Injured 12 year old maine coon cat

[Sibby]

Hi everyone,

I'm pretty grateful there's a forum out there that can help with our pets. Certainly now.

Approximately 2-3 weeks ago my mother stepped on our 12 year old cat in the dark. She growled and hissed but my mom didn't think she hurt her too bad, until we started to see her limp not too long after that.
So we take her to the vets and he says that she has a sprain and obviously favouring her left hind leg, but no x-rays were needed.

He gave her morphine for the pain, which didn't seem to work. We also had her urine tested because we saw she was peeing a bit for, but not a chronic thing though. Just thought it was the heat.

The test showed she had a bit of blood in the urine and that it was concentrated. She was put on antibiotics. After the pills are done we'll have to do another urine test to see if it was an infection or something more serious.

In the last 4 days we've seen her limp more. We know she's in pain, but she'll let us touch the leg without nipping or hissing. But we've also noticed her leg become more lame. I can touch her injured leg and move it like a rag doll. When she walks she sometimes curls her paw inward, trips a little, and may even bend her paw back.

Today I caught her upstairs, which surprised me. She was also hiding and sleeping more today. probably reinjured herself again.

We're just concerned it may be more than just a bad sprain. What are our options now? What should we look out for with an injury like this?


Thank you all the help anyone can give us. More than appreciated.

[14+kitties]

Get her back to the vet and demand xrays! At 12 her bones will be starting to turn pretty brittle.

[Sibby]

I figured as much. Is it possible for her to have a fracture in her foot? Wouldn't she meow or make any sound if we touch her foot?

You are are right, we'll demand x-rays. Thank you for the advice.

[ownedbycats]

Sibby, cats are very good at not letting you know they are in pain. They hide it as long as they can. It keeps them from looking weak and like prey in the wild, but can be a pain for owners because this trait makes catching problems early much more difficult.

[Sibby]

We're taking her to get x-rays tomorrow morning. If she can't get into her litter box then her injuries are far worse than the doctor assumed.

Thank you for all the advice.

[Sibby]

Well her leg and hip are healthy. Her spine is not. She has arthritis right at the beginning of her tail and at the end of her spine. There is deterioration and nerve damage, which is causing her to drag and bend her foot..

In addition to that, she has kidney insufficiency. But we caught it early. And her kidney enzymes are just above normal.

Makes you sick to your stomach when you see her limp.

Well the doctor put her on Cosequin and she'll have to go on Royal Canin reduced protein for her kidneys.

Is there anything else we can do to help our little fur ball out? What else is there to do?