Hello and Welcome,

Purrkins is also a front leg amputee he been on three 2 years and 7 months. He can reach everywhere to groom.

I have some of the same questions as Jerry. I also question if he is in pain. Has a vet evaluated him? Being on three does take a toll on their body from the altered gait.

I think he doesn't like it in general when you touch his back a lot.

That is a big clue to me. What is the reaction when you touch his back? Does he have any other issues other than the grooming that area that you have noticed? Does his hop look any different that you can tell? Is his one side lower to the ground when he hops than usual? Does he jump off of the furniture?

We had a senior kitty with arthritis who could not tolerate his backside being brushed or combed. We had him evaluated, and he was put on meds for his arthritis. It was painful! We used a silicone curry brush on him he allowed that for short periods.

I would have him evaluated by the vet, rehab or holistic vet to make sure he is not in discomfort cats are masters at disguising pain. Purrkins goes for acupuncture and chiropractic adjustments.

You could try a silicone or rubber curry brush. They double as a massage tool. I love the FURminator but If they are in discomfort at all that brush or any metal tool would not be tolerated. They also sell cat bath wipes you could try to wipe that area. As you say, he doesn't want his backside touched at all. I would suggest looking into why that is. 

I brush our boys once a week & during shedding season more often. It prevents hairballs. A great time to check for lumps and bumps and to bond. We started when they were kittens its something they look furward to 🙂

Holly & Purrkins

Hi there and Willkommen!

i don’t have a cat or any experience of caring for a Tripawd cat. My Meg is a front leg Tripawd doggo. I was just struck by what you said about Leo reacting if he’s not expecting being touched, as that reminds me of an issue my Meg has. This is nothing to do with her three-leggedness, but rather concerns her tail, which was cut off before she came to me, aged about a year. It has always been the case that if you touch her rear end when she’s not expecting it, she will turn and snarl, and in the early days (well actually for quite a long time...) she would turn and bite. I assumed that this was a very understandable reaction to the trauma of having her tail cut off.  I’m sure there is an element of that but what I’ve realised since she started taking Gabapentin for arthritis etc., is that she is much less reactive concerning her tail, which suggests to me that there was also a pain element, likely the result of nerve damage. As with Leo, once she’d got over her initial mistrust, she was fine (ish) with having her tail handled, so long as she was expecting it. I wonder whether this was because being touched unexpectedly made her tense and this increased the pain. I obviously don’t know. But I would second the others and suggest taking him to a rehab vet for a thorough evaluation. Tripawds member Tina (Tinsch) lives near Hamburg and is extremely knowledgeable about what’s available, certainly in that part of Germany, having left no stone unturned in caring for her wonderful Tripawd dog, Manni. It might be worth messaging her for advice. 

All best to you both, and do please stay connected,

Meg, Clare and Angel Pie xxx

If you "think it could be potentially pain" have him evaluated to know for sure. Cats are masters at hiding it.

Snappy and mad at the sign of the brush or when it's on contact with his back? Big difference. If Leo allows you to brush him everywhere but the back and gets snappy when you get close, it sounds like pain IMO.

Minus a limb whacks the spine out. There are muscles connected to those areas. These are the areas Purrkins is out of whack every couple months to give you a visual idea, and his pelvis is out of whack sometimes.

Being on three does have consequences the rest of the body compensates for that missing limb. They are prone to get sore not if its when. Hopefully, the link Jerry provided is close.

Give your sweet Leo a chin scratch & smooch from us, please;)

Holly & Purrkins