I hope someone has an answer.

We had a cat that was hit by a car (35 years ago) and had a broken pelvis. I can't remember what the vet did but I do remember that part of the treatment was that he had to stay at the hospital.
We had small children at that time and we could not afford it. So we took him home put him in a crate in my daughters bedroom. And took care of him. He lived for another 10 years and his leg healed ok. I know it depends on the break, but you probably have to find out what to do exactly.

Your husband sounds like mine!

I have to ask: If a child had broken their hip in three places, would you be as willing to not have surgery? Sorry if that sounds harsh, but it honestly is the same type question I ask myself over my animals' care. From bad gums to broken bones, if I wouldn't put a child through it, I won't put an animal through it, whether my 'inside' pets or one of the ferals I watch over.

Start calling local humane societies and animal rescue shelters (especially 'no-kills') in your area and asking for referrals to vets who might help out for much cheaper or even at cost. I've had wonderful ASPCA vets do extensive work on ferals for pennies on the dollar.

Another option is to see if there are any veterinarian colleges in the area who'd be willing to help out. When I was unemployed and had a very ill cat that needed an ultrasound for further diagnosis, an ASPCA vet put me in touch with a local veterinarian college who did the ultrasound for free. It allowed the students to get hands on field experience with the equipment, yet the ultrasound was read by a qualified licensed veterinarian. They told me that they often will trade services, including surgery, for people that can't pay for animals that need help.

I've found that many people drawn to the animal health fields will go a few extra miles to help wounded or ill animals. Sometimes, all it takes is a little persistence and a willingness to keep asking for help.

Hi,

I think just_peachy gave you great advice about finding care. Great note, JustPeachy. And I agree with her on the 'if it were a child, would you let the bone set out of place?'

The time to fix the wound is now, before the wound heals. If you don't do the surgery now, the bones will heal out of place, and there will be alot of scar tissue - much harder to fix later, with less chance for best recovery. If the surgery is done soon, scar tissue won't have built up yet and there will be a better chance for recovery.

If you can't find another vet, perhaps the vet will work with you on doing time payments?

If the cat seems that he's in pain, and you absolutely cannot afford the operation, I'd meditate on it and think about euthenasia.

I think its marvelous that you and your husband appreciate the cat and want to keep him.

LisaG

I disagree with the people who said "if it was a small child, what would you do"
If it was HER kid, that would be different. This is a stray cat she found and did the nice thing of taking him in instead of leaving him in a drain to die.. At least she took it to the vet to get it checked out anyway, she had the money to do that.. But 1,000 for a surgery for an animal that wasn't even yours? If everyone could afford that right out of nowhere like that, then maybe there wouldn't be so many homeless animals in this world.

Anyway.. not sure about supplements or anything. But I would call around to shelters and other vets and see if they could help you in anyway. Maybe even somewhere that does the surgery cheaper if you're willing to do that.


It might be able to heal on its own but he'll probably just have problems walking on it again.. Try doing some google searches for natural ways to heal broken bones..try different search terms. Whatever the vet diagnosed him with, look that up and see what comes up.

I am already on a Yahoo orthopedic forum, but I will continue searching for info.

Can you update us on the cat?

I'd like to add my thoughts. If the cat doesn't appear to be in pain, and you haven't found a solution, you may want to let it heal and make it a "house cat". Lots of people and animals have limps, and live out full lives. If it's in misery, I'd do it the favor of putting him down, but if it seems to be doing OK, I'd let nature take it's course, but I wouldn't put it back outside so it can happen again, or get into fights with other cats, and not be able to defend itself or get away.