Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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My 13 year old cat Sassy was diagnosed 2 weeks ago with a localized tumor mass on the joint of her left front leg which the vet says is cancer. All blood work and subsequent X-rays show her to be healthy with very minimal arthritis. She limps terribly but otherwise does not appear to be in pain. My options are amputation or medication for pain, although eventually the leg will snap and it cannot be fixed. She is not an active cat and weights about 14 pounds. My worry is whether she will be able to adjust to 3 legs at her age. I am getting conflicting view points from family members and would really like to hear from others who may have some experience with this. Would appreciate your views and support.
I think your post was elsewhere yesterday - here's a copy of my response from there:
My dear little Mona had her front leg amputated in June 2014. She was about 8 years old then, short legs, a little buddha belly and a non-athlete. She is doing great! She loves life, loves sleeping, loves cuddling, loves being outside under a bush in the summer for 12 hours a day, and still bonks my larger male cat on the head.
In my opinion Sassy is probably in pain if she is limping. Cats are very good at hiding pain. If your vet thinks the amputation can give you and her more happy times together then amputation is certainly worth considering.
Mona can still run very fast and is great at jumping up to high places. She's now cautious jumping down from high places so I have boxes and chairs strategically placed for her to climb down protecting her remaining front leg.
Please read some of the cat blogs and forums. Recently there have been some older cats getting amputations. You'll find a lot of support here no matter what decision you make.
Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona
p.s. Moe is a recent older front leg amputee. Have a look at his posts. http://tripawds.....-a-tripod/
I know this is a scary time for you, full of u uncertainty and fear. You have come to the right place for support and information from those who understand first-hand.
Kitty Mona has given you great insight.
Kmocking on wood over here, the kitties that jave fone through amputation seem to do very well and fairly wuickly too. We recently jad a sixteen yr. young cat who, although took at little longer, has recovered nicely. For some reason, it seems some cats have issues as far as not using their litter box, but prefering the floor! Other kitty owners can tell you how they modified the litter box and other techniques to get them back in the habit.
As Kerren said, if Sassy is limping, she's hurting. Recovery is no picnic, but once it's over you wil l be amazed at how well she will do without that painful leg.
Others will chime in. Stay connected. Keep us posted.
Here's another link to kitty Harley who just celebrated one month amputation.
http://thebatca.....puversary/
And another vlog link to one of iur Super Star kitties, JILL. http://jillsjou.....pawds.com/
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Awe I'm so sorry you find yourself here. As the others have said if she's limping she's in pain. If she's not using that leg much maybe she's already "practicing" being a tripawd. Cats seem to do quite well as Tripawds. Most seem to adapt quite early on. Keep us posted on your journey and let us know how we can help. Hugs
Linda, Ollie, Riley & Spirit Mighty Max
Hi Sassy and family! Welcome to the club nopawdy wants to join. But we're here to help make this easier whatever you decide.
Rest assured, even older cats can do well on three legs. I know you're probably getting a lot of flack from well-intentioned friends and family, but forgive them...unless someone has been through this themselves and has seen firsthand the amazing ability of three legged animals, they know not of what they speak....
To see what I mean, check out our list of Tripawd Cat Bloggers, which includes quite a few front leggers. And here's a post about keeping your front-leg Tripawd strong: http://tripawds.....nd-tricks/
I know that it doesn't seem like she's in pain now, but any limp is a sign of pain, animals are just realllllly good at hiding it until it becomes unbearable. Here's a good post about how to tell if your cat is in pain.
What will help her adjust is a good, pawsitive attitude from her favorite humans (animals absorb so much of our energy and give it right back). Covering hardwood floors with throw rugs, raising her food bowls, that kind of thing.
The recovery part isn't always easy but ultimately almost every dog and cat overcomes and goes on to have quality time with their humans. How much time is anyone's guess but the important thing is that it's spent without pain.
I hope this helps. Keep us posted OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I appreciate your comments and support, and I have decided to talk to the Vet tomorrow about scheduling the surgery, but I do worry about the aftercare, and since I live alone, it is all on me. I do have another cat about the same age as Sassy, and the littler box they use is in my furnace room downstairs along with food/water, along with the rec. room I am normally in, so that should be all good. Because I work 4 hours each day I am hoping she will be OK. Also, I have read a few different methods for protecting the area of amputation and was wondering what you all felt would be the best, particularly since both cats like to lay together and clean each other. In addition, I have not found a way to get Sassy to take the Tramadol I was given. Tried disguising in wet food and also putting towards the back of her mouth quickly followed by water in a syringe, but have not been successful. Any ideas with this?
Different things work for each cat so you may need to find what works for Sassy. You might want to give Sassy a type of hiding space for the initial recovery. For example I put bath mats down on the floor under a shelf in the closet in a spare room. Mona slept there and I would just pull the mat out for access to her. I kept her in this room so she wouldn't race around the house and get into places she shouldn't. Some people set up cages and others draped a blanket over a coffee table for their cat's hiding place.
My other cat would come in and visit her and would sleep a foot or two away from her. She doesn't let him snuggle with her so that was a non-issue. I hope your other cat won't want to clean Sassy's surgical site. It must be left alone to prevent infection. Mona never bothered her site and did not have to wear a cone but most cats do. Please read up for tips on that.
Tramadol tastes nasty. There have been others who didn't have much success with it. Could you ask your vet for something else? For her amputation Mona was on Metacam and Buprenorphine. Proper pain meds and anti-inflammatories are essential for pain-free healing.
If need be remember to ask friends to come over and help out. It can be exhausting initially.
Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona
my cat had exploratory surgery so a full abdomen incision and I used a tank top and actually saftey pined it while it was on her then sewed it, snug, (dont leave safety pins they could open). She never bothered the incision but I didnt want to risk it when I was out, because it only takes a few seconds to get to those stitches. I didn't sew it fancy just to fit her. Since it was fitted after that it wasn't loose to fall over and like a second skin. As far as the tramadol, with cats if you can get it down her through quickly, past the tongue taste buds is usually better. U can have your vet techs show you if your not sure.. It requires, quickness but tends to work really well. My cats never took pills I just put it past the tongue down the throat.
Hope this gives you some ideas.
Good luck.
Neka & Steph
Angel Neka
7/4/2003-4/5/2016
2.5yr 3x cancer warrior survivor
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