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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Kitten with 3 legs..should l?

12 replies

teenagetantrums · 27/10/2021 13:33

So we have been looking to adopt a cat for a while. Because our flat is a werid design ground floor at front and 1st floor at back all cat rescue have said no to older cats who need to go out ,as they would have to use communal door or bedroom window. Also no to indoor cats as they can get out of ground floor open bedroom windows. anyway a friend of a friend has kitten's.one was born with only 3 legs so nobody wants it . We are happy to adopt l think from my research cats are fine on 3 legs but just wondering if there is anything I'm not thinking about anyone any experience of 3 legged cats .oh and l don't have a photo yet so sorry as we have yet to meet kitten.

OP posts:

Chemenger · 27/10/2021 13:44

Cat protection have a little bit about three legged cats:

www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/health/disabled-cats/three-legged-cats

I think the message is that they do fine. A kitten that has never had 4 legs probably isn't that different from one with a full set of limbs.

TheLovleyChebbyMcGee · 27/10/2021 13:47

Are you keeping the kitten as an indoor cat? I can't see any problem with that, providing of course, that you post photos of said poor little baby as soon as you can!

Theunamedcat · 27/10/2021 13:54

Is it just the missing leg that's an issue does the kitten have other medical needs?

paddler78 · 27/10/2021 13:59

I have a tri-pawd as they are called, he lost his leg when he was around 2 in an animal trap, he's perfectly happy, gets around fine and goes outside - only thing we have to be careful of is his weight as he needs to stay on the lighter side. Is Kitten missing front or back leg? Here's a photo of Mr T who's now 5 1/2, as you can see a very happy chappy if you have any specific questions more than happy to help

Chaotica · 27/10/2021 14:07

XP had a three-legged cat (leg lost as an adult in an accident). He adapted amazingly well (and was much happier than with a poorly, injured leg). He used to pretend to be really disabled around the neighbours so they felt sorry for him and gave him treats, and then bound down the street at speed to greet us. (FWIW I don't usually think that cats can pretend, but that's certainly what it looked like. )

I would think that a kitten would be fine. But I wouldn't automatically assume that he'll settle for being an indoor cat.

Allergictoironing · 27/10/2021 14:51

Also no to indoor cats as they can get out of ground floor open bedroom windows.

There's a solution for that - Flatcats. I have them in my living room & bedroom for my indoor cats, and they are great

3ormorecharacters · 27/10/2021 14:57

I had a three legged cat. He lost his leg when he was about one year old and I adopted him a year later. He got around fine - he was actually more graceful when running than walking. He was a bit grumpy and didn't get on well with other cats after losing his leg as he became quite defensive. He was a lovely soppy thing really though. He was a very big boy, and as a pp said we needed to watch his weight. He tended to overeat out of boredom and extra weight was quite problematic because of his missing leg. He ended up sadly dying quite young (about 8) of heart failure. My theory is that his size combined with his missing leg might have contributed by putting strain on his heart. He had a good life though and he was a great cat. His three leggedness definitely added to his character!

Shellingbynight · 27/10/2021 15:08

As the previous poster said, it is pretty easy to keep cats in and still have windows open, I use window restrictors and screens.

But it sounds like you are intending to let the cat out? There shouldn't be a problem with that, my friend's three legged cat was very agile and climbed trees with the best of them. It's slightly easier if it is a back leg they have lost, but cats tend to adapt well regardless.

However as a previous poster says, I would check that he doesn't have any other medical issues. I'd want to have him vet checked, but also bear in mind there could be issues which aren't immediately apparent.

Internetwanderer · 27/10/2021 15:12

Another 3-legged cat "owner" here. She actually died (pts) a couple of months ago aged 16. Lost her leg around 8 years ago, think she was hit by a car and we adopted her after that from her owners.
It didnt stop her doing anything, she would chase around after squirrels and was a more successful hunter than our slightly younger 4-legged boy. (Not something we encouraged).
Repeat the weight-watching advice, and vets seem to remind us at every annual checkup. But she was happy and healthy. She started losing weight and agitating for food just after she was 15 - overactive thyroid, which didnt respond very well to meds.
She was a lovely cat, active and affectionate. The missing leg didnt seem to stop her doing anything.

Coffee4Queen · 27/10/2021 17:04

@Chaotica this TikTok video shows a cat pretending to have an injured paw

Faking cat

Chaotica · 27/10/2021 17:20

@Coffee4Queen Maybe some cats can pretend then and we weren't imagining it.

Toddlerteaplease · 27/10/2021 18:37

Cats definitely fake things!

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