Cruciate Ligament Rupture

Any health care links located here are NOT to replace a veterinarian visit; please take your cat to a vet immediately at any sign of odd behavior or any symptoms of illness or injury. Call your vet and describe your cat's symptoms with any of your concerns about the cat's well-being. Your veterinarian may discover changes in your cat's health that you have overlooked. It is always better to err on the side of caution.

The knee joint of the cat is one of the weakest in the body. Just as football players frequently suffer knee injuries, the cat also has knee injuries.

The knee joint is relatively unstable because there is no interlocking of bones in the joint. Instead, the two main bones, the femur and tibia, are joined with several ligaments. When severe twisting of the joint occurs, the most common injury is a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament. When it is torn, an instability occurs that allows the bones to move in an abnormal fashion in relation to each other. It is difficult for the cat to bear weight on the leg without it collapsing.

How is the diagnosis made?

The most reliable means of diagnosing this injury is to move the femur and tibia in a certain way to demonstrate the instability. This movement is called a "drawer sign." It can usually be demonstrated with the cat awake. If the cat is in pain, has very strong leg muscles, or is uncooperative, it may be necessary to use sedation in order to examine the joint thoroughly.

How is it treated?

Correction of this problem requires surgery. A skilled surgeon can fashion a replacement ligament and stabilize the joint so it functions normally or near normally. If surgery is not performed within a few days to a week, arthritic changes will begin that cannot be reversed, even with surgery.

What about torn cartilage?

Occasionally the injury that causes a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament will also result in tearing of one or both of the menisci or "cartilages." At the time of surgery, these are examined and removed if necessary.

Is there any non-surgical treatment?

Occasionally, the cat that has a ruptured cruciate ligament will become sound (will no longer limp) even if surgery is not performed. However, arthritis will usually begin and result in lameness a few months later. That cause of lameness cannot be corrected.

Does obesity play a role in this condition?

A special note is appropriate concerning the cat's weight. Obesity or excessive weight can be a strong contributing factor in cruciate rupture. The ligament may become weakened due to carrying too much weight; this causes it to tear easily. Obesity will make the recovery time much longer, and it will make the other knee very susceptible to cruciate rupture. If your cat has a weight problem, there are prescription diets that can be used to assist weight reduction.

Our Story

I don’t speak English very well but I want to share with you some information that can not be found outside. From experience, of a cat owner.
In February 2007 we lost our cat.
After 11 days at 2 am we wake up because a cat was crying. Since the day our cat disappeared we didn’t have sleep or happiness in family.

A cat that is afraid (and cats that are injured) will seek areas of concealment such as under a deck, under a house, under a porch, in heavy brush and they will not meow! Meowing would give up their location to a predator. It has nothing to do with whether the cat loves you, whether it recognizes your voice, or whether it can smell you--it has everything to do with the fact that a frightened cat will hide and be silent!

To continue our story, when he entered in house one leg was hanging practically, he lost 8 pounds and was so weak, but even wounded he still was going in his places in house, in the place where his food used to be, under the dining table and even on the stairs in his bedroom.

As I say was 2 am and until we welcome him and fed him and watch him, was 3 am. Me and my husband decided right then to take him to the hospital, I guess we could wait until morning what was few hours no?

We found an emergency hospital and they welcome us to go with our little one. They took X-ray and found out that his ligaments were torn 2 from three where totally broken. The doctors asked us if we want to let him there to be scheduled for surgery in morning or we want to take him home and find another hospital.

We took the decision right there and ask for estimation, the price was high, but that was the best hospital in area.
VCA Animal Hospital operates over 435+ animal hospitals in 38 states across the nation in the VCA network. These hospitals are staffed by over 1600 fully qualified, dedicated and compassionate veterinarians to give your pet the very best in medical care. Over 130 are board-certified specialists.
If you care for your pet chooses a good hospital. The estimated price was $3750- we end up spending $6000, because after surgery you need to go with the cat to the hospital every week, to change the cast, and every two weeks they do an x-ray.
After 6-7 weeks they take the pin off, this cost other $800 then you go again to the hospital to change the cast 4 more weeks.
In first week because the cat moved so much the cast felt down and we could see the stitches so we got to the hospital in a heart beat.
3 days after surgery the cat is released from hospital. We had to buy a dog cage so Pickle, our cat, to sleep and be carried.
We didn’t have the hart to keep him in the little carrier, which was too little for his big cast.
Every six hour we have to give Pickle pain medicine and some antibiotic against infection.
The cat was shivering and had such a sad face that broken our hearts. My husband and I love him so much; we have a son 23 years old, so Pickle was like our second child. When he first was bought home he cried a little and we thought he wants to use his litter box, but they told us to not use sand because can get in the cast and hurt his surgery since it is an open wound. We tried to shred papers but he didn’t use it. We tried to get informed in internet but no one give any information. We were very scared. This is how I decided to make this website, no benefit for us whatsoever, only to inform people.
Next day we got smart, so we bought Yesterday News a litter for cats made from old journal. Now he still use that because is very good, and you can have a house smell free.
We put his Dog house next to our bed, I posted some picture here, and every six hour we gave him the medicine, also we put food inside of the cage and when he was done we took it away (cats do not like to sleep where they eat) and we fed him water with a syringe. One year later he still waits for his father to give him water with the syringe.
Four days our cats don’t urinated and we had to call the hospital, they said that if in 7 days he doesn’t urinate, when we go to change the cast they will help him to urinate, and they did.
After 6 days he tried to move so we took him on bed, put some towels and keep him in bed to sleep, so he will not feel so alone or prisoner in his cage. When he was agitated we put easy listening music, and he sleeps nicely - this music really helped him to heal faster.
After 6 weeks when they took the pin away was more painful then the original surgery. He was in great pain and again he didn’t want to urinate or do number two. We have the bedrooms upstairs so we had to block the stairs with a screen when we were gone so he can’t go on the stairs. We left the cage on the floor closer with his homemade litter box. (We made a litter box from a big box, cutting low edges and put some linoleum there. In first 2 weeks when we were gone he wasn’t left out of cage, but when we were home we let him on the bed.
After 2 weeks he started walking on his cast, he couldn’t walk in three legs because the cast was long, they cover completely the paw so the cat will not bite his nails. Cats are not like dogs they take good care of wounded leg, so we never used a con.
We spent 2 months in house next to him, we moved him sometimes in front of the window, so he can watch birds. After 4 weeks he was walking in house on the cast but wasn’t allowed to jump in bed, we tried to avoid this, once we found him in bed and we knew he jumped from the floor.
When the cast was off, the leg was skinny and the ankles were wounded because the cast rubbed the skin. He still had some plastic stitches which the doctor pulled after 2 weeks. The cat will link the scar, but not pull the stitches. He then started walking, limping, that leg was always straight, he got complete his mobility like never was injured, only thing is that now he is walking tall, still doesn’t bend a lot the leg, and when sits down that leg is straight. This was our little story which was a nightmare, one year ago (2007)

Pickle drinking water still with a syringe

My Story

Last year I was bad boy. I run outside and got injured. I don’t even know how happened, fact is that after 11 days I come back home and my parents were very worried.
So here I am going to have a surgery. Bellow is my pictures. Was very hard with the cast for 9 weeks.
Yes is taking 9 weeks for surgery to cure.
The cast must be changed every week, and after 6 weeks they took the pin away. That was really painful; I mean more painful then the real surgery. Anyhow they kept me confined, and in first 4 days I wasn’t even used my litter box.
In order to do my business they used a big cardboard box and made a big (huge) litter box, filled with Yesterdays News (is cat litter made from paper and not from sand).
They gave me water with a syringe and I had some painkillers, liquid.
Anyhow, now I am walking again, but was very hard time for me and my family. They bought me a Dog cage to sleep in because my cast was bigger then me.
Sorry I speak like a cat and my English is not so Grammar friendly.
See bellow.

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Pain Management for Cats

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Cruciate Ligament Rupture

Our Story

Pickle drinking water still with a syringe

My Story

Hospital

First day one hour after surgery. I am with an IV in my veins and I am sedated.

My First Day Home

Click to see the big cast




Start Cruciate Ligament Rupture Good Cats Bad Habits * Other Cat Behaviors Facts about cats Video Latest Video Other Stuff Have Questions?	Buy Subliminal for your pet Pain Management for Cats Become a Psychic for your Pet Cruciate Ligament Rupture Any health care links located here are NOT to replace a veterinarian visit; please take your cat to a vet immediately at any sign of odd behavior or any symptoms of illness or injury. Call your vet and describe your cat's symptoms with any of your concerns about the cat's well-being. Your veterinarian may discover changes in your cat's health that you have overlooked. It is always better to err on the side of caution. The knee joint of the cat is one of the weakest in the body. Just as football players frequently suffer knee injuries, the cat also has knee injuries. The knee joint is relatively unstable because there is no interlocking of bones in the joint. Instead, the two main bones, the femur and tibia, are joined with several ligaments. When severe twisting of the joint occurs, the most common injury is a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament. When it is torn, an instability occurs that allows the bones to move in an abnormal fashion in relation to each other. It is difficult for the cat to bear weight on the leg without it collapsing. How is the diagnosis made? The most reliable means of diagnosing this injury is to move the femur and tibia in a certain way to demonstrate the instability. This movement is called a "drawer sign." It can usually be demonstrated with the cat awake. If the cat is in pain, has very strong leg muscles, or is uncooperative, it may be necessary to use sedation in order to examine the joint thoroughly. How is it treated? Correction of this problem requires surgery. A skilled surgeon can fashion a replacement ligament and stabilize the joint so it functions normally or near normally. If surgery is not performed within a few days to a week, arthritic changes will begin that cannot be reversed, even with surgery. What about torn cartilage? Occasionally the injury that causes a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament will also result in tearing of one or both of the menisci or "cartilages." At the time of surgery, these are examined and removed if necessary. Is there any non-surgical treatment? Occasionally, the cat that has a ruptured cruciate ligament will become sound (will no longer limp) even if surgery is not performed. However, arthritis will usually begin and result in lameness a few months later. That cause of lameness cannot be corrected. Does obesity play a role in this condition? A special note is appropriate concerning the cat's weight. Obesity or excessive weight can be a strong contributing factor in cruciate rupture. The ligament may become weakened due to carrying too much weight; this causes it to tear easily. Obesity will make the recovery time much longer, and it will make the other knee very susceptible to cruciate rupture. If your cat has a weight problem, there are prescription diets that can be used to assist weight reduction. Page URL: http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/cru-ligament.html Our Story I don’t speak English very well but I want to share with you some information that can not be found outside. From experience, of a cat owner. In February 2007 we lost our cat. After 11 days at 2 am we wake up because a cat was crying. Since the day our cat disappeared we didn’t have sleep or happiness in family. A cat that is afraid (and cats that are injured) will seek areas of concealment such as under a deck, under a house, under a porch, in heavy brush and they will not meow! Meowing would give up their location to a predator. It has nothing to do with whether the cat loves you, whether it recognizes your voice, or whether it can smell you--it has everything to do with the fact that a frightened cat will hide and be silent! To continue our story, when he entered in house one leg was hanging practically, he lost 8 pounds and was so weak, but even wounded he still was going in his places in house, in the place where his food used to be, under the dining table and even on the stairs in his bedroom. As I say was 2 am and until we welcome him and fed him and watch him, was 3 am. Me and my husband decided right then to take him to the hospital, I guess we could wait until morning what was few hours no? We found an emergency hospital and they welcome us to go with our little one. They took X-ray and found out that his ligaments were torn 2 from three where totally broken. The doctors asked us if we want to let him there to be scheduled for surgery in morning or we want to take him home and find another hospital. We took the decision right there and ask for estimation, the price was high, but that was the best hospital in area. VCA Animal Hospital operates over 435+ animal hospitals in 38 states across the nation in the VCA network. These hospitals are staffed by over 1600 fully qualified, dedicated and compassionate veterinarians to give your pet the very best in medical care. Over 130 are board-certified specialists. If you care for your pet chooses a good hospital. The estimated price was $3750- we end up spending $6000, because after surgery you need to go with the cat to the hospital every week, to change the cast, and every two weeks they do an x-ray. After 6-7 weeks they take the pin off, this cost other $800 then you go again to the hospital to change the cast 4 more weeks. In first week because the cat moved so much the cast felt down and we could see the stitches so we got to the hospital in a heart beat. 3 days after surgery the cat is released from hospital. We had to buy a dog cage so Pickle, our cat, to sleep and be carried. We didn’t have the hart to keep him in the little carrier, which was too little for his big cast. Every six hour we have to give Pickle pain medicine and some antibiotic against infection. The cat was shivering and had such a sad face that broken our hearts. My husband and I love him so much; we have a son 23 years old, so Pickle was like our second child. When he first was bought home he cried a little and we thought he wants to use his litter box, but they told us to not use sand because can get in the cast and hurt his surgery since it is an open wound. We tried to shred papers but he didn’t use it. We tried to get informed in internet but no one give any information. We were very scared. This is how I decided to make this website, no benefit for us whatsoever, only to inform people. Next day we got smart, so we bought Yesterday News a litter for cats made from old journal. Now he still use that because is very good, and you can have a house smell free. We put his Dog house next to our bed, I posted some picture here, and every six hour we gave him the medicine, also we put food inside of the cage and when he was done we took it away (cats do not like to sleep where they eat) and we fed him water with a syringe. One year later he still waits for his father to give him water with the syringe. Four days our cats don’t urinated and we had to call the hospital, they said that if in 7 days he doesn’t urinate, when we go to change the cast they will help him to urinate, and they did. After 6 days he tried to move so we took him on bed, put some towels and keep him in bed to sleep, so he will not feel so alone or prisoner in his cage. When he was agitated we put easy listening music, and he sleeps nicely - this music really helped him to heal faster. After 6 weeks when they took the pin away was more painful then the original surgery. He was in great pain and again he didn’t want to urinate or do number two. We have the bedrooms upstairs so we had to block the stairs with a screen when we were gone so he can’t go on the stairs. We left the cage on the floor closer with his homemade litter box. (We made a litter box from a big box, cutting low edges and put some linoleum there. In first 2 weeks when we were gone he wasn’t left out of cage, but when we were home we let him on the bed. After 2 weeks he started walking on his cast, he couldn’t walk in three legs because the cast was long, they cover completely the paw so the cat will not bite his nails. Cats are not like dogs they take good care of wounded leg, so we never used a con. We spent 2 months in house next to him, we moved him sometimes in front of the window, so he can watch birds. After 4 weeks he was walking in house on the cast but wasn’t allowed to jump in bed, we tried to avoid this, once we found him in bed and we knew he jumped from the floor. When the cast was off, the leg was skinny and the ankles were wounded because the cast rubbed the skin. He still had some plastic stitches which the doctor pulled after 2 weeks. The cat will link the scar, but not pull the stitches. He then started walking, limping, that leg was always straight, he got complete his mobility like never was injured, only thing is that now he is walking tall, still doesn’t bend a lot the leg, and when sits down that leg is straight. This was our little story which was a nightmare, one year ago (2007) Pickle drinking water still with a syringe My Story Last year I was bad boy. I run outside and got injured. I don’t even know how happened, fact is that after 11 days I come back home and my parents were very worried. So here I am going to have a surgery. Bellow is my pictures. Was very hard with the cast for 9 weeks. Yes is taking 9 weeks for surgery to cure. The cast must be changed every week, and after 6 weeks they took the pin away. That was really painful; I mean more painful then the real surgery. Anyhow they kept me confined, and in first 4 days I wasn’t even used my litter box. In order to do my business they used a big cardboard box and made a big (huge) litter box, filled with Yesterdays News (is cat litter made from paper and not from sand). They gave me water with a syringe and I had some painkillers, liquid. Anyhow, now I am walking again, but was very hard time for me and my family. They bought me a Dog cage to sleep in because my cast was bigger then me. Sorry I speak like a cat and my English is not so Grammar friendly. See bellow. Hospital First day one hour after surgery. I am with an IV in my veins and I am sedated. My First Day Home Click to see the big cast My House for 2 months next to my parents bed.

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