Potential Factors Influencing Complete Functional Recovery in Traumatized Unowned Cats with Orthopedic Lesions-A Cohort Study

Simple Summary Unowned free-roaming cats are companion cats who are lost or abandoned and who are living individually or in a feline group. The status of unowned cats influences the incidence of pathology compared to owned cats. Trauma is one of the most frequent causes of hospitalization in this population. Little is known regarding the outcome of traumatic orthopedic injuries in these patients. The present study aimed to identify the factors that could influence the ability to move well and maintain normal behaviors (complete functional recovery, CFR) in traumatized unowned cats with orthopedic lesions. All cats referred by the veterinary public service to a veterinary teaching hospital, over a three-year period, were enrolled. Various clinical variables were retrospectively evaluated. Forty-eight unowned cats were included in the study, of which thirty-four had CFR. Higher body weight and a longer time from trauma to therapeutic intervention were associated with CFR. These results showed that lighter cats who survived to presentation experienced more severe consequences following blunt trauma and emergency procedures were associated with a poorer prognosis. Five of the fourteen patients who did not reach CFR died due to feline panleukopenia. Overall, unowned cats with traumatic orthopedic injuries showed a good prognosis.Abstract The management of unowned cats is an emerging problem, with public institutions and citizens' concerns regarding their care and arrangement. Little is known regarding the outcome of traumatic orthopedic injuries in these patients. Indeed, complete functional recovery (CFR) should be the goal of treatment for return to their original location or adoption. The aim was to identify clinical factors influencing CFR in traumatized unowned cats with orthopedic lesions. This category of cats referred by the veterinary public service over three years was enrolled. Various clinical variables were retrospectively collected from the medical records and evaluated by nominal logistic analysis. Forty-eight unowned cats were enrolled, with a median estimated age of 24 (1-180) months and a body weight of 3 (0.7-5) kg. Thirty-four (71%) patients reached CFR. Estimated age, body weight, time from trauma to therapeutic intervention, spine involvement, presence of comorbidities, hospitalization time, and the radiographic score results were significantly associated with CFR. A longer time to therapeutic intervention seemed to be associated with a better outcome. Probably, cats severely traumatized did not live long enough to be evaluated and treated. Lighter cats experienced more severe consequences following blunt trauma. Younger and lighter cats bore a higher risk of panleukopenia-related death.