Cat: Possible Broken Metatarsal[s], Vomiting, Other

17 years ago

My cat Rory [five year old longhair orange tabby male; large cat 20 lbs.; strictly indoor; no new changes around the house; on special urinary diet] recently began to limp.

I checked it out and didn't feel any abnormalities in the leg other than some swelling and we thought it to be a sprain so I used cold compresses and extra TLC but now he's worse.

My mom tried using small doses [according to his weight] of homeopathic remedies for calming him and addressing the pain and inflammation [arnica montana and children's "rescue remedy"] but he had stopped eating and consequently his stomach became upset and he began to vomit bile [generally clear in color only slight yellow tinge]. We stopped giving him the meds but the vomiting has not only continued but has become more frequent.

We've started pushing water and canned food/water mixture by syringe [as in squirting into the mouth, of course], with hopes of preventing dehydration. He generally is taking it down well but within the hour he'll end up vomiting most of it up.

Checking the leg again, there is a bump on the metatarsals and it's very sensitive to even slight pressure but only in that isolated area [toes, femur, etc. are fine to the touch]. Additionally, Rory will no longer place any weight on that leg.

Is this most likely a fracture? What is causing the vomiting? Insides of the ears and gums are ashen- is this a sign of shock? What can be done, excluding veterinary care, to help?

Note that I fully understand that I should be taking him to the vet; however, two years ago we spent $3500 on him and unfortunately spending what I'm sure he would require is not in the cards for us, especially as we've already spent what we have on him [not to mention his special veterinary diet which costs a fortune in itself]. With that said, any constructive advice would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks,

Kelly

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Comments (7)

Elly_NJ
17 years ago
I'm sorry, but is this a joke? Your cat is sick and need to go to the vet because he is most likely in great pain. That is the best advice you will get.

The ashen gums suggest he is in shock.

If you cannot take care of him properly, you shuld see to it that he is humanely euthanized, because what is in the cards for him is pain and misery.
cynthia_gw
17 years ago
My advice would be to put yourself in the same position as you've put the cat. Would your parents refuse medical treatment for you because they spent money on you two year's ago?

(I hope this is a joke too Elly, but sadly this sort of irrational thinking does happen too often.)
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sephia
17 years ago
"What can be done, excluding veterinary care, to help?"

You're kidding, right? The things you are describing indicate your cat needs to be seen by a vet ASAP!!

I don't get why people have pets and don't want to give them the best care. If you can't afford a vet, you can't afford to own a pet. Either give him to someone who will provide the proper care he deserves or do what elly suggests - humanely have him euthanized because it sounds like the quality of life for this poor cat will be a lifetime of suffering.
mazer415
17 years ago
Intentions are great but homeopathic remedies can kill people if not used properly, they SHOULD only be used on pets with a veterinarian or a trained homeopathic vet. What did your mom think she was going to accomplish in giving an animal arnica - which can cause bleeding??? How was this suppose to fix the cats leg??? Please, please, please stop trying to treat an animal by yourself and contact a vet, if you can not afford a vet, take your cat to the shelter - for gods sake stop the suffering!!! Im sure if you had a broken leg or were otherwise ill, and your mom treated you with homeopathic remedies to calm you and gave you arnica - which is used mainly for getting rid of bruising - you would still be in agony.
Meghane
17 years ago
Your cat is in incredible pain to not use a limb at all.
His color is ashen, indicating anemia.
He is a fat cat that isn't eating as much as he should, probably in hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver) which will kill him of not treated.
He is vomiting for unknown reasons (possibly hepatic lipidosis).

If you can't have him treated, at least have the decency to put him to sleep now rather that suffer a long horrible death. That is the most constructive advice you will get.
mazer415
17 years ago
Amen Meghane - the voice of reason
michelle_phxaz
17 years ago
Sometimes people amaze me. You took on the responsibility of a pet but put a price on its head. It is never IF a pet gets sick, it is WHEN, and everyone should have money set aside for that time. Everyone deserves the love of a pet, but if you can't afford to have one in your home, there are many alternatives.

Meghane gave the most constructive advice; have the decency to turn him over to a vet, hopefully someone deserving of this kitty will assume the responsibility, otherwise he needs to be euthanized. Sorry, but this post really pisses me off.