Kitten with stiff leg, but no sensation in that leg

Question
QUESTION: Hi Jana,

There is a cat near my office building that gave birth to a kitten a few weeks back. Till a couple of days back, the kitten was walking just fine. Day before yesterday, I noticed it was limping. I went closer and saw its back left leg was totally stiff, (poker straight!) and it couldn't move it. It also had a rough, slightly bloody, round wound on the thigh of that stiff leg.

I rescued the kitten, brought it home last night and took it straight to the vet this morning. He says the kitten got hurt and its nerve has gotten hurt in the process; its not a fracture. The kitten has no sensation or any feeling of any kind in that leg. He's given the kitten some shots to relax the muscles (along with the Vaccine shots) and has cleaned up the wound too. He says to come back again in 2 days.

Can you please give me some advice if you've seen such a thing before? I'll be seeing the vet again, and I've read your "Please Read before Submit" part. Just looking for something to help my kitten.

Thanks,
Abhaya

ANSWER: It's really hard to say whether or not this cat will regain the use of his leg Abhaya. Nerve damage is not normally reversible but since he is very young, he just might recover fully from this.

It sounds like the kitten got bit by another cat, which would explain the wound and nerve damage.

It's kind of a wait and see thing with a young kitten. If he doesn't regain the use of his leg within a reasonable time, then you can have it amputated and he will do just fine like that.

The problem is that he might drag it behind him and then he will really damage it since he won't feel anything in it.

I had a three legged cat like that for 16 yrs and she did just fine!

Bless you for rescuing the little guy or girl. I hope that she/he does well and starts to use it again.

Please let me know how he/she does.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Jana,

Thank you SO much for your prompt reply!

I was heart broken when I heard that its a nervous system issue. I took her (yup, its a girl) to another vet. After an X-Ray, the Vet says she's had a 'Mal-Union of a Fracture'. He says that the kitten must have gotten hit when she as very tiny and since the leg hurt, she kept it straight stayed put. It healed completely, but it healed wrong. Since the fracture was not 'set' prior to healing, the leg below the bone has fused with the knee cap and it cannot bend the leg. She does have sensation in that leg and it does not pain.

He says we can break the bone and re-mend it-she will still not gain complete flexibility of her leg but at least she won't have to drag it. Or we can leave it as is. The problem with the first option is that she's still too tiny, about 3 months old and still weak. So its dangerous to anaesthetize her. But then, the older she gets, the more effort it will take to break and mend the bones.

What are your thoughts? Should we leave it, or should we go with surgery?

On the whole, she's doing much better. She's gotten her shots, and some vitamins. She eats her food, plays with the other cats, her fever's gone, and she even grooms herself. She's a doll!

Again, Thanks Jana!!

Abhaya

Answer
Hi Abhaya,
To be honest with you I would have it amputated when she is old enough to be spayed. Why put her through all of that misery when she really won't use it anyway? A three legged cat does just fine. I had one for 16 yrs and she even caught a rabbit once!

That is just my opinion however. I wouldn't do it now- she is too tiny. I would wait. It's really dangerous at this age to put them under. Wait until she is 6 months old then do it. She can be spayed at the same time or before that but I would still wait.