Homeless cat with broken leg...

[Spitball]

I've been feeding a family of homeless cats for a couple of years now. The mama and two adult children have been fixed and are fairly tame. A gnarled old male we call Socks showed up about a year ago and started joining the family for meals. He has obviously been through numerous fights and has only one eye, no ears, and a lame back leg. He has only recently let me pet him. Yesterday, he showed up for breakfast with an obviously broken front leg. It flops around about an inch above the paw.

I don't know what to do for him. I know he is obviously a survivor, but I think he needs help this time. He is resting on a cat bed in our shed and I brought him food and water. I know he won't let me pick him up and put him in a cage. I think we'd both end up getting hurt. I realize it's a long shot, but this has always been the best place to turn for advice. Does anyone have any ideas?

[dougdirt]

Any thoughts of putting the food into the cage and seeing if he'll go in there for it? Then you can just shut the door and take him to the vet?

[Spitball]

Thanks for the suggestion, Doug. I'll try that and let you know how it works. I did try it unsuccessfully several months back when I was trying to get him in for neutering. He trusts me a whole lot more at this point so maybe I'll have some luck.

[Red Heeler]

Thanks for the suggestion, Doug. I'll try that and let you know how it works. I did try it unsuccessfully several months back when I was trying to get him in for neutering. He trusts me a whole lot more at this point so maybe I'll have some luck.

I am a veterinarian. Cats typically heal broken bones amazingly well. If you can get him in a cage, leave him in there for about 4 weeks. That is usually all it takes to get them healed up.


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[Spitball]

I was hoping you'd chime in, Red Heeler. I'll try that if I can get him into the cage. Thanks!

[Chip R]

I was hoping you'd chime in, Red Heeler. I'll try that if I can get him into the cage. Thanks!

Maybe try some catnip to lure him in there.

[cumberlandreds]

I am a veterinarian. Cats typically heal broken bones amazingly well. If you can get him in a cage, leave him in there for about 4 weeks. That is usually all it takes to get them healed up.


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We had a cat one time that had a broken leg and it was amazing how fast it healed. We just had to keep him in for about two weeks or so. Which was hard to do since this cat wanted to be outside most of the time. I think the vet had us to crumble up some calcium pills in his food also that may have helped with the healing.

[Spitball]

This cat has made amazing strides towards recovery. On Friday morning, his broken leg was dangling and seemed almost disconnected from the rest of his leg. After four days of resting on our porch and our shed, he seems so much better. He doesn't put weight on it yet, but the leg seems to have stabilized and is no longer dangling. I'm confident he is going to heal if he can avoid dangerous situations. He has one eye, no ears, a lame back leg, and a broken front leg. It's time he settled down. I will definitely try the crumbled up calcium pills in his food.

Thanks, everyone! This is the best place to get helpful advice.

[Spitball]

We just returned from a two week trip to Mackinac Island and found Socks walking around gingerly but no longer limping. Red Heeler said that feral cats are tough, and he is correct. Socks has survived the loss of an eye, cartilage damage to both ears, a lame back leg, and a broken front leg. When he first showed up, he was a beautiful cat with a perpetual worried look on his face. After two years of keeping his distance, I can't believe it, but Socks has recently become very trusting and affectionate. I briefly lifted him tonight as I prepare to gain his trust. I hope to get him into the vet to look at his various injuries, shots, and neutering. I consider myself a dog person, but these stray cats have evolved me into somewhat of a cat person.

There are many reasons for stray and feral cats. We live in a college own with three colleges, and apparently, many of these stray cats we see are the result of students getting kittens and abandoning them when they move home or to another rental. They call them campus cats, and there are too many in this town. We need to do a better job of educating everyone on the importance of getting cats spayed and neutered. I'm retired and hope to do my part to educate people in this community. We actually have a clinic about ten miles from town that will do vaccines, spaying, and neutering for under $20, so there is little reason not to be a responsible pet owner.