Garfield with a broken leg !!

by Ana
(Male , Maldives)

Our cat Garfield has a broken leg,and we don't really know the reason why..But i'm assuming that someone kicked it real hard..Garfield is an indoor cat but recently (about 2 weeks ago) he was found outside the house in a crowd of people gathered for political reasons..And the day after this happened I noticed him limping and observed him..A large area near the pelvis in the left side was swollen..I applied a pain relief cream for sprains & muscular / joint pain , hoping he would get better..and he did get better..the swollen part was no longer there...but that wasn't the problem..he wasn't really limping ,he was not placing his left leg on the ground..he wasn't using the leg at all and the leg was hanging loose..i observed further and found his left femur (thigh bone) broken..and since there are no veterinarians or medical help provided to animals here in Maldives , I really need your help to handle this situation..Is there anyway i could treat him at home?..i will be very grateful to you if you lend
me some tips / advice on this..Please please help...

RESPONSE:

I feel terrible for you and Garfield. But, I am not a veterinarian and do not have knowledge of how to fix his broken leg. I am only able to suggest things such as you have already done, like treating his swelling.

If you believe the break is a clean break, or you can make sure the bones meet, then you can place a splint on him and bind it with material to keep it in place until it heals. However, some bone breaks need fracture wires to be implanted to assist with healing and that's something you can't do at home. Broken bones take around 6 weeks to heal but with the serious breaks with wires it can take several months or more. Typically a cast is placed on the leg.

I'm sorry that I can't help you. This is simply beyond my knowledge and again, I am not a veterinarian. If there was a way I could help you, believe me I would. I love cats and hate to know that Garfield is suffering.

If it were me, I'd be taking him to a regular human hospital and begging someone in their emergency room to help. Hopefully, someone there would take pity on him and assist. Try it. At this point there is nothing to lose by trying and pleading on his behalf.

UPDATE: July 11 copied from Cat Stories Submission page

Hello Carolynne..I did follow your advice and Garfield is finally healing..He lets me massage his leg and he is gaining his lost weight too..thanks a lot for your help..i did try going to the hospital but no one agreed to help..so i just took all the help i could get (my boyfriend was a great support) and we coped with it on our own...Garfield had been plastered with two strong pieces of flat sticks on either sides of the leg..and he is getting well now..the broken bone is finally healing and he walks just fine now..Thank you for your help..

RESPONSE:

Hi Ana,

I'm thrilled that Garfield is healing. I admit that I've thought about you both numerous times and I commend you and your boyfriend for patiently making the attempts to help him. He's a lucky cat to be loved so much.

Your message to me about Garfield made me realize how lucky we are in the U.S.A. to have veterinarians available all over the country and how difficult it must be to be in an area without them. Wishing you all much happiness...