Saving Sunny, the Cat with the Broken Leg and Hip

A neighbor contacted me about a cat lying under a car all day not moving. I immediately went over and found the cat hobbling around, looking for shelter. One of his back legs was swollen and dangling.

This took place during the solar eclipse so I named this cat Sunny, who also remained sweet and sunny during his entire ordeal. I took Sunny immediately to the vet, who said his leg was clearly broken, and he had an open wound already infected. Which means his injuries were not new. You can see the swelling in this photo.

Sunny was sedated for x-rays and his examination. He was so friendly that I also had them fully vaccinate him and test him for FIV/FeLV to get him ready for a foster home. Sunny was not going to go back outside.

The x-rays were alarming. He had a fractured hip, and a leg bone completely broken in two and shifted, about to come though his skin.

He also had a infected wound on his leg.

The vet thought that most likely Sunny’s leg was completely run over by a car’s tire to cause those kinds of injuries. Sunny needed surgery, but the vet wanted to wait until Sunny was more stable – at the time he was in shock and very emaciated. He wanted Sunny to be stabilized with antibiotics and pain meds and to eat for a few days before going under surgery. Whether the leg would be amputated or not because of the severity of the fractures was still unknown.

Sunny’s total vet bill from that visit was $507, including the exam, sedation, x-rays, vaccinations, testing, pain injection, wound treatment, pain medication and antibiotics. Logan Square Animal Hospital was very good to him, and I am very grateful that they let me bring him right in without an appointment.

If you’d like to make a donation to help cover the costs and to help me help more cats like Sunny, you can do so through the PayPal button at the top of this page, or through PayPal at [email protected]

The vet also determined Sunny was about only one years old, tested negative for FIV/FeLV, not neutered or microchipped, and waaayyyy too skinny. Sunny came home with me to rest.

He slept a lot. Getting him to eat was a bit harder, but he did it when I put the plate under his nose.

I made sure he took his pain meds and antibiotics. I was terrified of how much his leg must hurt him, but he was always sweet, even when I forced the liquid meds in his mouth. He purred a lot and sought out pets, although he usually was laying down on his good side.

I knew Sunny was feeling better when he ventured out of his crate when I had my friend ,Taryn, and her children visit. Now we knew Sunny liked kids and other people!

He even would hobble to the litter box and use it, with his back leg dangling. Obviously Sunny had been an indoor pet at some point. How he got outside starving and injured is a mystery.

In the meantime I also called friends and neighbors to see if they could foster Sunny if this turned into a long-term situation. Everyone I contacted said yes. I am immensely grateful for that. Animal rescue truly is a community effort and I encourage everyone to network. Because Sunny was found in our community, the community was willing to help.

I also shared Sunny on social media to see if a rescue organization could help Sunny, because the costs of surgery are high. I was put in touch with Catnap from the Heart, who agreed to treat Sunny and take him into their shelter. I am so thankful for all they have done for him, and donated to them as well. If you’d like to donate to their organization, you can do so through this link.

They stabilized Sunny for a few more days. When he was ready for surgery, they found his injuries were too severe and his entire leg had to be amputated. He was also neutered during this procedure.

In the meantime Taryn contacted them about fostering Sunny. A few days later she was able to pick him up! Sunny was back!

Sunny was greeted by everyone in their house immediately. Their dog, Ripley, and cat, Strategy, are determined to be friends with him, and waiting it out.

Sunny was a little more cautious with them, which is understandable. He has been through a lot, and now needs to heal. His stitches were alarming to see, and the fact he is shaved you can see how skinny he is.

But his sunny demeanor was shining through! He loves to be pet by everyone.

Do you think he remembers me? He’s a pretty grateful cat.

He also has his own personality and in true cat fashion likes to pose. With wine, of course. What could be better? It will be interesting to see how he acts once he is fully healed and without pain.