Cat leg amputation

[yellowbikini]

Unfortunately one of my cats had to have one of his legs amputated about 10 days ago. He has always been an outdoor cat, with free access to come and go as he pleases. Obviously, I have had to keep him indoors since the diagnosis and the operation, so nearly three weeks now. Has anyone else had a cat with an amputation? I don't know if I am being too nice to him, or not giving him enough fuss, it does feel to me like he is getting more and more fed up, rather than 'getting back to normal' as the vets have suggested he would by this time (very surprised by that, if someone chopped my leg off I would expect to take a long time to recover). Would be grateful for any advice from experienced people.

Oh that's a shame.
No direct experience, but my neighbour had 2 black cats.
One dark night they ran out into the road, a really quiet cul de sac.
The driver didn't see one of them and he was hit.
He lost a back leg but within weeks was chasing his brother about as usual.
He did really well.
His owner tried to keep his weight down though to avoid strain on his other leg.He could still run and jump onto the wall etc.
I hope your boy is ok soon.
Perhaps try supervised visits outside for a while ?

Friend of mine has a tripod who gets along just fine. Animals tend to bounce back much more quickly than humans from surgery.
Is your cat going to be seen again by the vet anytime soon? I think I would be a little concerned if he's not perked up by now.

No direct experience, sorry, but wanted to ask if it was a front leg or a back leg - a back leg is apparently easier for the cat to cope with as more weight goes on the front legs.

I've seen three-legged cats out and about as normal so hopefully your little fella will make a good recovery.

ETA: some advice here www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/health/disabled-cats/three-legged-cats

My ex had a 3-legged cat. He was much happier without the poorly leg (which the vets tried to save) and quickly bounced back. He pretty much went about as normal although he couldn't jump quite as high. He did seem to realise that he was disabled though as he would act terribly wobbly and weak for strangers and neighbours on the street to get sympathy and then race up to me or my ex when he saw us.

Is your DCat still in pain? Could that be why he's not improving? Is it a front leg or back?

Our old boy was pretty much back to normal after a few weeks and he had damage to his other hip too.

I’d see the vet again if he’s not getting back to normal.

The cat we had when I was a teenager had three legs after an accident when she was 12. It was a hind leg.
She recovered brilliantly. She remained an indoor/outdoor cat, and was still mousing effectively in her late teens.
She passed away peacefully at 20. Presumably techniques have improved since then too.

I’ve had tripod cats. They adapted really well although they had their amputations before they were 1 so still kittens really.

Is it a front or a back leg?

I looked after my friend's cats for a year while she lived abroad and while she was away her male cat had to get his back leg amputated due to cancer. Both cats loved being outside and the vet told me to try and keep him in. Well the pair of them were escape artists who could open all the doors in the house! I even boarded up the cat flap and they still managed to wrench the wood off and escape.

In the end the vet said it was making him more stressed to be in the house so to let him out and to keep an eye on the wound. And this was only a few days after the op! He healed fine and lived to a ripe old age. It took him a while to learn to walk properly and it was heart breaking watching him so confused but he did really really well on the three legs.

Oh and it was a back leg and I think they do much better without a back leg than front. When we looked to adopt a cat the adoption place wouldn't let us adopt a cat with one front leg as our garden wouldn't be safe due to the walls around it. We offered to adapt the garden but they pointed out she might get out but not manage to get back in. Same as she was such a cutie.

My mum has a back leg tripod who had his amputation at Christmas. He was a feral outdoor cat until then. At the moment he is very much an indoor cat that is learning to be a pet. He is slower to move around especially if frightened. We are building a catio for him so he can get outdoors safely.

We had lots of family round at the end of the holidays and he didn't hide but also didn't try to get outdoors. He just enjoyed lots of stroking. He is different since the op but in lots of positive ways. It did take a couple of weeks after the op for him to completely come round to moving around the house.

Thank you for all your replies.

It is a back leg.

He is due at the vets tomorrow for a check up and I have had confirmation today that the problem wasn't caused by cancer, so some good news.

He is moving around the house, but really is fed up being stuck indoors and is eating and drinking less and less. As his painkillers are due to be given with food, I don't think he is getting enough of them, so lack of food, dehydration and pain are all adding to his despondency. Fingers crossed the vets have some good suggestions tomorrow.

A hydration tip when they are refusing water - lightly brush water onto his muzzle with your finger tip - as a reflex he will lick it off. Do this several times at intervals. It worked for my cat when he had a virus - the vet even commented that though he had a fever at the time, he was 'well hydrated'.

My neighbour’s cat had to have one of his hind legs amputated and it doesn’t seem to have affected him much at all. He is still out and about and has a fair turn of speed even on three legs.

We ended up soaking dreamies in water and medicine which helped him. Is there anything he likes?

My 15-yr old girl lost her front right leg in traumatic circumstances & adapted really well.
I can't remember how long she was at the vets for (the bill came to over £1k in the mid-1980s!) & the stitching etc looked really gruesome when she came home but the wound healed well & her recovery exceeded everyone's expectations.

Prior to the accident she used to go out & disappear for hours but afterwards she turned into a real homebody, staying in the garden & always came in through the cat flap at dusk & was kept in with a litter tray overnight.
At the start, she used to whack her chin & right shoulder on the floor when she jumped down but her left leg got a lot stronger & the rest of her muscles must've adapted & her landings became more controlled even though she was getting older.
We did make a few ramps to help her get off furniture but she ignored them...
She didn't have any problems jumping up but then it was only onto beds or sofas so not very high.
When she used to wash her face she'd sit up on her back legs, balancing with her tail - she looked like a little kangaroo! She was able to keep herself groomed & clean up til the end.
She still loved playing with a ribbon but would be mostly using her right shoulder - almost as though she still had her right leg. Really strange to see.

She lived well, ate loads, continued to make the dog's life hell & died peacefully when she was 18.

We lived rurally, she'd got caught in a trap in the field behind our house & was found by the farmer. Luckily my Dad had sloped home early that day & was mowing the back lawn so heard the farmer calling over the hedge. He drove her to the vets bundled up in a towel on his lap. She made it through surgery which wasn't expected as she'd been in the trap for a while & her leg was pretty messy.
After the accident the sound of lawn mowers or farm machinery terrified her. I can only imagine she was hearing the noise as she was trapped.

Thank you for the tips SevenSeas and wondering. I have managed to get a small amount of pate into him today, he is also having a bit of a lap at his water bowl tonight. I think he has gone off my 'go to' treats of Dreamies and tuna because they were being laced with medicines and they were knocking him out a bit. I tried the putting some water on his muzzle and that did help, not tried soggy Dreamies though, so I will give that a go too. Don't want to overwhelm him though, baby steps is my thinking.

Just taken a quick snap of an old photo with my mobile hence the shit quality.

Count the legs! Chilling on the patio enjoying the sun-warmed stone.

Thank you all for your messages that hopefully my boy will be well again.

It turns out he had an infection. He was at the vets for a few hours today while they dealt with dead skin/tissue and flushed out the wound..

Anyway, he is doped up to his eyeballs with painkillers and antibiotics, drinking a bit and eating a little bit (vet told me not to expect him to eat much yet). Stinky food seems to be best. Back at vets again tomorrow so they can check his progress.

Once again, thanks for your support. I will keep you updated.

Bless. When poorly mine have been tempted by prawns, lick-e-lix, tinned mackerel in tomato sauce was a recent hit and the water from a tin of tuna (not brine) - they also quite like water that fish has been poached in and the water in the bread maker if I'm soaking it to get the paddle out. So yeasty flavour also seems quite appetising

One of my cats, Ghostie, had to have her leg amputated as she'd broken the tibia (but strangely not the fibula) and wouldn't stay still enough when the vet put a plaster cast on it.

She was back to running round like a nutcase with her brothers and sisters within a few weeks. She doesn't let anything stop her and still gets the zoomies at times. I swear she's faster with 3 legs than she ever was with two.

I hope your cat's infection clears up quickly and he can get on with mischief and mayhem, as cats should.

Having been at the vets all week with daily, sedated, dressing changes, he is due home tomorrow. They are going to try alternate day dressing changes. Still a long way to go before they can stitch him up though...

As far as I can see, he is now eating well when presented with his normal food (I went to see him yesterday, with food, he had run out). Not sure why the vet couldn't get his normal food in stock for themselves, I order it through them and have told them that he is used to just his normal dry food, with the occasional handful of Dreamies.

Thank you all for your messages, tips and support.

I'm so sorry to hear that your wee cat has had such a tough time, and glad to hear that he's improving now.

Just in case he's still difficult at taking meds when he gets home I'm mentioning Lickylix (that's not the right spelling but a Google will find it). I was despairing of getting mine to take thyroid meds but people here suggested Lickylix and he loves it. I put his liquid meds in it, and Lickylix twice daily is now his favourite time! Definitely give it a go if you still have a problem, and very best wishes for the recovery of your DCat

Thank you for the tips re Lick-e-licks. Problem all the vets have had is that he is pretty much exclusively fed dry food, so while he might have a nibble at some wet food, he won't really eat it. Mixing meds and dry food is tricky!

Having come home today, after a week at the vets, he has gone berserk at being put in a large dog cage. Tried to escape through the grid at the top twice. Tipping over everything he needs in the cage, ie litter, water, food.

I think he is settled now, I just hope he his exertions haven't caused yet more harm. We put a blanket over the top of the cage to give him a feeling of privacy, with puppy training mats in between so that he hopefully can't get his claws caught in the blanket on top. Also found a partially finished knitted blanket for him to snuggle into.

He is currently sleeping and purring.