I would like more information regarding the procedure for correcting a
broken hip on a feline.  Not a fracture or dislocation, but a broken
hip. I have found out about hip dyplasia while trying to research the
internet, and this is not what I am looking for.

My cat is undergoing this surgery, and I would just like more
background information regarding exactly what is done in the
procedure.  Julius (my cat) is a young, male cat who is otherwise in
healthy condition.  He has had an x-ray, and will undergo the
operation tomorrow.  If you could help me find out the typical length
of recovery and how to help my cat recover by home physical therapy,
or any other information you could include would be most appreciated. 
Thank you in advance.

P.S.  I do know to ask my veterinarian these questions, but I just
like researching the information online as well, but I am having
difficulty finding exactly what I am looking for.  Also, sorry for
being so cheap, the question is important to me, but the operation is
quite a hefty fee! I will have quite a grand kitty when all is said
and done.

I haven't found a web page on this specific topic, but perhaps another
Researcher will.  Here is a page on fractures in cats, which might
assist a Researcher in finding a page on hip surgery for cats.

"Bone Fractures", by Race Foster, DVM and Marty Smith, DVM
PetEducation.com
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1321&articleid=286

As a 'cat person' myself, I'm very sorry to hear of nifty's problem,
you must be quite sorrowful.

This comment does not answer your question, but I thought it might be
of some interest to you & perhaps provide a little hope.

Many years ago, I was being driven to a children's party, when
unfortunately our black & white cat went under the wheels of the car I
was riding in. She suffered some very nasty injuries, including a
broken pelvis & thigh bone, which I guess takes in the hip area. I
recall clearly, looking at the x-rays and thinking there would be no
hope for her.

She underwent repair surgery at our local vets practice - I'm sorry
but I don't recall the technical details - but went on to make an
absolute full recovery, save for a slight limp for some time afterward
which as I recall, didn't affect her chasing around & general quality
of life.

She lived subsequently to I think around 16 years, eventually leaving
the mortal coil peacefully, due to problems unrelated to her car
accident years earlier.

Wishing you the very best outcome, 

gan.

Poor Nifty !

We too had a cat who broke his hip jumping down from a window. He made
a complete recovery after surgery; from memory it took about six
weeks, during which he was firmly bandaged. So it's not an uncommon
injury, and the prognosis is good.

Hello Niftythecat,

This doesn't really answer your question, but I found a few relevant
newsgroup postings:


Young cat in surgery [tomorrow], broken hip bones (by Robert Casey in
rec.pets.cats.anecdotes)
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=3AE64EA1.C4F4BF91%40ix.netcom.com&rnum=1

"A woman coworker [rescued] an 8 to 12 month old white with brown tail
kitten a week ago. He had been hit by a car. She took him to the vet.
Several operations to fix/set bones, one [tomorrow] to fix a broken
pelvis/hip "socket and ball joint" Appears that the ball is broken off
its bone, and the vet will remove the ball. According to the vet, cats
can get along quite well without this ball and socket joint in the
back leg. Muscles are tight in small animals, it is said."


My cat nearly died (by Tony Pelliccio in rec.pets.cats)
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=Anthony_Pelliccio-110794133919%40138.16.64.44&rnum=10

"When [cat] Randy was 5 moths old he broke his hip. This was at
roughly midnight so I had to drag him about 15 miles away to an
emergency vet hospital. It cost me over $100 just to find out he had a
broken hip.

The vet told me what it was and I asked what we could do for the
kitten. He said that we could let it heal naturally in which case
Randy might get a touch of arthritis starting when he was about 4
years old (which he is now, and occasionally it gets bad.). The other
option was surgery to grind down the bone spur so it would be ok at a
cost of $400+. I can't justify spending this on a cat so Randy now has
arthritis. Perhaps when I make a bit more money I'll have some
corrective surgery done but right now it's just not possible."


Animal Lovers Please Read (by Antti Matikka in rec.pets.cats)
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=selm=4d5khr%24848%40idefix.eunet.fi&rnum=3

"THE cat had obviously been run over by a car. I immediately called
the Humane Society to arrange for treatment. After describing the
extent of the cat's injuries, the Humane Society could only prescribe
one solution -Euthanasia. Now, while I'm not a typical "Bunny Hugger,"
somehow I could not bring myself to do this. What came next was a call
to a private vet, who would mend "Lucky's" broken hip and treat her
internal injuries.

LUCKY is now resting fine in our office, away from our two cats and
two dogs. The vet has prescribed strict cage rest for her (we think
Lucky is a she, but the vet can't quite tell, due to the fact that
spreading her legs is impossible with her broken hip). She was
[initially] quite anemic, but now clamors to exit the cage every time
we replace her food dish. By the vet's estimation, she is 6 months to
1 year old, and has displayed an amazingly sweet disposition, despite
her predicament."


Hope it helps!


Search strategy:
Google Groups

Search terms:
Cat "Broken Hip"

I would like to thank everybody who has commented on my question.  It
eases my mind to know that this surgery is somewhat common.  One
comment in particular reassures me, as it is the exact surgery our
emergency veterinary is performing today.  The vet is going to remove
the ball that fits into the socket since it is competely broken apart,
and he assures me that my kitties muscles will compensate for the
missing ball and socket in his right hip.

I would never have expected it would be so traumatic, my feelings that
is, towards my cat having surgery, but it truly is worrying.  Again,
thank you to everyone who commented.  I appreciate all of your help. 
I especially thank phillip, through which, I now know how to search
through yahoo groups, which appears to have lots of useful
information.

I'll let you know how Julius is faring later today after I visit him
this evening, after his surgery.