Kitten dilemma

Much of my time and money goes into caring for stray animals, and especially cats, but I keep fairly quiet about it, and do not actively seek them out -- if they show up at my door, I take care of them.

Recently, there was an exception.  A neighbor knocked on the door, holding a kitten, and said that the kitten was following her around, and that she did not like kittens, and so we should take it.  The kitten seems quite tame and friendly -- probably NOT a totally-wild kitten.  Perhaps it was dumped in this kitten-friendly neighborhood by someone trying to get rid of it.

About a week after joining the household, the kitten suddenly began limping badly.  I took the kitten to the veterinarian, who tentatively diagnosed a fractured elbow -- the X-rays are not absolutely definitive.  The vet has given me two options: Do nothing, or have extensive surgery on the kitten's arm.

With no further treatment, the vet believes the kitten's arm will PROBABLY heal fairly well, but probably not perfectly.  It might go through life with a barely-noticeable limp.  On the other hand, it might heal badly, and the arm will become useless, and need to be amputated, and the kitten will live out its days with three of its four legs -- but still, it would probably live a fairly-normal life as a three-legged cat.

Though there are risks to any surgery, with surgery, the kitten would have a better chance of ending up with a completely "normal" arm -- but the cost would probably be close to a thousand dollars.  The vet seems to be recommending that I save my money, and do nothing more ... but is leaving the final decision up to me.

The vet and I know each other very well, and the vet knows that he will get my money either way.  Veterinary bills are among my largest expenses, along with animal food, medicine, and other supplies.  I am not wealthy, and run a very real risk of someday running out of money, but at this moment I COULD come up with the thousand dollars needed for this surgery.

Life offers no guarantees.  IF there was a guarantee that for a thousand dollars, the kitten could have a perfect arm, and a perfect, long, happy life, then I suppose the question would be easier.  The question would also be easier if I KNEW that doing nothing would guarantee that the kitten would eventually lose its arm.

The truth is more complicated.  I am left in the awful situation of weighing the health of one of God's creatures against the significant financial cost.

It would be a bit easier if the new kitten were an established member of the family.  I once spent seven thousand dollars on surgery for my beloved dog, and spend hundreds each month on special food and medicines for other established animals.  But this is not yet a family member -- it is a seemingly-homeless animal deposited here by a neighbor.  But I am not sure that this information should factor in the decision.  Is this kitten any less "deserving" of expensive surgery because it has spent less time in our household?

I THINK the question comes down to "need".  My dog NEEDED the surgery.  The vet is not convinced that this kitten truly NEEDS the surgery.  But perhaps it DOES.  By the way, if I wait, to see whether the arm will heal correctly on its own, it will be too late to do the surgery.

I do not know the correct way to proceed.

Truth is complicated.