Saturday. Today I saw the tiniest little kitten with a nasty fracture of his femur. This little four-week-old has had a rough couple of days. It looks like a car hit him, splitting his lip and fracturing his leg. How he survived amazes me.

His family has named him Lucky. They found him when he wandered into their yard yesterday. Who could resist his tiny cries? Feeeeeed me. Feeeeeed me.

Unfortunately this is not the easiest kind of fracture to repair. Usually we have to do a little surgery to organize a bone like this so that it heals well. His new family, however, was not exactly budgeting for this event.

So, for today, we’ve splinted this leg with a special splint called a SPICA that goes over his little hip and around his body and down past his knee. His toes are free so we can keep an eye on the tightness of the bandage. He’s received pain relievers and his family has instructions to keep him confined to a small space (not that he can move much with the monster splint he’s wearing).

I plan to see Lucky again in a few days to see whether any healing is taking place. If so, we’re in business; we’ll probably be able to get away without the surgery. If not, I see a stainless steel pin in this kitten’s future.