Cat With Ruptured Cruciate Ligament

[mjulian]

My cat [12+ years] has been diagnosed as having a torn cruciate ligament. We've seen the vet twice, had anti inflammatory injection and medication and she's been confined to one room for nearly 3 weeks. Although she seems a lot better some days, other days she is definitely limping. One of the vets told me that she may need surgery to correct this and then told me [having never told me this previously!] that the cat has a heart murmur and could be affected by the anaesthetic.
Has anyone else had a cat with this condition and what did they do about it please? I am very reluctant to put a cat of this age through surgery if it really isn't necessary. She doesn't go very far these days - stays in the garden and sleeps under the shrubs so doesn't need to be able to jump over fences, etc. She seems to be coping quite well on 3 legs and doesn't seem to be in any pain. I am struggling to decide what to do for the best.

[wolf63]

I can't answer your actual query but she is still relatively young.

Good luck

[Sqad]

\\My cat [12+ years]\\

\\She doesn't go very far these days - stays in the garden and sleeps under the shrubs\\

.\\ She seems to be coping quite well on 3 legs and doesn't seem to be in any pain\\\

I would leave well alone.

[ladybirder]

Hi M Julian, my cat died a couple of years ago in her 21st year from kidney failure. When she was 18 she had an operation on her thyroid and she was absolutely fine, up and about almost straight away. I'm so glad I had it done, it made such a difference to her quality of life. I've had a ruptured cruciate ligament myself from a skiing accident and it's darned painful for a long time so I sympathise with your poor cat. My dog has had a heart murmur for most of his life and he charges about mad as a hatter even though he's getting on a bit and it has been no trouble to him at all. If the vet hadn't diagnosed it we would have no reason to suspect there was anything wrong with his heart.

If I were you, and your vet does at some point recommend your cat for the operation, as long as she is not showing any deterioration because of the heart condition, I would go ahead and have it done.

Good luck to you and your cat, whatever you decide.

[mjulian]

Thank you all for your messages. She seems to change daily - yesterday she limped into the kitchen and this morning she ran on all 4 legs from the bottom of the garden with no sign of injury. I obviously want to do the best for her but I've read elsewhere on the internet that the repair of ligaments in cats is not always successful and could make things worse - hence my question for advice on what to do. One vet suggests an op and the other one says she will be OK as it is as she doesn't go very far.

[ladybirder]

Sounds as if she might be on the mend. Clever girl will make the decision for you;-))