Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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(Helping a new member Kathryn from South Africa post:) I gave advice thru a pm and putting here for more members to add their input.)
Hi everyone.
I am in desperate need of advice.
First off let me give you the background story about my little Pi:
Last year (2017) I picked up a tiny 7-8 week old kitten who was dragging her front leg. I immediately grabbed her and took her to the vet where it was discovered that she had radial nerve damage.
We tried acupuncture and Physio but nothing helped and a decision was made to amputate the leg since it was basically getting in the way and she had started to self mutilate the leg due to not having any feeling in it.
Life on 3 legs has been a breeze for Pi as I feel she didn’t really ever know what it was like to have 4 legs. She is extremely mobile and can jump very high and races around like a typical hooligan teenager cat. She is just under around 4 months old now and had not been outside since I got her due to unfortunate circumstances. Now we have moved away to a small town for 2018 am will move again at the end of the year. Needless to say, the cats have settled (
I own another 4-legged rescue cat- Dory), and I have let Dory out to have free roam of the garden and neighbourhood and she LOVES being outdoors. I also take Pi out for supervised play and she adores being outside and races around. Here is where I need advice. The place we are renting has a perimeter fence that both cats can get under (in fact Pi did race under it just this afternoon), it also has a low wall that I am sure if she was desperate she would manage to get up as she can jump quite high. I really want both cats to be able to have access to the garden because it brings them so much joy but I am terrified to allow Pi to come and go as she pleases because I fear she might try and follow Dory and get herself into a horrible situation that she might not be able to get out of.
So do I keep Pi from going outside and maybe only take her out on a harness (in which case she won’t be able to stalk and play as she has been), or do I let her out and hope that everything will be ok? At the same time, not allowing Pi to come and go means the same for Dory. I feel like I am at a loss and feel very protective over my 3 legged baby and I know that if I did let her out and something happens to her I would never forgive myself.
Please help.
kind regards from South Africa
kathryn
Hi Kathryn,
Welcome and thank you for rescuing your sweet PI.
So do I keep Pi from going outside and maybe only take her out on a harness (in which case she won’t be able to stalk and play as she has been), or do I let her out and hope that everything will be ok? At the same time, not allowing Pi to come and go means the same for Dory. I feel like I am at a loss and feel very protective over my 3 legged baby and I know that if I did let her out and something happens to her I would never forgive myself.
If you are asking my opinion I am going to tell you to keep PI inside or outside only supervised or on the harness.
You have already answered your question the way I read it. If something happens to her you would never forgive yourself.
Do you want to take a chance and let her out ? What if something happens. Yes it's a important factor to consider.
Our cats do great on 3 legs but you are now down to 3 legs with no spare. I see nothing wrong with PI being on a harness and or being supervised . it's a win win for both the kitties and you. They both go out and enjoy Garden time while being safe and supervised. I do that with our cats. Purrkins goes out on a harness with me or I have outdoor enclosure tent where they can go out and watch the birds, critters and are safe. If you want other members advice you can post in the 3 legged cat forum.
If you need help posting PM me back and I will help you get this posted for other members to chime in. Either way happy to help in anyway I can. I would personally not take a chance with PI or Dory . That is just my opinion.
Holly & Purrkins
Hi Purrkins
Thank you for the response and good advice. I am having some trouble posting it so that others can also give their advice and experiences? I would love some help with posting it on the chat. My other rescue, Dory, goes under the fence and roams a bit further in our supervised garden time but she does come back eventually but it does still make me worry as once she’s out if she decides she’s going to roam it is very difficult to catch her. Pi is getting incredibly fast on those 3 legs and is a little acrobat. I will try the harness out today and see what she does. I like the idea of the secure play pen outside as Pi loves pouncing on the flowers and insects.
thanks for all your help and also for helping me post my original post on the public group?
kind regards
kath
Hi Kath, Pi and Dory
Youre and Angel Kath for taking Pi into your home and giving her the chance at the best life evah!!!
So here’s my thoughts on Pi and Dory going outside...
i have four cats, yes, you read it right four... at this point in time, only one goes outside. His name is Chester and he is 4 years old. We live out in the country in the Canadian mountains where the risk of being eaten by a wild predator is very high. We have cat collar tabs that are radio frequency locators and I am checking where Chester is every 10 minutes. If he goes too far, he gets grounded for the day... he is still learning.
Teddy, our new Foster Fail, is about the same age as Chester. Teddy would LOOOOOVE to go outside right now, but he doesn’t get to go until I get a secure harness for him. I will be attaching a tab finder to said harness and only let him go short distances, when he shows me that he is calm outside and can listen to me. He is extremes food motivated, so shaking the bag of treats should get him running home in not time.
Miss Lily, our 3 year old does not get to go outside AT ALL!!! I put her on the harness last year and when I took her outside, she freaked out and tried to escape the nasty, confining, harness contraption! She showed me that she would not be a good candidate to go outside, ‘cause she wouldn’t come back when called everytime. Her fears would get the better of her.
Spike is our (almost) 19 year old. He hardly goes outside anymore, ‘cause he’s just too old! But in his prime, like Chester (and our cat, Mojo, before him) he wore a tab finder on his collar and was tracked down every 10 minutes. You’d be amazed at how far they can get in that time!
If I had a Tripawd Kitty, I would only be allowing supervised outings only, on a harness or in an enclosure like Holly has for Purrrrkins. I would be terrified that if Pi needed to escape from a dog or other dangers, she wouldn’t necessarily be able to guarantee her escape!
As long as you are satisfying Pi’s need to be a cat, then she will be more than happy to hang out where she can feel secure. Be sure to satisfy her hunting needs with lots of ground play (not too much high jumping, you want to keep the 3 limbs safe right?!) Try different things with her and she’ll tell you whether or not you are fulfilling her needs.
i really could go on for hours... ha! Let us know how things go. Good girl Pi, way to rock the Tripawd world!
Petra, Stewie and his Pride Of Kittens
Remember...“live in the moment!“ 
Hi Kathy and Kitties,
I've come to realize that allowing tripawd cats outside comes down to the environment and cat's personality. I have an enclosed garden area where the cats can leave but large creatures can't enter. My tripawd cat Mona, sleeps in this area under a bush or on a bench during the day in the summer and then comes in at night. She does not wander. She may sit on the front step for when I come home from work but has easy access to a cat door to the garage. Both of my cats hang around me when I'm outside but only in the garden area. My male, Eli, wanders more but comes when I call him.
I really like the idea of a play pen for Pi who will eventually learn the boundaries and expectations.
Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona
ABO Gear Happy Habitat for Indoor Cats
This is the tent we use if you decide to go that route. I should of gave you that info yesterday. Let us know how the harness went today!
Holly & Purrkins
Holly, thanks for introducing us to this lovely kind hearted and her very special kitty crew!
All I can say is DITTO to everyone as I am not a "cat expert" and they certainly are! Anyone who can get a cat to come when callled, especially outside, is quite the "professional"!
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!
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