Cat will not use healed broken leg

I have a 10 month old kitten who broke her femur 2 months ago. My kitty had surgery to have it pinned, and the x-rays show it has healed up well. We have been doing stretching therapy on my cat’s leg for a week or so.

However, my cat still will not use the leg at all in walking. She pulls it up from the hip and just dangles it wildly when she walks. Is there anything else we can do to encourage my kitten to touch the foot to the floor and start using it again?


After reading your description of your cat’s symptoms and seeing your cats picture, something just doesn’t seem right to me. I have never seen a broken leg heal properly and have a cat refuse to use it.

Did your veterinarian x-ray your kitten’s hip as well? There is a possibility that your cat’s hip is out of place, or that she has suffered muscle or nerve damage, creating the refusal to touch her foot to the ground.

Of course, just because I have never seen this happen before, it certainly doesn’t mean that it isn’t possible. That said, however, I would strongly recommend contacting a local veterinary college or finding a veterinary referral or specialist center to arrange an appointment with a board certified orthopedic veterinarian for a second opinion.

All in all, this does not seem to be a behavioral problem to me at first glance, and of course, based solely on information being passed through the internet. I hope I’m wrong and that all is well with your kitty physically, but seeking the advice of a specialist would be in her best interest at this point.

All the best to you and Skippy,
Dr. Neely