He's still eating fine, and I guess we're going to take him to the animal hospital tonight, or tomorrow, to have it checked, but in the mean time, should we wrap it?

[Valoe]

It could be either - I once had a young cat that broke his front leg and still seemed perfectly happy. I wouldn't try to wrap it - he is more likely to injure himself further trying to get out of the wrapping; what you could do though is try to confine him to a smaller space ( a pen if you have one) until he has seen the vet. It could even be an infection or abcess - impossible to tell.

Good luck!

[Illuminatus]

It could just as easily be the shoulder knocked out of joint. Did you check that out? Injuries can be far from the symptoms. Once I had a limp in my left leg and it turned out to be an injury in my back.

[Sequoia]

A cat I had once had a broken hip and internal bleeding, but if I hadn't held him him in my lap and he moved the wrong way and bit me, I would never have even noticed that anything was wrong, and that was a fatal injury.

Get your little buddy to the vet. He's most likely not REALLY badly hurt or anything, but like 'lumie said, the symptoms aren't always close to the problem.

[flar7]

prairie dog bite? Any tiny teeth holes?
Probably a sprain or arthritus...how old kitty?
also you can crack the bone without breaking it...hurts as much as break.

[Danustouch]

Nope..no bite wounds. This particular cat hasn't gone anywhere near the prairie dog cage anyway. He's kind of a passifist in that respect :) Anyway..he's about 1 1/2 years...

I called around to area veterinarians. 25 for the exam, 40 for an exray, and anywhere up to 200 dollars for a cast, if it needs one. Hubby is kinda flipping out.

[Flar's Freyja]

Does he go outside? Did you break a glass in the house recently? One of my dogs started hopping around like that once and he had something sharp stuck in his paw, way down in between those little pads/toes or whatever you call them. Or sometimes they just sprain them and they're fine in a few days. If he's not, you may have to take him to the vet. Hope it doesn't come to that!