Comments for Three-Legged Cat

Comment on Advice for Three Legged Cats by Rachelle

Rachelle — Sun, 13 May 2012 11:34:22 +0000

Thanks Lois! It’s been anxious start to Sunday morning…but i feel its under control now. I love him soooooooooooo much and was worried i had extended his abilities by getting him to chase and play with his toys.

I think he will just need to slowly build up his strength on his other back leg. There are so many things new for him right now even beyond the amputation.

The RSPCA said it happened a few times in their care and they put him on pain killers.

He’s a handsome black cat just lust yours! Would post a pic if possible.

Comment on Advice for Three Legged Cats by Lois Lindemann

Lois Lindemann — Sun, 13 May 2012 11:07:18 +0000

Hi Rachelle,

Don’t panic! My three-legged cat was exactly the same following his surgery.

It took him a little while to adjust to balancing on three legs. He fell over when he was playing fairly often. Sometimes he seemed to lean on the leg that wasn’t there just before he toppled over. He adjusted fairly quickly, give it a few weeks.

I can’t remember how long it took for normal bodily functions to resume, but I remember being worried, so it must have taken a while.

Comment on Advice for Three Legged Cats by Rachelle

Rachelle — Sun, 13 May 2012 10:19:21 +0000

Me again – i finally got an out of hours number for the RSPCA and they said this behaviour happened a few times while he was in their care. It’s due to falling and hurting himself. He’s not quite mended so he’ll need to slow down a bit.
Poor guy.

Thanks everyone. This blog has been really helpful.

Comment on Advice for Three Legged Cats by Rachelle

Rachelle — Sun, 13 May 2012 10:00:14 +0000

Hi again. My three-legged cat has now come home from the RSPCA where i first met him. He had his entire back leg removed on March 5. At first he was very happy to be in his new home, but now after 2.5 days he has suddenly showed erratic signs of distress and imbalance. He was playing and runnning about with a little toy mouse and then he suddenly flipped out and started screaming and trying to climb things as if in agony.
I wonder if he has over-exerted himself and maybe bruised his stump and other back leg from falling/running too much. He has only been in a shelter since the amputation so not much exercise.
Has anyone experienced this?

I called the emergency Vet as its Sunday and they said to monitor him and try to keep him contained in only part of the house so he can manage with the new/large/awkward space.
I have all hardwood floor which might be making him extra slippery for him. he is also shaven from the waist down so probably not enough padding( fur) to ease the shock of falling on the boney stump.

Can anyone recall similar behaviours with their cat after a couple of months of surgery?

He is probably also ajusting to having a home, in addition to the fact that when he was in a cage, he had little freedom to move around. He now has lots of space and things at different heights.

I plan to call the RSPCA on Monday as soon as they open…but any reassurance/similar scenarios would ease my worry for him.
He is sleeping now…but doesn’t like to have to walk anywhere.
I should also mention that he has not defecated in nearly 2 days. He has finally urinated this morning in his litter box…

Any thoughts?

Comment on Advice for Three Legged Cats by Jean

Jean — Fri, 11 May 2012 23:45:15 +0000

I thought you would like to see this movie of our 3-legged cat, Pumpkin, playing with his new iPad app! Pumpkin lost a back leg when he was hit by a car while crossing the street. He is doing very well, as you can see. We love him so much!

http://youtu.be/wsk0p3AeG54

Comment on Advice for Three Legged Cats by Rachelle

Rachelle — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:26:24 +0000

Charlotte,
The cat i am planning to adopt had a similar incident. He was found by the RSPCA with a badly broken leg last Oct. They tried to mend it twice but was not healing so they amputated the hind leg in March 2012. I visited him last weekend and he was already walking about and seemingly quite good natured. In fact he was the most friendly cat at the RSPCA adoption centre!
The only thing is he aquired a nervous “over-grooming” as a result of the trauma and being kept in a shelter with other cats. This would go away once he was in a home and feeling more settled.
Basically he seemd to be almost normal after only 2 months! He was a very happy cat with only a few little stumbles now and then.

Comment on Advice for Three Legged Cats by roolalenska

roolalenska — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:03:02 +0000

Charlotte,
Our Bonnie had her right front leg amputated in January and you wouldn’t know it if you saw how she races around the house. She is constantly climbing and jumping all over everything. She is much faster than our other larger cat and more than holds her own in their wrestling matches. Her fur has grown in and there is just an empty furry space where her leg used to be. She is such a sweet and lovely kitten with loads of personality. She had some issues adjusting to three legged litter box during a bout of diarrhea right after we brought her home but she managed to figure that out as well (thankfully!). There have been a couple of times where she’s reached up for something with her claws and gotten her paw stuck because there’s no other paw to push off with and I have seen her fall off things while climbing or walking because she just ran out of paws. She just deals with all these things. She’s a trooper and a love and I’m so grateful to have her with us. Your cat will adapt and be back to herself soon. Don’t worry!!!

We are not going to let her outside (we promised the shelter where she came from that we wouldn’t) but she has access to a screened in porch where she can take in the sights and sounds of the outdoors.

Comment on Advice for Three Legged Cats by Pads

Pads — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:51:10 +0000

Hi to update on lucky he has had his stiches out now and he seems fine, think my son is going to take him out into the garden to see how he does.

Dear Claire.

The Vet told us the main reason cat’s need help is to find food, ie a wild cat might not survive because its hunting ability would be more limited. However if you provide food I can see no reason why your cat would not adjust, my son’s cat has adjusted wonderfully. The vet said there have been instanses of cats climbing tree’s with only one front leg and they manage fine.

See how it goes but I hope you all will be reuinted soon.

Love pads x

Comment on Advice for Three Legged Cats by Claire Harris

Claire Harris — Tue, 08 May 2012 07:10:57 +0000

I’v read all of the posts on here and whilst I’m delighted to hear that all the cats seem to be adapting my cat’s situation is slighlty different. His name is Panther and he is more or less 3 years old, he is one of three cats that have been abandoned by my house so I feed them daily and look out for any problems they may have (and had them all ‘done’). They all sleep in the garden on the couch at nightime (when the dog has gone to bed) and spend hours running round the aloe vera fields that surround the house. Panther had a swollen foot and after many different diagnosis the vet opened the foot up and found a tumour, I have been advised that it is likely he will lose the leg but out of the three cats he is the only one who doesn’t like human contact he’ll come close but he doesn’t like being touched and he won’t stay indoors he becomes very agitated when a door closes so I guess you could say he is a true ‘streetcat’. I am just worried about him being outdoors, his two friends miss him so much they look for him each day and he has been gone a month. After the surgery he will be spending time recovering with the local Cat charity who can offer him the best post-op care and then a decision will be made on when/if he can come home. I just keep wondering if he’ll be able to adapt to a life on three legs as he doesn’t want to be a housecat, will his friends be able to look after him, will he still have an enjoyable life, I will always look after him as best as he will let me but I don’t want him to be in danger when he goes out on his daily rounds. As for his friends, well he bumped into one at the vet yesterday (the little scab on Minstrels ear diagnosed as cancer not a good day lots of tears) and as soon as he realised who it was they just sat staring at each other and trying to touch (I think he may have staged a breakout had Smudge turned up too they really are the three amigos) another reason why I don’t want him to not be allowed home. Sorry for droning on but what I really would appreciate is any advice/opinions I have been tossing and turning all night thinking about him.

Comment on Advice for Three Legged Cats by Kate

Kate — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:05:56 +0000

Just thought i’d post an update on Abby. It’s now two weeks since she had her front right leg removed. She is healing beautifully. And while it is still a bit sad to see her adapt to life without her leg she doesn’t seem too fussed at all. I have put a few little steps for her to use but so far I haven’t seen her use them once! Little champion, she has no idea that she’s now ‘handicapped’! I let her outside for a few hours on the weekend which was a little nerve racking. She’s been trying to get out for days and gets quite cranky when we don’t let her! She has this naughty habit of escaping over the fence into the next door neighbors yard. I originally thought the three legged situation would stop her but somehow I think i’m gonna have to keep a close eye on her! I’ve attached a photo of her in her cage at day 7 post surgery. Her fur is now beginning to grow back and the stitches don’t look so puckered. Pretty soon she’ll be looking her glossy beautiful self. xxx

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/p480x480/546493_10150717321462903_608127902_9487444_1453067561_n.jpg