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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Hello! This is my first post. About a week ago I rescued an injured stray kitten. I planned to keep him overnight and bring him to the shelter where I volunteer in the morning, but when I saw how severe his wounds were, I brought him to the ER instead. Stayed up all night while he was treated. The next morning I realized I had rescued a really nice little 9-week-old tuxedo boy. And he would likely need his front leg amputated. I named him General Tso.
He must have been attacked by a dog or raccoon. He had lacerations all over his body, injuries to his right back toes, and a deep puncture wound on his thigh - these are expected to heal. But his right front paw was transected through to the bone, with no chance of recovering. The ER sent him home with bandages on his right front and back legs.
The shelter couldn't take him due to his complex medical needs, so I have been caring for him. It's been loads of work, loads of laundry, cleaning poop off of his casts and working 'round the clock to keep his living area (the bathroom) clean. Giving meds throughout the day, sometimes syringe-feeding and wiping his little face, bringing him to vet appointments to have his wounds cleaned and re-bandaged. And comforting him, because he misses his family. But he has been getting better every day, and he has designated me as his new mommy. Which is fine. He makes me happy 🙂
Today he had his amputation surgery, from an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in small animals. I just tried to distract myself all day, until they called and said he did great. I'm not surprised, after watching him sail through so much trauma with bright clear eyes and a steady purr. I will pick him up from the surgery center tomorrow.
So I guess I am a tripawd mom now. I haven't seen a lot of injured kittens on here - I'm sure it happens all the time, but most don't go to the ER and end up rescued by suckers like me.
I'm a little worried about how he will look... He was so handsome. Will be still be handsome?
Any advice or tips for life with a 3-legged kitten? Any advice for me as an exhausted caretaker?
Welcome to the community! You and General Tso are in great company, you'll find folks here who get it. And many of us are suckers for strays, just like you!
He is a very fortunate kitty to find his way to you. What a strong warrior he is! And you, for wanting to help him live and thrive. It sounds like you know exactly what to do to make his life easier during recovery and beyond. Do you have other cats? Is your recovery room ready for him? We really encourage folks to have a separate room ready with no-slip rugs, no above-ground bed, and a comfy place to lounge on the floor (for both you and him lol!).
As for how he will look. Oh my gosh that incision and shaved fur will be secondary to his resilience and strength. You will be amazed and fall more in love with your handsome kitty!
Have you seen our What to Expect articles , or our e-book, Cool Tips for Tripawd Cats ? We have lots of helpful info for you there. Stay tuned for feedback from others too!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Jerry. Thank you for your reply.
General Tso has been living in the bathroom with a gate at the door so he can see me and my 4 resident cats. I have towels on the floor, which I can change easily when they get soiled, and I spend a lot of time in there with him. He's been pretty happy lounging on the floor or on a cat bed. I'm amazed at how happy and easygoing he has been - he likes his new life! With casts on his two right legs, he's been pretty mellow and slow-moving. He will still have to wear a bandage on the right back foot for awhile, so I don't expect too much jumping - but who knows!
Thank you for the article links. I look forward to hearing from others in this community.
You are General Tso's Earth Angel for sure😇
With your care and love he surely will thrive. Recovery is no picni for any center, espec such a youngster. It's not going to be an easy road ahead, but it will get better and better. Pretty much everything you need to know is in the link Jerry gave you Cool Tips for Tripawd Cats.
Eventually you may want General Tso to see a Rehab Specialist. This youngins bones and joints still have a lot of growing to do and his gait will evolve too as it adjusts to three. Having o e of his remaining laws wrapped in a bandage has to be challenging too.
Not sure what the pain meds would look like for such a young kitty, but pain mana is crucial.
Other kitty members can chime in on that, plus litter boxes suggestions, pilling, etc. Because of your background, you already have a good handle on a lot of this.
As far as what kitty will look like.......you will see an adorable kitty with a bum useless painf leg gone ready to get on with living😎
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!
Wow he is one easygoing cat! That's wonderful!
I'm with Sally, about having him evaluated by a rehab therapist. Animals who lose a limb at a very young age tend to have some extra mobility challenges at first, and a therapist can show you the best ways to help him strengthen and overcome those challenges. The best part is the Tripawds Foundation can pay for your first rehab visit so please take advantage of the program when you're up to it!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Sounds like your little one hit the kitty jackpot! Three legs does nothing to their appearance in a negative way at all. Huckleberry was a feral kitty that found refuge (and food) in our yard. He would only let you get so close to him and that was that, but he started pretty much living in our yard and slept on our deck at night. We were devastated when he disappeared and came back dragging a back leg. I thought it was dislocated, and we were eventually able to trap him to have him looked at. His femur was broken in half. We chose surgery over euthanasia, and almost 4 years later now (with a lot of work and love) he is the sweetest, most loveable indoor kitty. He rocks life on three legs and does well with his brothers and sister.
You did a wonderful deed taking this baby in. Because of you he will have a life to live. There are several kittens somewhere in here that had to have amputations. What Sally said about being so young and it sometimes taking longer to perfect their new balance is true. Also, medication is important for pain management . You may get flack about that and may have to advocate strongly to help General Tso recover without pain. Phantom limb pain can occur, and is manageable too with proper medication.
For now, one day at a time! One thing you will see as you read our stories is that recovery is different for everypawdy. Some slide right through it, while others need more help. You have come to the right place for support and help getting through the process 
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
Aww great input Jackie, thank you for sharing, I knew you could relate!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I was going through old posts and found this. Hope it gives you a little inspiration
https://tripawd.....-possible/
https://howlsmo.....1560016699
The second one was a kitty that had a ruff recovery but all worked out 
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Thanks for the encouragements and links! General Tso is doing pretty well on his 3rd day after surgery. For those who inquired about pain management , he is on buprenorphine. They also injected nerve blocks during surgery so I don't think he every had any discomfort. His biggest problem right now is the e-collar. I'm headed to the pet store to see if I can get him something more comfortable. And I'm worried that he's bored or depressed - I keep going in to snuggle him, brush him and play, but it will be a difficult few days until he gets those stitches out. Good news is that the back bandage will probably come off in 3 days from now, and that's going to make life a lot easier for him.
[Image Can Not Be Found]
The girl that is owned by Howl ended up using a baby shirt. Infant onesies can be converted to fit and make a great alternative to the cone of shame .
Let me see if I can find some other links.
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
Here it is! There are several wonderful links in this forum that go over alternatives to the cone, litterbox, etc...
https://tripawd.....pawd-cats/
Hope this helps.
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
YAY for doing well on Day 3! So glad to know things are progressing. Yeah the cone is a pain isn't it? Thanks for sharing the pic and links Jackie!
Sorry your picture didn't show up. We would love to see it! This is how adding images to the Forums works.
- Upload pics to a photo sharing site like imgur.com or your own Tripawds blog (https://tripawd...../supporter). Pictures and video have to be hosted (live) somewhere other than in the forums.
- Once the photo is uploaded somewhere, right click and copy the Image URL or just copy the image if you’re on a phone
- Return to your Tripawds Forum post and paste the image URL (or the image itself) in your post. It should automatically appear.
If you’d like help figuring out the process let me know.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Omgoodness... he is beautiful
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
I'm in LOVE!!!! 
What a sweetie, no wonder you adopted him!
Hey I forgot to say that you might want to check out some of the interactive brain games in our Tripawds Gear blog . I know most are for dogs but there are cat ones in there so scroll around. These kinds of activities can really help wear out his mind so he doesn't go batty during recovery, and it's so good for brain stimulation throughout life.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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