paws120 said

What medications did she come home with, how much and how often? When are you supposed to start?

  

She has 4 doses of buprenorphine (an opiate) to give her over one and a half days (she had her first dose at the end of the day when she came home), when this is finished she is on gabapentin twice a day for as long as she needs it and I also have Loxicom to give here once a day. She is also on antibiotics for a week.

This morning she was happy to see us, had her normal breakfast and after saying hello for half an hour after eating (she does like to have her neck scratched) she is now tucked in her bed snoozing away. When she is up she is walking around pretty much as normal (just with less legs) and she is taking it easy which is welcomed.

24 hours after coming home she has gone back to her old self.

I know that I am unbelievably lucky, and it is still early days, but this cat is showing no ill effects of having its leg amputated. She is a bit slower jumping on the chairs but that is it.

As she is twelve she does not rush around anyway, so I really do not think that she is putting pressure on the wound but she just potters round like she always does and only runs when she thinks she is going to get fed. 

She is eating normally, grooming normally, slapping her brother normally and she chooses to go outside to do her business, only going a few yards from the door then coming back in. 

She lets me touch the operation area and shows no sign of sensitivity (although I am obviously not pressing at all).

Here is a video of her just doing her mundane thing, never was a truer word said than "three legs and a spare".  

Well it has been 9 days since the operation (well that went quickly!) and so I took her to the vet this morning for her check up.

The poor thing hates going to the vet so when she got there the vet noticed that the exposed amputation leg muscle was spasming a bit, but when she checked so were all the others so it was just that she was scared. I have never seen it doing that before so she was not worried. 

The vet signed the cat off, pronounced her recovery to be remarkable and agreed to wind down her pain killers over the coming week, with us keeping an eye on any pain signals .

Sephy pretty much fully recovered in 2 days, the vet must have done a magnificent job to avoid any material bruising.

I know how lucky we have been, but Sephy is so happy and content, the only problem is that she is used to getting ham twice a day for her pills and I am not sure that she will accept the ham ration being withdrawn.

The fear of amputation was so strong when it was first mentioned, but now I see that while it is a serious and unwelcome step it really was, in itself, not nearly as big an issue as it seemed.

What was is more important is the cancer, and we are so lucky that there is every sign that the amputation was curative. Time will tell but even if it does return she will have lived a happy and fulfilled life in the meantime. 

I have absolutely no regrets ! 

I am so happy I just sent the vet a Fortnum & Mason's hamper!

Anyone who has read "All creatures great and small" will appreciate the significance.