Since cats have an elastic body in addition to excellent senses, they are able to perform majestic jumps from time to time without much difficulty. That being said, even the best gymnast make mistakes on occasions and the same applies to the felines as well. Mess up landings normally leaves bruises on the body of the pets but in severe cases, bone fractures may occur, especially in the digits (toe). While rushing cats straight to the vets work well against other injuries, it's unwise to do that when it comes to cat broken toe.
Wonder what needs to be done if your fluffy friend has a fractured digit? If that is so then the information down below shall certainly prove useful to you.
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Fractures Of The Bones In The Digits of Cats: Breakdown
Overall, there are 4 toes on each foot of a cat and each toe possesses 3 bones. Since the 2 middle toes support most of the cat's weight, fractures in these digits would impair the mobility of the pets while moving around. Though people tend to treat mess up landings as the primary suspect, many other things could also cause bone fractures. Fights/rough plays with other animals, vehicle accidents, stumbles during running,... all may be responsible for the cat broken toe. Sometimes, cats suffer bone fractures because humans step on them.
Usually, fractures in the digits of cats that don't involve the joints carry few, if any, long term consequences. On the other hand, in the case a joint is damaged, issues such as persistent pain, chronic lameness and so on shall inevitably show up.
Symptoms Of Broken Toe And Immediate Treatment At The House
The nature of the felines compels them to hide their weakness which makes it necessary for people to keep an eye out for odd behaviors. Here are a couple of signs you must keep in mind regarding cat broken toe.
- Limping
- Hiding
- Sudden loss of appetite
- Growling, howling, crying and moaning
- Excessive swelling and bruising
Occasionally, a nasty fractured bone might pierce right through the skin of the poor pets. Needless to say, if you ever see bloody bones protruding out of your furball, you have to act at once. However, to increase the chance of recovery of cats with broken toes, cat parents need to refrain from acting rashly. Sure, it's still necessary to bring the injured cats to the vets but people must perform certain procedures beforehand. You simply need basic medical knowledge in addition to first aid supplies in most cases.
Note: Cats change completely while in pain so regardless of how gentle your fluffy friend normally is, put on gloves. Generally speaking, pet owners could not do much for their cats if they keep getting injured by the terrified felines.
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Step 1
Contact the local veterinary clinic and let them know that you are heading their way with an injured cat. Take the opportunity to provide some details about the condition of your cat as well.
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Step 2
Proceed to splint the broken toe of the pet. Obviously, you have to be as gentle as possible in order to avoid making further aggravation to the bone fractures. In case you detect protruding bones in your cat broken toe then thoroughly cover the area using sterile gauzes. After that, cautiously begin rolling gauzes all over the paw in a figure 8 pattern that extends halfway up the leg. Use several layers to keep things tight but not to the point that it prevents blood circulation to the limb.
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Step 3
Wrap your cat in a towel, put it into the carrier and head to the vets but again, try to keep the rocking motion to a minimal.
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What Happen At The Veterinary Clinics And Available Treatment Options
The vets would conduct a series of diagnostic tests to determine the presence of fractures, the severity and the location. In most cases, multiple X-rays of the suspected fractures shall be taken just to get a complete picture of the current situation. Depending on the age, type of fracture, the number of broken bones and so on, the vets put together a suitable treatment for the pet. Usually, there are several options for cats with broken toes.
- Cast: To immobilize the foot with bone fractures
- Pain Medications: To relieve the pain during treatment
- Antibiotics: To prevent infection
Home Care And Necessary Prevention
Overall, there are no specific home care instructions when it comes to cat broken toe. All you need to do is to restrict the movement of your furball to let the bone fractures properly heal. Normally, you have to change the splint every 2 weeks but if it becomes wet, soiled or sores show up, the time tends to shorten. If your cat rubs its toe too much, it's a good idea to give it an Elizabeth collar: a funnel-shaped device that keeps the feline from impeding its recovery. Once several weeks pass, check back with the vets to assess the healing of the fractures.
In terms of prevention, well, cats like to do whatever they want so cat parents could only apply some precautions and hope for the best.
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Always Keep The Pets Inside
The outdoors contain a variety of threats from predators to traffic which make it necessary to keep your furball inside. Cats have a reputation for being sneaky creatures so if people leave an opening, they would take advantage of that. Unfortunately, the curiosity of the pets in this case tends to bring them more harm than good as the outside contains a variety of dangers. That is why it's widely advised that you do whatever it takes to keep your fluffy friend stay indoors. You can either set up some scratching posts, cat trees or provide your furball with a comfy bed and satisfying toys. Put on the cat a collar with a bell so that you always know where he/she is.
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Check Out the Immediate Surrounding
Cats like to lie down wherever they feel comfortable and sometimes, we inadvertently sit, step,... right on top of them. Most of the time, the pets just got startled before running away but in unfortunate cases, they may end up with some broken bones. Hence, if you own a carefree cat, it's strongly recommended that you keep an eye out for your pet.
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Restrict Access To Tall Places
The sight of your cat sunbathing on the balcony indeed seems lovely but it's widely advised that you don't allow it to continue. For the safety of your cat, you have to stop it from reaching places that might result in painful falls.
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