Posted by: Lois Lindemann on: January 13th, 2008 
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Should you become a three legged cat you will still be able to enjoy your pampered cat lifestyle. Here is some advice for the newly three-legged cat:
1. Prepare to become a local legend
Everybody loves three legged cats. Absolutely everybody. Even the man next door who didn’t like you at all when you had four legs will say “Ah!”. Make the most of your fame and use it to your advantage.
Train the paperboy. He will think you are so cute that he will turn up with little treats for you hidden in his pockets, you will hardly be able to keep up with him as he does his round because you have to keep stopping to eat them.
The two children across the road will fall in love with you and worship you. Allow them to pet you, then they will feed you bits of chocolate biscuit when they think no-one is looking.
When your human pet has gone to work, hang around looking very sad and neglected. You will be able to persuade the nice lady who lives up the road to set out early for work, just so that she can stop and make a fuss of you. When you sneak into her house later on, she will feed you little dishes of tuna fish, allow you to sleep in front of her fire and play with her own cat’s toys.
2. You will discover just how stupid some humans can be
Some foolish people will completely fail to notice that you only have three legs. They will make stupid remarks such as “I think your cat’s limping, is he alright?” Do these humans really think that you can’t run about on three legs? They seem to manage, even though they only have two. Do not allow these idiots to rub your ears, for they are not worthy of it.
3. Develop some new climbing techniques
At home, you may need to be more imaginative. When your human pet thinks that an unattended dish of trifle is out of your reach, you can prove her wrong, by climbing onto a chair, then jumping onto the table, before finally launching yourself at the work surface. Mmm custard, your favourite thing in the world…
However, it is best if you do not attempt to climb any tall trees, this will result in an undignified failure. Instead hang around on the ground looking disinterested and mock the four legged cats who attain more height, but who look most ungainly as they clamber upwards.
4. Play cat and mouse.
Hunting birds is more difficult when you have only three legs, it is so much more effort to leap in the air. You may prefer to develop a taste for mice instead. When you get really old and lazy you might even try hunting worms. Or slugs. (But don’t let your human pet see you do that, or she will shout “Yuk!” and decline to cuddle you.)
5. Train your human pet to pander to your every whim
Your human pets will worry greatly about your three legged status and will be acutely aware of your every difficulty, so make the most of their feelings of guilt and use them to your advantage.
In the first weeks after your operation, decline to eat anything apart from the finest cuts of meat. Your humans will be extremely vexed about your health and will happily serve your choice of food.
When you begin to recover, pull your claws wildly on the carpet of the bottom step of the stair and on the base of the sofa until your dozy humans get the message and provide you with recumbent scratching facilities.
Once you are fully mobile, remember to look as if you are struggling from time to time, this will allow you to keep your human pets’ undivided attention. If you see one of them walking home laden with as much shopping as they can carry, hop out pathetically to meet them, making sure that you appear to be struggling to walk, then ride home in state, sitting on their shoulder whilst chuckling inwardly at how much they are struggling to carry you and all those bags. Once you have reached home in this manner and been placed gently back at ground level, run off at top speed with no difficulty whatsoever.
You will quickly discover that your three-leggedness is not necessarily a disadvantage as some humans might think; in fact it often makes it much easier for you to train the local humans to worship you and do your bidding.
Dear All
I have posted on this site before, re my beautiful boy Brie who had his rear leg removed 2 years ago now. Brie is only 5 and the loss of his leg has not held him back at all, still jumps 6 foot fences etc etc – he is such a clever boy.
I write for my advice because we are feeling desperately sad at the prospect that we may need to rehome our little one. Soon after Brie’s op, our daughter Emily arrived. Brie has never coped well with this. Despite all our efforts, he has never been anywhere near her and is positively petrified of her. If he even hears her he hides. We have tried plug in calmers, sprays. You name it. Brie is so so scared of children yet with adults he is loving and very sociable.
It breaks our hearts seeing him so stressed in his own home and having battled with this for 18 months we are starting to think that he needs a new home where there are no children, where he will get lots of adult fuss and be able to play outside lots.
We are not willing to put him into a centre, I will not have him live in a cage waiting for a new home so we are trying to find him a suitable home whilst keeping him as content with us as possible. If anybody would like another (very gorgeous and special) tripod or knows of anybody who could offer our Brie a loving hom then please please let me know.
Thanks, love, strokes and purrs to your furry babies xx
it might help to say where you are located….
We are located in Kent, and for the purrrfect home we would take Brie anywhere. If we didn’t find somewhere that suited him just right then we would obviously keep him and love him forever. We just feel guilty knowing that we just dont offer him the right home anymore and I can’t just ignore that. xx
Kate, I think that each cat, being different, has their preferances to who they are comfortable around. I have an 11 year old niece that my cats are terrified of. It breaks her heart because she is such a cat person. But my cats have never been around children and will hide at the first sight of anything that looks smaller than an adult. Your boy apparently just has an inate fear of little people. My heart goes out to you because the thought of having to part with my tripod would break my heart but I know that you are just looking out for the best interest of both of your babies. Keep your chin up, I’m sure that there is someone out there that will be willing to take your sweet furr baby in and love him as dearly as you do. I would love to try to help but I live in Michigan in the USA. So for now, all I can do is give Hugs to you from Sonja & Tre’pod.
Is that Kent, Ohio?
Kent, UK I am afraid x
This website is fantastic. It’s truly inspiring that so many people out there care for and love their cats so much. Our little boy Dylan had a climbing accident a fortnight ago. He’s six years old. Despite the very best veterinary care his front left leg was so badly damaged, the only option left open to us was to have it amputated. A truly terrifying decision to have to make. I started researching information on the web to see just what we were doing to him. Were we making the right decision? The stories on here convinced me we were. Consequently, he had his operation last Thursday and came home to us on Monday of this week. Although we are devastated, he appears quite relaxed and cool about the whole episode. He appeared to be more concerned about the collar around his head and the fact he couldn’t have a wash than the fact he now only has three legs. Generally speaking he appears to be very well. He has already figured out a few things we thought would be a challenge so he’s not letting the grass grow under his feet. It’s very early days for him right now and he hasn’t been outside yet. I’m worried he might have another mishap but I guess we’re just going to have to let him get on with life and see how he fairs. If he makes the full recovery we hope for and settles back down and enjoys life we will be incredibly blessed and lucky. Like a lot of the cats described on this site, he’s also a fabulous character and we love him dearly. Your messages are inspiring and I hope we get the same type of outcome that a lot of you guys have done.
Hey Rob, Welcome to the family! One of our members was told by her vet that you are not doing this to them, but you are doing this for them. It is an incredibly hard decision to make but you will truly be amazed at the way Dylan quickly adapts to being a tripod. He’s still young and strong and he’ll recover quickly and will find his new normal before you know it. The one thing I found with a front leg amputation is that it is harder to get down off of things because all that weight ends up on one leg and because it is harder to balance. We put “steps” all over the place. My husband built steps to put beside the bed which is very high, there is lugs & crates around and we just found a platform that has steps & a drawer for under the window. This will be a learning experience for you both, best advice, just go with it. Watch Dylan to see where he needs help and just put things there and you’ll be amazed at how quickly he’ll realize that it’s there for him. Our furr babies are very adaptable & adjust so much better than we humans do. Stay positive, he’ll feed on your attitude and if you have an attitude that he can do anything, he’ll feel the same way and he’ll be back to normal before you know it. Hugs to you and please keep us posted on his progress. Sonja & Tre’pod
Wow! I’m going to pray for your little cat to find a new home.
I’m in the United States, New York
Ella Catticus had to have her left front limb amputated in late November.
I truly believe I suffered more emotional damage than the cat.
Ella’s moto, “less to worry about, more things to do!”
I often worry about her head first landings but apparently nothing is too uncomfortably high for her
Like others, i put some steps around, not that she uses them:)
Just love your cat and he’ll be recovered before you know it!
Sarah and Ella Catticus
If this worked, this is my Roxie. She’s still doing awesome!
it worked, shes beautiful!
She is a beauty! She looks like Our Gimpy Girl except for the little bit of orange she has but the eyes are so similar.
How did you get more than one picture so show up in Gravitar? I have all my babies pictures in there but when you click on my picture you only see my little Tre’pod, would love to share all of my babies.
Kim, Roxie is beautiful and does remind me of my Frida. I’m glad that she is recuperating nicely!!!!
Thank you for sharing the photo!
Hi guys, I recently just started researching three-legged cats to find out what kind of a life they lead- before yesterday I never would have thought it was because my own cat MoMo would have to adapt…We aren’t sure how it happened, all I know is he came in and his leg was mangled, I was petrified and knew straight away that the vet wouldn’t be able to save it, the only thing I am so thankful is that he’ll be ok… My cat is only two years old, I’ve had him literally all his life, was present when he was born, I just wanted to know how it will be for him, at first and how much support we should give him etc? I really hope that we get the same outcome with MoMo like alot of you have done with your babies 🙂
Hi Zulaikha, Sorry to hear the your baby was injured, it is always so scary. MoMo is still very young, he has every chance of having a long, happy life on 3 legs. He’ll need lots and lots of love & attention at first but it won’t be long and he’ll be working on finding his own new normal. The one thing I found was that the attention that you give needs to be 100% positive. If you need to cry, don’t cry in front of him, do your very best to always be up when you’re around him, they are very sensitive to our emotions and if you are sad, he will be to. They will probably give him some sort of pain medication, this can constipate him so lots of extra liquid, tuna juice, chicken or beef stock, water, anything you can get him to take in. I don’t know which leg he will be losing but he may need steps to help him get up & down, my Tre’pod lost her right front leg at 12 1/2 years old (March 2011) and she is a magnificent baby but we have steps all over the place for her. There will be times you just want to do things for them but they need to be able to do for themselves, he’ll lose his balance, tumble, fall, all manner of things but he’ll get it. He has to do these things to learn his new center of balance. My baby still tumbles occasionally but she has adapted so well. Cats are not like humans, they aren’t in love with their body parts and when they lose something, they just go with the flow and adapt & adjust to a new way of having to do things. Hang in there, I know how emotional this is, believe me but you will both get through this and your baby will be his old happy self before you know it. Big hug from Sonja & Tre’pod
Hi Sonja, thanks so much I will definitely take all your advice on board, it was one of his back legs… The vet said the op went really well, they should be keeping him in for a while longer, they say he’s really strong- I believe that too, I mean he made it back home in his condition. Cats really are unlike us humans, the whole time he was just meowing like he normally would and didn’t panic at all… The attention isn’t a problem for me and my family, it’s just like you said a matter of knowing when it’s best to leave him to it.
Your right about being strong for him and not crying in front of him, I just found it quite difficult as it brought back a lot of memories of when his mother died, I’m only 18 so they’re really the only responsibility I have and if something happens it feels like I’m not doing my job… But I am so relieved he will be fine, it seems like all of your pets live healthy normal lives 🙂 thanks again, will keep you updated
Oh yes, my 4 cats are so and I do mean SO spoiled and doted on. Just remember that like kids, you can’t always keep an eye on them and you can’t always know what they are doing every second. Sometimes accidents happen, that’s why they call them accidents, it’s no ones fault, escpecially not yours so try not to beat yourself up to badly. I’ve lost several cats through the years, it’s always devastating for me because they are my kids. Just know that you’re doing the best for him that you can and it sounds like MoMo is gonna be fine. He may need help getting up on things because it is a back leg but he probably won’t have problems jumping down. Just watch and see where he needs help. It sounds like you are a wonderful mom so I have no doubt he’ll recover sooner than you think, they are amazing animals. Do keep us posted, we love to hear the great progress. Hugs from Sonja & Tre’pod.
It has helped me so much reading all these comments my little cat Roxy was chased by a dog an injured her back right leg,hock fracture she had her leg amputated 2weeks tommorow! I am heavily pregnant & have found the whole thing heartbreaking but reading positive feedback has helped me so much. Roxy is recovering well up an down the stairs just like before x
Oh Laura, so sorry for you and your Roxy baby. Hopefully Roxy will recover fully and be her same old self, just in tripod form, as before. Our little babies are so special. Hope that all goes well with your pregnancy and your little furr baby. Keep us posted. Hugs from Sonja and Tre’pod
Hey Sonja thanks 4 nice reply. Its a comfort to know im not going through this alone. A few people that dont have cats said I was mean an should of had her put down but how could anyone put a healthy animal down? Im just wondering do any of your cats still go outside? I cant really make Rox a house cat as I have 2 other cats that r constantly in an out the catflap. I let her in the garden today 4 a little while an she came back in of her own accord the vet said I can start to let her out as long as in close by when is it safe to let them go back into the bug wild world again. Rox never goes very far at all thats one blessing.
the people who dont have cats will never understand.. As my vet said, ” you did this FOR her, not TO her.” she will be fine, even outside. My cat is a peg leg, ended up not having his leg amputated but lame nonetheless and he loves outside. even caught a flying squirrel last week. they are smart creatures and will learn their own limitations.
Laura, Just ignore all the non-cat lover people, they have no idea how important our furr babies are to us. My mother in law is afraid of cats & couldn’t understand why I made the decision to amputate rather than put down either but now, almost 1 year later, Tre’ is as good as ever. They just don’t get it, we do, listen to us, LOL! And, what Beth said! All of my cats go outside for a while each morning even in the winter, I think they just need that fresh air. In the summer we prop the door open a little and they can come & go as they please & then we count heads to make sure they are all in at night. In the winter they tend to find a warm/sunny spot & stay there inside the house. I was worried about Tre’ going out at first but she does fine. We live in an old farm house & occasionally have a mouse and Tre’pod is the best mouser I have in the house still. She still races through the house first thing in the morning like her butt is on fire, it really didn’t change what she does, just maybe how she does it. She is more cautious on the steps to the basement going down but she flies up them. And she uses all the steps that we have around for her. As Rox recovers she’ll get back to doing all the same things and will make adjustments for the things that are now a little more difficult. Every morning Tre’ & I play on the bed, she like to “get the finger” under the blankets and she is as quick as ever so I have to be careful because she usually gets me with a claw. Just remember Rox is part of the family and we don’t just get rid of family if they get hurt. She’ll be fine. Hope all is going well with you. Keep us posted. Hugs from Sonja & Tre’pod.
Laura, my father had the same response. He is not an animal lover neither good with children. Lol! Exactly what Beth said “People who don’t have cats will never understand.” You are doing the right thing and I wish Rox and you love.
We just adopted a 3 year old male kitty today, who is a 3 legged beauty. He had the same owner for 3 years but she had to rehome him for various reasons. This is our first night and he is terrified. He doesn’t want me to hold him etc. He won’t even let me show him his food bowl and litter box. We are keeping him in a private room for now, just so he can become more comfortable. We have 2 small children, whom I also scare him thoroughly (2&4 boys). I’m just worried that this might be too much for him. I don’t want him to traumatized and scared forever. Does anyone have any suggestions?
please give him a few weeks. This is a normal response from even a four legged cat. Some just have a hard time adjusting to new surroundings. Let him have a quiet safe place he can go to and hopefully he will start coming out a bit at a time. Go slow with the boys for this adjusting time and let him watch them from afar…four of mine would be hiding for weeks while two of mine would be out chatting the first night… its a scary new world if hes only had one home he is accustom to it will take him a little longer. Be patient and brave with him, he needs your love and understanding. Thank you for trying for him!
Hey Krista, I agree with Beth, give him some time. Having 3 legs has nothing to do with how he is acting, he’s just scared, they always are when they are in a new environment. I suggest keeping him in his room so he can feel safe and go in, just you, often and talk to him and just sit with him so he knows that you are a friend and a safe person, someone he can trust. My Tre’, when she was a kitten was feral and it took me 6 months before she’d let me touch her and another 6 months before I could put her on my lap. She is now my Tre’pod and is still a very scared cat but actually, the surgery brought her out of her shell a little. Don’t know why but she’s the coolest cat I own and they are all pretty amazing. Hang in there, give him a chance to adjust and it could take several weeks. Introduce the kids quietly and probably seperately with you so he sees that they are okay too. He’ll be fine. Hugs from Sonja & Tre’pod.
Hello,
We adopted a 5 month old 3 legged kitten about a month ago. Her front leg was amputated due to nerve damage she sustained in an animal attack before she was rescued and brought to a shelter. She never really had use of the leg but I think she used it to lean on for balance, etc. She’s now free of the limb but is having a lot of trouble getting out of the litterbox without stepping in her poop. This is compounded by the fact that she came to us with a case of Coccidia and has had diarrhea ever since we brought her home. We treated her for the Coccidia but now the diarrhea seems to be returning. It doesn’t seem like she minds tracking poopy prints all over our house but we of course do. She is a very sweet and adorable kitten but I’m not sure if we can continue to keep her if she doesn’t figure out her technique. The shelter where we got her will take her back unconditionally but my daughter will be heartbroken. She picked this kitten out of a room full of perfect kittens.
Any ideas on how I can help her?
My Tre’ had her right front leg amputated almost 11 months ago now and when she first had it done, she had a lot of trouble with the litter box. They have a lot of balance issues at first and until they conquor that she may keep doing it. My suggestion is to give her a little time. I know it is disgusting to have to clean that up & have that in the house but hopefully she’ll work through it. The other thing I might suggest is to maybe get a little larger box so that she has a little more room to walk around in and maybe something that is a little lower. I have 4 with one of them being a tripod and sometimes they all have trouble,give your baby a litte more time, it could just be the balanc issue and they do figure it out. bless you for loving a tripod. Keep us posted. Hugs from Sonja & Tre’pod
another person on here recommended a cookie sheet so they arent having to climb in and out..might try that. good luck, be patient….. clear up the diarrhea and it wont be so bad…. confine her till shes well… i wouldnt have it all over my house either ( and I am an expert, i have a dog who has been bowel incontinent for 3 1/2 years…hate hate hate it when she gets an upset stomach!!!!!!)
Hello,
Updating you all to say that our Bonnie is doing much better now. She still has her clumsy litter box moments but I’m hoping that this will continue to improve. She likes to cram herself right into the corner of the box when she goes so she doesn’t leave herself a whole lot of room to turn around when she’s done. I often pick her up to check her back paws and always praise her lots when they are clean. We love her and she gets along very well with our other kitten (who only has one eye – we are such suckers!). She is a good girl and we are working on keeping her off the kitchen counters. I have found that if I find her somewhere where she shouldn’t be if I gently and calmly pick her up by the scruff of her neck to remove her while I say no she understands that I mean business. It’s worked with keeping her from trying to run down the basement stairs everytime I open the door and has kept her from trying to launch herself into our freezer every time I open it. Unfortunately, this is hard to remember to do when you find your kitten on top of the stove moving towards the boiling tea kettle!
Good luck to all of you and your little tri-paws!
I posted a message back in January about adopting a 5 month old cat from Cyprus (Lexi) who had to have one of her front legs removed due to it being injured in what the vet thought might have a collision with a car. She came to the UK on 11th March and now rules the roost over our 3 other cats. Our previously youngest cat, Ebony, who is about 18months old was initially petrified of her and I’m sure couldn’t even work out if Lexi was a cat or what she was. It took a few weeks, but now all my other three are OK with her. They’ll never be best friends but they are fairly tolerant now. Lexi has no problems with mobility – she jump up and down from all the furniture with ease. I suppose if it were a back leg, then this would be different. She has never had a problem with using the litter tray, although we did have a similar problem to Roolalenska. You can buy litter tray mats so that they come out the litter tray onto this and it traps any dirt. As I have tiled floors where the cat litter is, I just kept cleaning! I was very concerned about how Lexi would cope with her amputation like a lot of others on this site, but I needn’t have worried at all – she is absolutely fine. So far she has not gone outside, but this is more about the fact that she is not used to cold weather and had a lot of fur shaved off for her amputation and spaying so would have been freezing. We may try letting her out next month. She has not even asked to go out or attemped to work out our cat flap. Getting her to use the cat flap will be our next challenge – not sure if she will be able to. Best wishes and good luck to everyone with their tripods. They all seem to bring a lot of joy. We don’t regret bring Lexi back from Cyprus at all.
Karen, Lexi is so lucky to have found someone so willing to go to great lengths to bring her to a forever home, bless you for being such kind, loving people. She may decide that winter is just not a time that she wants to be outside. Mine will go out for a couple minutes & then want right back in. They aren’t stupid and know where it is warm & cozy. Enjoy your Lexi, I’m sure that she will bring you much joy. My little Tre’pod is a very special girl and my life is so much fuller because of her. Hugs, Sonja & Tre’pod
Hi everyone! Update on my Roxy! Well it had been 4weeks tommorow since she had her back right leg amputated and have to say (hopefully without speaking too soon) she is doing amazingly she is back in
the room with her brother an my other cat an has.even managed the cat flap! we have had to put a step outside so she can get back in as it a tad high but shes figured it out and is back to normal! im sooo happy its like it never happened! she still goes to stratch her right ear but think she realises now that her leg is gone so I scratch it 4 her! I love her so very much.she really is a wonderful little cat all they need is lots of love an they can adapt to anything! I can enjoy the rest of my pregnancy now an look 4ward to introducing my beautiful little boy to our amazing cat Roxy xx
So happy for you and Roxy! Your right, thery really are amazing babies. We worry so much about them but they prove to us every time that they can adapt & adjust to just about anything and with love and care they can continue to be their loving, amazing selves. Hugs to you & hope your pregnancy continues without any problems. Sonja & Tre’pod
Lovely, lovely tripods 🙂
I can’t imagine my day without Ella Catticus bouncing off the furniture and looking for belly rubs
She even caught her toy with her one paw, I was amazed at that!
Sarah and Ella Catticus
They are lovely indeed! Hushpad is back to catching cat treats in the air, not bad for a tripod of nearly 14!
Just wanted to share
Thanks
Jo and Hush x
Hi On thanksgiving Our new cat followed me home! We were walking and heard him yelling at us when we noticed him following us (it was dark) We were like oh no he’s limping…Oh no he has 3 legs!!! He followed us all the way home and made his way without hesitation into our home!! We have 3 dogs he didnt act scared or threatend by them at all like he knew them forever…So we decided to hold onto him a coupkle of days..surely someone was missing their 3 legged friend…I put up flyers and posts on craigslist nothing So since he fit in so well with our lil family we decided to keep him. What an amazing cat. Nothing holds him back! We call him Handicat!
where’s the “like” button????
LOVE the name! Our 12 year old was named Tre’ when she was just 3 months old because she was the 3rd of 4 cats that showed up at our farm. Little did we know that it would eventually be prophetic. It has been almost a year since her amputation and she has been officially dubbed Tre’pod. Enjoy your Handicat, he will amaze & amuse you, they are such wonderful babies to have around. Hugs, Sonja & Tre’pod.
I love the name 🙂
Melissa, You ROCK! What a love story!!!! I’m so glad Handicat found you.
Hello
My world has turned upside down, We found our 10 month old cat Bruno on sunday morning laying in the corner of our front garden. when we got closer you could see he was injured his 2 back legs.we took him to an out of hours vet to look him in and cleaned him up.
when they called us later after xrays, cleaning him and getting him comfortable she then told us they had found teeth marks on his wounds.we had thought he was hit by a car (Next door we think)and then told they think it was a dog or fox? (next door have an English bull terrier) so were not sure.
the vet took him to another vet who would do the surgery to mend him, but the surgeon was on holiday, so we had him collected and taken back to origial vets who did wonderful work finding someone who would do the operation at a low cost of the £5,000 cost which we were quoted.
she got someone to do the operation yesterday afternoon.I called this morning and he is doing fine is moving around a little and eating some bits of food.
one of his legs which were damaged the most has been taken off the other leg was broken up the top of the leg so they have had to pin this, my poor baby been worrying my head off.
we are hoping to see him tonight.
any advise would be lovely
kind regards
Andrena
from KENT UK
Dear Andrena, So sorry to hear that your Bruno has been injured. First take a deep breath, I know your fear and I promise it will get better. Your kitty has a little more recovery to do because of the injury to both legs but Bruno is young and he will pull through this and amaze you with his ability to adapt to the changes in his life. You on the other hand will probably fret over this for a while. It is scary to have our babies have injury or illness that necessitates an amputation but they don’t fret like we do. They just say to themselves, “Okay, this is new, lets figure it out & get on with it”. He is gonna need lots of love, lots of patience and lot & lots of spoiling. He will probably be on pain medications which can cause constipation so extra liquid, water, gravy, tuna juice, chicken or beef stock, anything to get more liquids into him. Also, as he heals & starts to move around he may need steps around to help him get up on things, My husband has built actual steps which we carpeted so my baby can get up & down. We have a set by the bed, a set by the window and a set in the basement by the window so that she can get down easier, she lost a front leg. But because both of his back legs were injured he may not have the jumping power even with the one that he has left. Stay positive around him because he will pick up your emotions and if you are sad, he will be sad too. I cried in private and encouraged and praised when I was with my girl. My Tre’pod has recovered beautifully and if you read past posts here you will find that tripod kitties live a wonderful life of love and adventure. They are amazing and beautiful and no different from any other cat with the exception that they only have 3 legs. Bruno will recover and be fine, he’ll amaze & astound you with his resilience. Try to relax, he’s gonna need your soothing, positive energy to get through this. Please keep us posted on Bruno’s progress. Hugs to you all from Sonja & Tre’pod.
Andrena,
The best advice I can give is to post often
This site was my saving grace the night my kittens leg got messed up
They had to keep her overnight until the surgeon came in so I cried, worried and read this blog.
Bruno will be great before you know it!
Sarah and Ella Catticus
Need some advice about my cat’s recent amputation.. The procedure was about a month ago, her wound healed without any issues but she is exhibiting some behavioral problems that are concerning me. Before her accident (was hit by a car and suffered a femoral fracture) she was extremely independent and outgoing, was not skittish in the least and had a pretty dog-like personality. I used to work at a Vet, so I took the necessary steps to ensure that she was kept comfortable and happy during recovery, but this is where I am lost. Now that she has had her surgery, she runs away from everyone in the house except for me. She cries and bites are her incision area or just cries in frustration and her personality has changed. She will be playing and purring one minute and then will attack and hiss without warning. I am concerned that she is extremely unhappy or painful and that maybe I have made a poor decision in having her leg amputated. Has anyone else experienced this and/or does anyone have any advice?
Thanks
Hi Beth P. Give your cat time. It has been a massive trauma for her (and you) and you both need time to adjust. My JJ had his leg amputated July 2010 and has fully recovered and back to his normal personality. There is still a lot of tissue and nerve end healing taking place with your cat. What a feline psychologist told me was that cats also suffer from phantom limb syndrome so it may still be strange for her to work out what is going on. JJ scratches his ear (you can see the stump twitching and his head goes on one side) so he knows know to come to me for a scratch.
I am sure you have made the right decion for her and she will be fine in time. She just needs to learn how to cope with her new status and I am sure she will do very well. By the time the scar has healed and the fur has grown back she will be different again.
My cat is going to be having her back right leg amputated within the next couple of weeks because of a tumor and I have been an emotional mess. I just want to thank everyone on this website because it has helped so much to put my mind at ease. My cat is my baby, I love her more than anything and the thought of her having such a major surgery is terrifying to think about, but thanks to all of the positive feedback from others who have gone through the same thing I can feel confident that she will be able to go back to her normal wonderful self. Please everyone out there say a prayer for my kitty and I will do the same for all of your sweet cats who are still recovering. Thank you again, everyone!!
Hi Alyssa, What is your kitties name? 11 months ago we had to remove the right front leg from out little Tre’ due to a tumor. She healed well and is back to her normal, neurotic, lovable self. Your baby will struggle at first and it will tear your heart out but remember to stay positive, she’ll need that and that our little fur babies, adapt & adjust so much better than we humans due. I cried buckets of tears when we discovered the cancer and I was so afraid that I had done the wrong thing but I was wrong and I had made the right decision and my Tre’pod is now healthy, happy and more spoiled than ever. Hang in there and keep us informed we all care about the tripods. Hugs from Sonja & Tre’pod.
Hi, Sonja! My cat’s name is Daisy she is a sweetheart! She had the amputation yesterday and is home today already. She managed to use the litterbox on her own but she is having a really hard time getting around right now. I am going to continue to wish for the best and help her around as much as possible until she figures out her new way of doing things. Thanks again for your kindness, knowing how well your Tre’ is doing gives me hope 🙂
Hi Alyssa, Love the name, one of my favorite flowers. Glad that she is home so quickly. Give her some time, she’ll find her new normal and will just get on with life. I took Tre’ to the vet for an allergy shot last Friday (she also has asthma) and the she was amazed at how good she looked and how well we are both doing. So hang in there, it will take some time but once she figures out the balance thing, the healing process will be quick. One of the things that amazes me is how differntly Tre’ lays. She has changed how she puts her back legs, so it helps her when she gets up. They are just amazing creatures that never say can’t or won’t or I give up. Hugs to you both, keep us posted. Sonja & Tre’pod
Thanks for your kind words.
we went to the vets last night to see Bruno ohhhhhhh he was so so pleased to see us, he tryed to shuffle around using this weight to see us and you know what he looked so good.The vets have done a brilliant job on him and he was purring.He is having pain killers and he’s got a pain releif pad which should be on till the end of the week.He eating lots of food and drinking well, just hasnt managed to go the toilet as of yet but the vets are very happy with him consider he only had his operation just over 24hours.He was very loving and all soppy I’m really really happy.
I know we have a long way to go but he has all our support and love.
Will keep you all posted on how he gets on
love to you all
Andrena xxx
So happy to hear this, Bruno will amaze you I’m sure. There is just no better love than that of our fur babies. Love him, kiss him, spoil him rotten, he’s gonna need it and it will make you feel better too. Please keep us posted. Hugs from Sonja & Tre’pod.
Hi Beth
When Hushpad had her leg amputated last year she was amazing and her recovery was astounding.
Then about a month later she started licking and licking till she had a one inch bald patch not where the wound had been but about two inches away. She was making it sore and we went back to the vet to be told it was where her nerve endings were.
She would curl up in a radiator kitty sling and would be fast asleep and wake up hissing and jump out looking as though she thought that something had hurt her and she would do the same when asleep our knee and would jump us and give up such a look as though we had done something to her.
We had been advised to wean her off the medication that she took once a day as soon as we could and as the dose went down she got worse.
So we put her back on the full dose with the agreement of the vet, and are weaning her off it much more slowly. The hissing and phantom pain stopped, the fur has now grown back and we do avoid ever touching or grooming that spot or she will start licking again. She was 13 when we had to have the leg removed.
We were heartbroken after all she had been through to see her still suffering.
All is find now but she will not entertain the kitty radiator sling that she did love so much so she must still associate that with the pain she was encountering.
Dont know if this will help at all?
Love to you and your adorable kitty.
Jo
Got the call from the vets to say Bruno is doing really well but he still hasn’t
Emptied his bladder, they have pierced his bladder with a fine needle to draw some of the fluid off, this helped and Bruno then and got in his litter tray and done a big wee all by himself.
The vet called me later in the day to say they were happy Bruno could come home, so I got everything ready and waited for my husband to get home from work as I have vertigo at the moment and cannot drive. My husband was delayed and was not going to make it to pick him up in time from the surgery before they shut, but a kind nurse who lives around the corner dropped Bruno at my house late last night cannot believe how wonderful this vets have been, and I haven’t even settled the bill as of yet.
Bruno bless him was scared to be back home with all the other 3 cats gaupping at him they are scared to come near him, but I think this will pass I think he just smells and look strange to them.
He’s had a good night and he eating a little this morning not as much as I would like but I think this is all going to take time.
He was a good boy and has used his litter tray with his first solid toilet.
I have left him in his cage sleeping with the radio one to keep him company he’s chilling I think, he’s back to the vets on Friday to see the surgeon who did the operation for his pain relieve patch coming off and check up.
Take care all with be in touch soon
Love Andrena x
Hi Andrena, Happy that Bruno is home, I can hear the relief in the words that you’ve written. Give everybody a couple days to get used to the new situation. Smells are heightened for any animal and the smell of the vets office is always a scary smell. He may not eat much for the first few days because of the anesthesia & pain and he just went through a major trauma. But he’ll be fine, just wait & see. He’ll adjust quickly and will be back to the same happy, lovable kitty before you know it. Keep us posted on his progress, but it sounds like he’s doing really well. Hugs from Sonja & Tre’pod
Hi Andrena, Can hear the relief in what you’re writing. Give Bruno and the rest of the pack a couple days to get used to each other again. The smells are probably heightened, as for all animals, and the vets office is always a scary smell. Bruno probably won’t eat a lot the first week or so, the anesthesia and pain don’t help but he has been through a severe trauma. He’ll find his new normal and be back to his happy, loving self before you know it. You’ll be amazed by him for sure. Please keep us posted on his progress. Hugs from Sonja & Tre’pod
Hello Everyone,
Bruno is looking a bit sorry for him self this morning, he dont want to come out of his pen? while i was watching tv i’ve left the door open but he dont want to come out, hes just sleeping.
I think Bruno is fine its me please tell me he will be back to his old self?
Taking him for a check up tonight to have his patch off.
It dont help that i’m a born worrier, I know he’s been through a lot and i know its gonna take time i just need to take each day as it comes.
He’s well looked after and i need to chill, take a chill pill.
talk soon
Andrena
Hi Andrena, I wish I was right there with you so I could give you a big hug and tell you he will be fine. When my Tre’ came home I was so worried about her, I watched her and spent just about every waking minute with her, if I wasn’t in the room with her I would check on her every 15-20 minutes just to make sure she was fine. I slept on an air mattress in the room with her for a week. You haven’t got anything on me when it comes to worry. But as I write this, I’m looking out the door at her sitting on the patio, enjoying a little above average temperatures for this time of year. Tre’ is a fearful cat so she is scared of everything and I think it actually took her a little longer to rebound but she did. Remember that Bruno has just had major surgery and he is going to need to sleep a lot and the pain patch may make him want to sleep too. Give him some time and he’ll start to find his new normal and will be his old self before long. I know how scary it is, believe me. Make sure that if you have questions for the vet to write them down so you remember to ask them, any concerns you have, anything. My vet was just wonderful and I am eternally greatful to her for the love and care that she gave my baby, so don’t be afraid to ask questions. One thing I will tell you, the first time that he does something that he used to do, don’t be surprised if you want to cry for joy because he’s doing normal things. My husband thought I was crazy the first time Tre’ came out to the dining room to sit with me while I made dinner. She always used to do that and now, she’s with me every evening while I’m cooking. Hang in there sweetie, it does get better. Hugs from Sonja & Tre’pod
when i think the world is going to hell in a handbag i simply have to read everyones posts and see all the compassion and love, not only for cats but other humans as well. all of you are wonderful.
Hello Sonya
Thanks so so much for all your kind words, it has really helped
It just seems were all walking around on egg shells worried if he’s comfortable and so on.
Ok we took him to the vets on Friday and we meet the surgeon who done the operation on Bruno, she was lovely she has another Black cat 2 days before Bruno with the same thing. She took the pain relief patch off and gave him a check over.
She is really happy with his progress we are going back this Monday to have his stitches taken out.
Okay update on my little fur baby
On Friday he came out of his pen and was happy moving around the front room while I was doing some jobs around the house when I came back into he room he had managed to make his way up stairs 7or 8 steps when I caught up with him,the little minx.
He then made his way to the cat flap and tried to get out side he just laid their crying. so we have had to shut it so he cant get out, nor can the other cats so we have to keep having to let them out using the door.(no hardship)
I think he wants to just carry on like before but of course he can’t at the moment.
We have spent lots of time playing with him to keep his sprits up.
The other cats still don’t really want to know, our old girl Sadie wants to be friends bless her she’s 18 years old she’s black as well she’s been sitting near watching him and trying to play.
He’s been good in the toilet department he even found the other litter tray with the flap and used this.
So back to work tomorrow and this will be the first day on his own, we are going to leave the radio on to keep him company so that will help.
Will keep you updated
Love to everyone with special fur babies
Andrena xxx
Hi Andrena,
I walked on eggshells for a couple months but didn’t really need to. They want to get back to normal before we are willing or maybe able to let them. I wouldn’t let him out until he incision is a little bit healed but I’m sure that he will nag you to go out before that as he already has. They handle stairs actually fairly well, my Tre’ lost her front right leg and navigates the stairs better than I ever thought that she would, a little slower going down but she can go up them as well as before the surgery. All the other will get used to him again. He probably still smells a little different because of the wound. Once that heals everyone will be happy again unless they are like mine & never really got along but then it will still come back to normal. Good luck keeping him calm & not over doing anything. He’s gonna want to find his new normal as soon as possible. Do keep us posted. Hugs from Sonja & Tre’pod.
Speaking from the experience of sleeping on the flloor next to my Ella for a week
I understand how concerned you are, but give lots of love and before you know it you cat will be back to normal and more spoiled than ever 🙂
Best wishes 🙂
Sarah and Ella Catticus
Hello all. My boy Marli was missing when l returned from work one night. I spent all evening going up and down road calling him and knocking on neighbours doors, in the end l had to go in. My other boy Kyte slept on bed with me all night and at 7.15am shot up as he heard something outside. Marli was HOME but his left back leg was injured. After 2 weeks of alternate days being sedated, re-bandaged l made decision to sadly have his leg amputated. I hope he forgives me sometimes feel guilty BUT he can now (7 weeks later) jump onto things sofa height, do stairs and l know we are going forwards. There are funny times – he sneezed yesterday and fell over !! MY next problem is that as the sun shines it will be time to think of letting him back out, neither cat has been out since that day and they haven’t shown any signs of wanting to but l know l will worry, how do l let them out, any tips, my vet has said no one woiuld blame me for keeping them in but ….. any tips kind tripod keepers for me. Love to all xx
Oh Dear Beverly, He’s already forgiven you, but he was never angry at you to begin with. You took away the pain, therefore you are his hero. Just remember that cats/dogs don’t see life the way we do and when they lose a limb, they don’t mourn, they realize something is different and they just get on with life. He will continue to get better and find his new normal. You may need to give him some stairs for things that are higher because he doesn’t have the same strength that he had. I will say from experience, My little Tre’ (Tre’pod) has the strength of two legs in her one front leg, she is really strong. I also struggled with letting my Tre’ out, but in most cases, what has happened is a weird, freak accident and the odds of something happening again are really small. If he wants out, let him go, keep an eye on him, go with him the first few times, it is an uncomfortable process for you but he is just doing what he has always done. If he never feels the need to go out again, all the better for you but none of my cats stay in the house all the time. In the morning, when the weather is warm, we prop the back door open and they can come & go as they please. This is a hard process to go through, my girl lost her leg to cancer and it killed me to have to make the decision to amputate but now, a year later, she is perfect and happy and more beautiful than ever. Once you are through the initial shock, it starts to get better. Hang in there Bev, Marli will amaze you far more than you ever thought possible, just go on the ride with him and let him tell you what he needs. Hugs to you and keep us posted. Sonja & Tre’pod.
For example…
5 months after her amputation Ella Catticus has no problem out maneuvering me or mad dashing after her toys, she is a very happy cat 🙂
Hello All,
Wanted to update you on our Bonnie. She is doing really well now. She finally figured out the litter box balance challenge and hasn’t had many problems since. She gets around incredibly well just two months after her surgery and if you didn’t know you might not even notice right away that she’s missing anything at all. She is very quick and tiny and a great jumper. Her newest trick is jumping up into the spice cabinet and knocking stuff over. It’s actually pretty cute but annoying at the same time. I guess I should be extra glad that she’s sorted out the poop-on-paws problem now! She and our other kitty are really great friends now and love to chase each other all over the place. My hubby even found them sleeping together the other night. I thought I’d never see that day when we first brought Bonnie home. They are both wonderful cats and I’m so glad that we have them. Good luck to all with your tri-pods and others!
hi wanted to share this my cate went missing yesturday morning and we couldent find hime i new something was rong so i told myself i want goona wiat till he came home by himself becuase i felt something was rong so i looked and searched all day and night usaaly he comes to me when i call hi name tiger but he wasnet so i prayied to help and sure enough i kept calling and turned the corner i looked in a big field and sow something wierd it was hime he tried to stand up and fell right back dowen and you could e hi leg just dangeling so i took hime home about a 20 minute walk his leg was broked all the way up relly badley this was today on goodfriday so nothing was open so my mother and me went to the vets house didnt wanna bother here but we felt we hade no other option so she took himemy yunger brother went with here to the vet i got a call he said you have 3 options 1 wa to put hime to sleep no way that was goona happen the other was amputate his back left leg or try to patch hime up and wait till monday to go a 4 hour drive to a specialest and c if it wasnt to bade to fix but it was sadley mutch wore then she first thought when she went to shave of the fir another bone was ticking out she said it was so badley brocken and so far up thier was no chance of hime healling so theyd have to amputate the leg i told them not to cause i would try enything but they did it enyways i hope they made the right choice and they got hime spaded nuderd at the smame time hes in the living room crying in pain and cant even stand or enything not to to mutch but a little pain comming frome hime i feel so bade i hope he gets better ive been seing alote of stuff on youtube 3 leged cats and they all seemed mine i hope he will be to i relly dont want them to put hime to sleep but im glade i found hime becuase 4 sure the foxes would have gotten hime well i hope everyone ele cats got better and i hope the same 4 my tiger hes like trying to stand but looks like a fish out of watter its relly sade i donno whut to do i dont like it one bit whut wierd way life is sometimes well take care ill be back to let u all no whut happens hopfully nothing but good news and one more thing i have 2 other cats here tommy and buddy thier all brother all 3 and 4 some reason buddy attacked tiger and tiger cant even move it was pitafull luckally i was right thier to stop hime and tommy keeps wanting to go by hime when i take hime away frome hime he grouls whuts going on i donno whut to do
orry 4 the spelling so shakey
hi wanted to share this. my cate went missing yesturday morning and we couldent find hime i new something was rong so i told myself i wans not goona wiat till he came home by himself becuase i felt something was rong so i looked and searched all day and night ussaly he comes to me when i call him his name is tiger but he wasnet coming to me so i prayied to help and sure enough i kept calling and turned the corner i looked in a big field and saw something wierd it was hime he tried to stand up and fell right back dowen and you could se his leg just dangeling so i took hime home about a 20 minute walk his leg was broked all the way up relly badley this was today on goodfriday so nothing was open so my mother and me went to the vets house didnt wanna bother here but we felt we hade no other option so she took hime my yunger brother went with here to the vet i got a call he said you have 3 options 1 we put hime to sleep no way that was goona happen the other was amputate his back left leg or try to patch hime up and wait till monday to go a 4 hour drive to a specialest and c if it wasnt to bade to fix but it was sadley mutch worse then she first thought when she went to shave of the fir another bone was ticking out she said it was so badley brocken and so far up thier was no chance of hime healling so theyd have to amputate the leg i told them not to cause i would try enything but they did it enyways i hope they made the right choice and they got hime spaded nuderd at the smame time hes in the living room crying in pain and cant even stand or enything not to to mutch but a little pain comming frome hime hes also eating just a little bit feed hime with thier hands i feel so bade i hope he gets better ive been seing alote of stuff on youtube 3 leged cats and they all seemed fine i hope he will be to i relly dont want them to put hime to sleep but im glade i found hime becuase 4 sure the foxes would have gotten hime well i hope everyone else cats got better and i hope the same 4 my tiger hes like trying to stand but looks like a fish out of watter its relly sade i donno whut to do i dont like it one bit whut wierd way life is sometimes well take care ill be back to let u all no whute happens hopfully nothing but good news and one more thing i have 2 other cats here tommy and buddy thier all brother all 3 and 4 some reason buddy attacked tiger and tiger cant even move it was pitafull luckally i was right thier to stop hime and tommy keeps wanting to go by hime when i take hime away frome hime he grouls whuts going on i donno whut to do with them im keeping them in sepret rooms but cant do that forever i ques thiel have to deal with it 4 now thx 4 ur time take care everyone spelling still wont be perfect but im so tired and shakey
Hi Lucas, Just wanted to add my encouragement to your post. The shock of having one or our furry children get injured is one of the most devastating shocks we have to endure. My little Tre’ had cancer and lost her right front leg to that. It might have been easier for me if it had been an injury because I would have wanted to remove her pain, which is what you did for your Tiger. One of the people here put it the best, you are not doing this to them, you are doing this for them. He was in pain, I’m sure, and you helped to take that pain away. It will take some time for him to heal but he will, I promise. We have one cat that still picks on our little Tre’pod but since yours got along before, they will again when the vet office and injury smells go away. Give Tiger a quite, peaceful place to heal, lots & lots of love, time and affection, it will help both of you. Stay calm and up beat when you are with him and that will help him more than you know, they attach themselves to our emotions and if you are upset & scared, he will be too. Give him extra liquids, water, tuna juice, chicken or beef stock if he will take it as the pain meds may constipate him and the extra liquid will help. As he heals & re-learns how to get around he may need the help of steps to get up on things that are higher as he won’t have the strength of 2 legs to get him up. We have steps all over the place for Tre’ to get down since she lost the balance of 2 legs in the front. Keep reading the posts here, there are so many wonderful stories of the fear that grip us all and the great recoveries that ensue. Just over a year ago I was afraid that I was going to lose my baby, but today she is a beautiful, spoiled rotten, well adjusted cat. Keep your chin up, Tiger will be fine and will find his new normal quicker than you could ever believe. There will always be a little bit of fear, but you’ll learn to deal with that and your beautiful Tiger will teach you all sorts of lessons of adapting and adjusting to what life hands you. Hugs from Sonja and Tre’pod.
1 more thing everytime he tries to get up he cant he relly looks like a fiosh out of watter and veery sade when he tops trying he hase tears in his eys and he just looks like hes giving up like verry depres im so worried 4 hime is all this normal when this happens well another thing he got fixed the same time they took his left back leg of so thers alot of banages and its in the way of hi back leg so that could be the reason he cant walk i unno well half to wait and c poor thing i unno how some peaple could be so creul to animals its sade sorry 4 posting 3 things just need someone to talk to thats going through or hade the same thing happen to thier cat already cause right now i unno whut to think again thx 4 ur time
How is Tiger doing? Been thinking about both or you this week as it was just a couple weeks ago that my Tre’pod had her 1 year anniversary and she is just doing amazing. Hugs to you.
First of all Lucas, you did right to take the cat to the vet and get the leg amputated. Nothing else would have saved his life even though it is hard to make difficult decisions for the cat.
Secondly, you are in deep shock as we all were when it happened to our cats. We understand that. If you can be calm, this will help your cat be calm too so he doesn’t pick up on your emotions and think there is something to worry about. If you cry, do it away from him and be soothing and calm in his presence.
Thirdly, your cat needs rest now to recover from his own shock. He needs quiet and care to recover.
Look at all the advice on this page. It will help you and your cat. Sonia and I and others have posted lots of reassuring advice about practical things like toileting and helping our cats move around.
If you have, or can borrow, a cat cage (like a small dog crate) then you can isolate him. Put a blanket and a small litter tray in and keep him warm and draught free by putting a cloth over the top to make it quiet. You can leave the door open a bit so the others can sniff him and in a couple of days or so he will want to move around and wobble out.
However horrible the wound looks, it will heal up and the fur will grow back. Just let him recover quietly at his own pace. Cats are very strong and brave and you will be too.
My JJ had his back leg amputated July 2010. He is racing round the garden now trying to catch birds. Every time I look at him I get a lump in my throat. He is now 11 and had to learn how to walk all over again. But he just got on with it – and so will your cat.
Best wishes
Anne
Hi Lucas,
Sorry to hear about Tiger. Amputation sounds awful, but you did the right thing. Less than three months after losing a leg my cat was catching birds. They do recover – probably faster than you will recover from the shock.
My cat cried a lot When I first brought him home from the vet after his amputation. I sat with him, rubbed his head from time to time, talked to other people, read my book out loud, just kept him company.
Our other cat did not like the new tripod at all during the first few days – even though they were brothers. I think it’s because the three-legged cat smelled different – lots of smells lingering from the treatment at the vets. We kept our three-legged cat in a room on his own and didn’t leave the other cat with him at first. Things did settle down, but I think it took quite a few weeks before they started getting along again.
Good luck with Tiger. The first few days will seem bad, but hang on in there, it will get better. And if you have any more questions, you know where to come – there are lots of nice tripod owners who post comments here.
Lucas, it is a terrible thing that has happened to poor Tiger but with love and care he will return to a happy kitty that gets along just fine. Make sure he is in a quiet safe place away from his brothers while he recuperates. He needs time to heal and figure out how to get on with life. Give him lots of love,make sure hes getting his medicine and enough to eat and drink. read the posts here and you will be able to care for him. his body has been through alot of stress and he needs to heal quietly.
Lucas, post as much as you need
My kitten got injured at night so I had a long night
This site was what got me through and since I’m in
The USA, I was able to talk with people even at
2 in the morning
Ella is now 4 months healed and nothing stops her
She also was spayed at the same time
Just be kind and happy to tiger, he will be better
Before you know it 🙂
Sarah and Ella Catticus
Hello Lucas
We all know what your going through we all have been their, just reading some of your words brings back so much for me with me Bruno.
He was run over by a car and had 2 broken back legs end of Feb this year. He’s only
10 months old and like you I was going out of my head with worry. After his operation and he came home my other kitten summer who are close would not go near him and it broke my heart and his cos he so wanted love and warm from her.
Check out my post you can tell from my words I was like you.28/2/12
Some days he would get better and some days would be in pain, but let me tell you my Bruno is doing so so well.
We took him back to the vets to have the pin from the other leg taken out and he came home a happy chappie I think the pin was giving him jip.
My Bruno is back to his old self and running up and down the stairs, he has now started to go back outside while we go to work and he loves just sitting in the sun and chilling.
My other cat summer has now started to wash him and get back close to him, give it time it will be okay, lots of rest and quite will do the trick.
I also got some of those pouches cat food with gravy and added water to make sure he was drinking enough and he normally has dry food biscuits.
Lots of love and reassurance he will be up and running around before you know it and you will look and back and say to yourselves what was I worrying about.
This site save me and it will save you.
All my love to you and your tiger
Andrena xx
Hello Lucas
We all know what your going through we all have been their, just reading some of your words brings back so much for me with my Bruno.
He was run over by a car and had 2 broken back legs end of Feb this year. He’s only
10 months old and like you I was going out of my head with worry. After his operation and he came home my other kitten summer who are close would not go near him and it broke my heart and his cos he so wanted love and warm from her.
Check out my post you can tell from my words I was like you.28/2/12
Some days he would get better and some days would be in pain, but let me tell you my Bruno is doing so so well.
We took him back to the vets to have the pin from the other leg taken out and he came home a happy chappie I think the pin was giving him jip.
My Bruno is back to his old self and running up and down the stairs, he has now started to go back outside while we go to work and he loves just sitting in the sun and chilling.
My other cat summer has now started to wash him and get back close to him, give it time it will be okay, lots of rest and quite will do the trick.
I also got some of those pouches cat food with gravy and added water to make sure he was drinking enough and he normally has dry food biscuits.
Lots of love and reassurance he will be up and running around before you know it and you will look and back and say to yourselves what was I worrying about.
This site save me and it will save you.
All my love to you and your tiger
Andrena xx
Hi All,
I have a beautiful little cat called “Lily” who myself and my little boy adopted very recently.
We lost our cat Rosie 3 years ago and have only recently felt ready to love another.
My little boy chose Lily because she has 3 legs and his reason for doing so was because most cats have 4 legs and he wanted to love and care for a very special cat.
Two months on, Lily has adapted extremely well to her new life with us and she is simply adorable, we must have had the whole class from school round for tea and Lily has even converted non cat lovers!! She may walk like you would expect a cat with 3 legs, but she runs like a cat with 4!. It is so rewarding looking after her and she has soooo much affection to give.
Lots of Love to those who care,
Jayne x
What a wonderful young man your son is!
And yes the limp definitly stops at full speed 🙂
Sarah and Ella Catticus
Hi Anne,
It really is amazing how well they do adapt to go on and enjoy a normal life, and it is a blessing you still have your cat with you : ) I look forward to hearing how your little cat is recovering, no doubt he is enjoying lots of cuddles and fuss at the moment!
Jayne.
Hi yes thanks so much for replying my son phoned this morning his cat is hopping around now on three legs and eating etc, he seems to be recovering well.
Will update,
Hi I just wanted to say your stories have inspired my son and I, yesterday my son got up to find his cat meowing on the doorstep on closer examination he noticed that his leg was hanging off, my son thought at first it was a fox, but when he took him to the vet he said he had been hit by a car.
Anyway the vet was unable to save his leg and he had to have it amputated it is one of his rear ones, my son was worried but he read your site and took comfort that his cat called lucky will adapt.
We are thankful that lucky is still alive as it could have been a lot worse. He seems to have recovered from his operation well its early days but we are hopeful he will make a good recovery.
Love pads (anne) x
My little Abby caught her front right paw in a net curtain and fell off the window sill trying to free herself this weekend. She has been up and down off that same window sill hundreds of times with no problems and somehow got into trouble this last time. I was out at the time and came home hours later to find her in pain. I’m still having a hard time forgiving myself. I now can think of all the things I could’ve/should’ve done that may have prevented it. After sitting in consult for over an hour with our vet surgeries top surgeon on Sat we decided that the best thing for Abby was to remove the damaged leg. She had completely dislocated her wrist and elbow and torn all the tendons and ligaments. Even if we tried surgery the vet said the outcome may not be very good- she would never have a fully functioning leg. So now i’m waiting…she is having surgery as I write this. And I am scared and heartbroken. I feel like I should have taken better care of her as it’s my responsibility as her mum. I have no idea how she’ll cope but i’m hopeful that with a lot of love and patience she’ll be ok. She was a rescue kitten and so had a rough start in life- she’s a little fighter and so independent. I just hope this won’t affect her too badly.
Hi Kate, It was an accident, nothing that you did intentionally hurt Abby. Accidents happen, not a single thing we can do about it but get on with life. So as Anne said quit beating yourself up about it, it won’t do you or Abby any good. My little Tre’ lost her front right leg to cancer, it was just there one day and my options were very limited, it was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. I was devastated that she would have to go through this but they are amazingly adaptable animals that amaze us with their ability to just get on with life. Just remember that you took Abby into your life and both of you are blessed because of it. She may have had a rough start, all of mine did as all 4 are rescues, but she is so loved now, something that so many animals never get to experience. Stay positive, especially when you are with her, they pick up on our emotions and she needs to feel your positive energy. Tons of love & spoiling and the one thing I tell everyone is that the pain meds may constipate her so extra liquids, water, gravy, tuna juice, chicken or beef stock. Abby will be fine and getting on with it before you will, believe me. My Tre’ just hit her one year anniversary and she is just the most amazing baby, she needs steps to help her get down off things because she lost a front leg but other than that, she’s the same sweet girl she was before. Abby will be too, just give her some time. Please keep up posted on Abby’s progress. Hugs to you from Sonja & Tre’pod.