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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I am new to the site and looking for advice and info on caring for Gust. He is a little over 4 months old, male kitten. I adopted him and his sister from a local shelter 2 weeks ago. He does not have his rear left leg beyond the knee joint. The medical info from the shelter and the vet I took him to shortly after adopting them both agree that he was either born that way or had trauma to the leg during birth. He is overall doing great and tries hard to keep up with the activity level of his sister.
My concern about him currently is something that I have observed twice. He'll jump from my kitchen table and land hard or weirdly on my wood floor. He'll then hold the back leg very high and funny, and kind of twist to the side his hind end and it's like it spasms or he's in pain for a bit and it scares me, but then it subsides after maybe 15-20 seconds or so and I coddle him for a bit. Then he goes about normal. Should I ask my vet about this or go ahead and schedule an appt with a Rehab specialist? I would also like to add, that he usually jumps down from the table without any problem. I am trying to break him of the habit of getting on my kitchen table in the first place and tips on this would be helpful also.
I've also considered getting the eBook How to Help Your Three Legged Cat, but I want to make sure it will be worth it as I'm currently on a tight budget since I don't need any information on amputation. I've also been searching to see if there is any specific info on here for kittens born with partially missing legs or had trauma during birth causing them to be tripawd and have not found any.
Hi Beth and welcome. Your future posts will not need to wait for approval.
Do you think Gust is banging his stump on the ground when he's jumping down and that's causing him pain? That was my first thought from what you described. I don't have firsthand experience with a partial remaining limb - but others do.
I have wondered if it is from him hitting his stump or perhaps if something happens with the hip of the partial leg.
Hi Beth,
Thanks for adopting that sweet kitty. Another member recently posted with a similar situation. I gave her the same answer I'd share with you. See:
Stump drags on ground of back right amputation
He'll jump from my kitchen table and land hard or weirdly on my wood floor. He'll then hold the back leg very high and funny, and kind of twist to the side his hind end and it's like it spasms or he's in pain for a bit and it scares me, but then it subsides after maybe 15-20 seconds or so and I coddle him for a bit. Then he goes about normal. Should I ask my vet about this or go ahead and schedule an appt with a Rehab specialist?
Hitting a stump is extremely painful in humans, and there's no doubt it would be the same with animals. They are much better at hiding that pain though. I would definitely schedule an appointment with a therapist so they can show you ways to keep his core stronger which will help him fall less. And Tripawds Foundation can pay for your first rehab visit too!
I've also considered getting the eBook How to Help Your Three Legged Cat, but I want to make sure it will be worth it as I'm currently on a tight budget since I don't need any information on amputation.
Well call me biased but I think it's worth it 
It's not just about amputation but about fitness, senior care, etc. However, in our mission to make sure everyone has access to free info here in our community, you can certainly find the information in the book located throughout our Tripawds network. It just takes searching for it. Here's a link that will take you to some helpful info about three legged cats, exercise, etc:
https://tripawd.....trikitties
I've also been searching to see if there is any specific info on here for kittens born with partially missing legs or had trauma during birth causing them to be tripawd and have not found any.
We've had lots of congenital Tripawd cats here join us through the years. A quick forum search reveals some examples:
https://tripawd.....;include=3
Thanks for joining us! Please let us know how we can help.
Thank you for all the information! I wasn't expecting to find out that a full amputation is typically better than a partial. As heart-wrenching as that is to hear, I want what will be best for Gust.
You are so welcome Beth. I think that a rehab therapist can help you decide the next steps. He may not need a full amp, or he might, but these experts can point you in the right direction.
He's a lucky kitty to have you for his new mom. Please let us know how we can help you and him on your three-legged journey!
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