Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi. I'm new to this but feel like I need some advice. My 2 year old kitty, Matty, came home injured last Tuesday and haf his front right leg amputated as a consequence on Wednesday. He seems so sad and really seems to be struggling. Physically he looks to be recovering, his stitches look good. He takes his medicine as prescribed. He is moving and jumping onto furniture and climbing the stairs when he gets chance but he doesn't seem like the same cat.
He meows to go out as usual but obviously we aren't letting him out. When he finally gives up he disappears upstairs and spends most of the time alone or with one of the children when they are in their room curled up in a little ball. He doesn't seem to enjoy being around the family and is reluctant to engage. He is usually so full of fun and naughtiness that it is really upsetting to see.
Has anyone got their own experiences they would like to share? I would be grateful to have some idea of what is normal etc. Thank you
Hi Matty and Lottie, welcome. Your future posts won't need to wait for approval so post away.
It's not unusual for a new amputee to be out of sorts for a while. This is so common, I promise!
Most people here see significant and pawsitive personality changes once recovery is over, and those changes usually happen slowly over the corse of weeks. Don't expect too much from him right now. He's sore, and his body is trying to heal. That's a lot of trauma to the body and healing is tiring. Try to put yourself in his paws. What if you lost a leg? You'd want to be laying around and just resting too. Most humans do way worse than the animals. He will get his sparkle back!
What is his pain control like? What medications, and how often is he getting them? A lot of times, pain signals start showing up when pain meds need some fine tuning. At one week out this is still early and he should still be on some kind of medication.
And what was the reason for the amputation?
Hi Jerry. Thank you for your reply. You've made me feel a little more positive about things.
We aren't sure what happened but he came home a week ago with an obvious injury to his leg. The bone turned out to be completely shattered however there were apparently also some cat bite marks around the area. It has caused us some confusion and the vet says she has never seen an injury caused during a fight alone so maybe he ran away and was hit by a car. He's never really been a fighter and does tend to cower away from confrontation.
He is on meds still. As I'm at work I can't remember the name but he takes it each morning and it apparently lasts 24 hours or so. We mix it into his food each morning and he has been eating that meal. The rest of his meals less so. He isn't really showing signs he is in pain, he hasn't cried out or anything and is leaping onto furniture when he is able to. He is also getting a little bit faster at moving around. I just hate seeing him so sad.
We are trying to encourage some gentle play to ease his boredom. And I have purchased a pheromone plug in adaptor which I think has helped. I am trying to think of all the ways in which I can help him to recover comfortably ☺️
Hmmm...one medication only is probably not enough. Unless there's some reason your vet only prescribed one med I would talk to them. pain signals in cats can be very tricky to see and crying out is only reserved for horrific acute pain, most cats do anything to hide they are hurting. Lack of engagement is a common pain signal.
You are on the right track thinking about engaging him with interactive brain games and such.
Talk to your vet about his behavior and see what they say. Let us know!
Hi. Thanks again for replying.
Matty has improved loads since I last posted 😄 He has been back to the vets who are thrilled with his progress. He has had some stitches removed and his wound is really healing. He's even able to lie on that side now which has helped him to settle much better.
His mood has also improved and he's definitely getting some spark back. We've bought lots of toys to stimulate him and he is really enjoying play time, he even recognises when it's about to start when he sees his pop up tunnel come out!
He is still unused to 3 legs and there are some mistakes, wobbles and falls! But he's learning and adapting daily. He still desperately wants to go out but we aren't ready for that yet! We know the time will come to ease him back outside but we want to eliminate as much risk as we can by securing any way he can exit the garden. We would love him to be an indoors cat but he is too used to going outdoors and I think it would reduce his quality of life to keep him in.
His confidence is still low despite everything. He had an accident on our bed 2 nights ago because he couldn't figure how to pull the door back enough to squeeze out and get to his litter. Normally it isn't an issue and if it was, he would have meowed loudly to wake us up but he didn't do that and instead used the bed as his toilet. He was very meek after that and he is still jumpy at sudden noise or movement.
We are learning it will be small steps but I am so much more optimistic than when I first posted on here 🙂 Your replies and the information on the site has helped enormously and I can't thank you all enough x
Awwww this is really good news! Matty is making progress that sounds very much like what a normal recovery looks like. That is WONDERFUL!
I love that you are being extra cautious with his play, and seeing the pawsitive signs of his new way of getting around, even when he has some confidence issues.
About going outside...have you considered building a catio?
https://gear.tr.....tag/catios
Just catching up and checking in on Matty. Sounds like progress is starting to be evident and her sparkle is starting to shine. This is still so very early in recovery from MAJOR surgery, all while adapting to life on three.
Yes, "accidents" will happen while "adjisting", but clearly he is making progress.
You are do an excellent job of taking things slowly.
Keep on keeping on. Matty!!!
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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