How to tell if a cat's leg is sprained or broken

If you want to distinguish between a sprained leg and a broken leg in a cat, the best way is to take an X-ray, as it is the most intuitive method. If it's a fracture, it will be directly presented on the X-ray, and you can clearly see the cracks or fracture marks. Sprains, on the other hand, are mostly soft tissue injuries and do not have obvious fracture marks.

After a cat suffers a fracture, it will have obvious limping, and the injured foot will be afraid to touch the ground or apply force. In this case, it's necessary to take the cat to the hospital for an X-ray to observe the condition and severity of the fracture. If it's a simple bone fracture, external fixation can be chosen, such as using splints or casts. With the addition of liquid calcium for the cat, the fracture area will heal on its own. Normally, there should be no major problems.

If the fracture is more severe, with the long bone directly broken, external or internal fixation can be chosen. External fixation involves fixing the bone in its original position if the displacement is not too severe, using splints or casts to wait for the cat to repair itself. If it's internal fixation, surgery is required, using steel plates or bone pins. Surgery is more complicated and expensive, but it is more effective and direct for some complex fractures. Whether it's external or internal fixation, antibiotics and painkillers must be taken while the leg is fixed.

If it's a sprain, if there is no bone damage, you can choose traditional Chinese medicine therapies such as acupuncture. As long as the cat's condition is not severe, it will recover on its own after appropriate anti-inflammatory treatment.