Anyone with a Three-Legged-Cat? I am a wreck deciding what to do with my boy....

[Back2MyRoots]

Bless your heart and your sweet kitty. I wish I had a pic to share with you, but our humane society has a tree legged kitty that is what we term a "keeper". She will never be adopted out because of her special needs, but she will never be put to sleep either. Lucinda (our tripod) leads a totally normal life and is happy, healthy, never misses a beat. You'd never believe it, but she's as agile as any other the other cats. And she's 12 years old. We have another "keeper" cat that's 16 years old. It's possible that by amputating vs. putting down, you will have MANY more wonderful years with your cat. I understand that you have to do what you feel is right, but I think I would try surgery first. I wish you luck and will be saying prayers for y'all tonight!

 

[KristyHall]

You obviously love your kitty very much. I think that if you have to amputate he will do fine. My family did rescue and rehabilitation with animals since i was very little. We have had many cats that came through missing noses, legs, tails, eyes, ears, and toes. You will be surprise how well they get around. I know he will want to go outside but until he gets a good handle on his movements you might want to wait before letting him back outside. make sure he gets lots of love and treats while he recovers.

I do not think he should be put down if he is only facing an amputation. Cats are resilient, feisty, and adaptable. If he is skittish, don't crowd him or force him to accept a touch while he heals. He'll be scared and in pain for a while so move slow, speak gentle and let him cue you as to what he wants.

There have been a couple of feral cats we have had rescued that suddenly became lap babies after major surgery. They realized that they got pampered when hurting, and that was that.

My old black cat was a feral when we got her. She died two years ago at the age of 19 (we believe that was her age). When we found her she was pregnant, wild as the day is long, and near death. Someone has shot her with a shot gun, and her leg was shattered.

She didn't have to have it amputated but that leg bothered her until the days he died. We kept her indoor as she healed, and one day she got in one of our laps.

Then another day she decided she liked us. And when she decided she liked humans she REALLY liked humans. You had to pry her out of your lap. She was still the cranky war horse we knew who would growl if you pet her incorrectly, and nail you if you touched her arthritic leg, but she loved to be in laps. She had a hard time using that leg but she was still a great hunter as well as stayed boss of all the other cats.

That cat was something. I miss that cranky old girl.

 

[katiesue]

I have a very fond memory of a true story that my mother read to me when I was a little girl.
I think the book was titled: "Uncle Whiskers" or "Mr. Whiskers".

It was a story of a cat that if I remember correctly, he lost BOTH his front legs somehow. But what I remember about it most, is that after the hard part of the surgery and recovery and all those tears we cried at the beginning of the story, by the mid-section of the book this cat had us laughing! He utilized his hind legs like no other cat could! His owners could not figure out how he actually hunted and CAUGHT jack rabbits without his front feet! Until one night when they discovered that Uncle Whiskers actually hopped like a jack rabbit, and blended in with them in the field! He hopped along as one of them until he finally chose the one he wanted, and then took it down! He always left the ears on the door step for his master!

He could hop up onto 6 ft high shelves in the garage to get to something he wanted. He was not hindered by having no front feet, he just rose to the challenge and had a fantastic life! My family loved that book, which included photos of Uncle Whiskers, and I wouldn't mind finding another copy today to read to my own children!

I pray you have a happy ending to your story.... that your special boy will someday be able to make you laugh again!

Best wishes,
Katie Sue.

 

[katiesue]

“Neither man nor any animal can enjoy life to the full without taking some risks to life or limb.”
― Philip Brown, Uncle Whiskers

Okay, looks like I was wrong about the photos.. unless we had a different edition that included real photos somehow.
This book looks like it has just illustrations. The one I had was soft cover, and I thought it was thicker than that... but I was a little girl!

Anyway, here is a link to somebody selling the book on ebay...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Uncle-Whiskers-Brown-1st-Ed-Hc-DJ-Cat-Kitten-Disability-/360367145669

And another link to a site where people have made comments about it, although they misspelled Uncle!
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1651222.Ubcle_Whiskers

I do hope this story also encourages you....
Please give Fang a loving hug or pet, or whatever he'll accept from me.


Katie Sue

 

[TerriLaChicks]

We were fortunate enough to have "Tiger Tripod" in our lives for 19 years. She was born in a litter of "barn cats" - semi-feral cats. During one of our cold spells, the entire litter made their way up to our garage & crawled up under my car hood. You can guess the tragedy - I started to work the next morning & suddenly there were thumps & mangled kittens everywhere. I rushed them to the vet - 2 died but Tiger survived but they had to amputate her front leg at the shoulder. Her eyes were just barely opened.

Frankly, I begged my vet not to do it & just to put her to sleep instead. He got all over my case - he told me he knew I was a lot stronger than that & that this kitten would be just fine. So I brought home this weak, tiny kitten with a huge scar. I fed her on a bottle for a couple more weeks until she was eating on her own.

She became a member of our family & lived in the house the rest of her life. She had NO problems whatsoever adjusting. When she moved, if you watched closely you could see that she planted her remaining leg right in the center of her body - so it balanced her. When she ran, she had a bobbing gait just like a rabbit hopping.

She would plunk her plump little butt down & sit upright to wash her face w/her one leg - we timed her at well over a minute more than once. She would also tuck a toy mouse into the crook of her one arm - she loved to chase balls & play with toys. She could climb & jump just like any other cat with four legs. She did not crawl or creep or drag around at all - she stood perfectly straight & upright. When I sat in my chair at night she would jump up & lay behind my neck, purring like crazy.

We made a photo album of her doing various things that our vet used to show people who were facing the same decision, and several times people came out to our house to meet her in person.

Granted, it was an easier transition for her because she was so young, but I would have no qualms about having it done to an older cat or dog either. They can & do adjust. The visual is a lot harder on you than on them.

PM me if you have any questions - Tiger's been gone a long time now but I will try to remember & answer any that you have.

 

[TheIvoryKitty]

Bless your heart and your sweet kitty. I wish I had a pic to share with you, but our humane society has a tree legged kitty that is what we term a "keeper". She will never be adopted out because of her special needs, but she will never be put to sleep either. Lucinda (our tripod) leads a totally normal life and is happy, healthy, never misses a beat. You'd never believe it, but she's as agile as any other the other cats. And she's 12 years old. We have another "keeper" cat that's 16 years old. It's possible that by amputating vs. putting down, you will have MANY more wonderful years with your cat. I understand that you have to do what you feel is right, but I think I would try surgery first. I wish you luck and will be saying prayers for y'all tonight!

I'm so glad that she's found a wonderful home with you guys - too bad more people aren't willing to adopt special needs cats. It's really good to hear that she is agile - I am so worried about Fang having to heave himself around and fall down exhausted at the end of the day. The prospect scares me. Was Lucinda a front-leg amputee? The back-leg one's seem to be better so I'm just curious.

I hope that we can have many more years together... He is just so wonderful. I just worry so much about his quality of life, but from what you're saying, maybe it won't be bad..

 

[TheIvoryKitty]

You obviously love your kitty very much. I think that if you have to amputate he will do fine. My family did rescue and rehabilitation with animals since i was very little. We have had many cats that came through missing noses, legs, tails, eyes, ears, and toes. You will be surprise how well they get around. I know he will want to go outside but until he gets a good handle on his movements you might want to wait before letting him back outside. make sure he gets lots of love and treats while he recovers.

I do not think he should be put down if he is only facing an amputation. Cats are resilient, feisty, and adaptable. If he is skittish, don't crowd him or force him to accept a touch while he heals. He'll be scared and in pain for a while so move slow, speak gentle and let him cue you as to what he wants.

There have been a couple of feral cats we have had rescued that suddenly became lap babies after major surgery. They realized that they got pampered when hurting, and that was that.

My old black cat was a feral when we got her. She died two years ago at the age of 19 (we believe that was her age). When we found her she was pregnant, wild as the day is long, and near death. Someone has shot her with a shot gun, and her leg was shattered.

She didn't have to have it amputated but that leg bothered her until the days he died. We kept her indoor as she healed, and one day she got in one of our laps.

Then another day she decided she liked us. And when she decided she liked humans she REALLY liked humans. You had to pry her out of your lap. She was still the cranky war horse we knew who would growl if you pet her incorrectly, and nail you if you touched her arthritic leg, but she loved to be in laps. She had a hard time using that leg but she was still a great hunter as well as stayed boss of all the other cats.

That cat was something. I miss that cranky old girl.

Yes, I was worried about letting him outside. He is an absolute outdoor cat and I honestly believe that he would HATE his life if I made him stay indoors. I just don't think I could do that to him. Now, staying in the house during the recovery period is a different story - It is obviously important. I do wonder, though, how to get him to use a litter box when he has never ever since kittenhood been willing to do it. He just wants to go to the bathroom outside, and that's final. Maybe put dirt in the litter box?

It is so wonderful that people are out there helping animals that need help. I guess something that I'm struggling with is that he's not in pain at all - he's perfectly fine. He WILL be in pain if we let this tumor grow but he doesnt know that. He just knows he feels fine, I drop him at the vet that he HATES and then he wakes up without an arm and wondering what the heck happened. It scares me because he TRUSTS me, and I feel like I'm doing something terrible to him without his consent (which he obviously can't give). He wont have any idea that we're helping him...

 

[TheIvoryKitty]

“Neither man nor any animal can enjoy life to the full without taking some risks to life or limb.”
― Philip Brown, Uncle Whiskers

Okay, looks like I was wrong about the photos.. unless we had a different edition that included real photos somehow.
This book looks like it has just illustrations. The one I had was soft cover, and I thought it was thicker than that... but I was a little girl!

Anyway, here is a link to somebody selling the book on ebay...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Uncle-Whiskers-Brown-1st-Ed-Hc-DJ-Cat-Kitten-Disability-/360367145669

And another link to a site where people have made comments about it, although they misspelled Uncle!
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1651222.Ubcle_Whiskers

I do hope this story also encourages you....
Please give Fang a loving hug or pet, or whatever he'll accept from me.


Katie Sue

You know, this reminds me of a book I read when I was little that made me cry every time called "Fannie", which was about a three legged cat as well. I think I donated to the goodwill probably a week ago... I wish I had kept it. It was very short, but similar to this one it was about life being good, even for a disabled cat. Of course.. you have to wonder about the reality of it all. That's my sticking point. What if he's not happy? What if he's terribly unhappy? Ugh. I hate to think of it. But I do believe that these cats can get through some amazing stuff, and I'm sure they'll still manage to kill little critters no matter what their disability (lol, poor rabbits). And you know... killing little critters makes every cat happy.

 

[TheIvoryKitty]

We were fortunate enough to have "Tiger Tripod" in our lives for 19 years. She was born in a litter of "barn cats" - semi-feral cats. During one of our cold spells, the entire litter made their way up to our garage & crawled up under my car hood. You can guess the tragedy - I started to work the next morning & suddenly there were thumps & mangled kittens everywhere. I rushed them to the vet - 2 died but Tiger survived but they had to amputate her front leg at the shoulder. Her eyes were just barely opened.

Frankly, I begged my vet not to do it & just to put her to sleep instead. He got all over my case - he told me he knew I was a lot stronger than that & that this kitten would be just fine. So I brought home this weak, tiny kitten with a huge scar. I fed her on a bottle for a couple more weeks until she was eating on her own.

She became a member of our family & lived in the house the rest of her life. She had NO problems whatsoever adjusting. When she moved, if you watched closely you could see that she planted her remaining leg right in the center of her body - so it balanced her. When she ran, she had a bobbing gait just like a rabbit hopping.

She would plunk her plump little butt down & sit upright to wash her face w/her one leg - we timed her at well over a minute more than once. She would also tuck a toy mouse into the crook of her one arm - she loved to chase balls & play with toys. She could climb & jump just like any other cat with four legs. She did not crawl or creep or drag around at all - she stood perfectly straight & upright. When I sat in my chair at night she would jump up & lay behind my neck, purring like crazy.

We made a photo album of her doing various things that our vet used to show people who were facing the same decision, and several times people came out to our house to meet her in person.

Granted, it was an easier transition for her because she was so young, but I would have no qualms about having it done to an older cat or dog either. They can & do adjust. The visual is a lot harder on you than on them.

PM me if you have any questions - Tiger's been gone a long time now but I will try to remember & answer any that you have.

Oh my gosh - people always told me to be careful about animals crawling into the car but I never thought it REALLY happened. That's terrible. But, I'm so glad that it ended up being a happy story for Tiger. Ugh, I wish my vet would tell me what to do sometimes - she just says "it's your choice". It's so hard. And obviously I can make the best decision for my Fang because I love him so dearly but it makes the decision even harder because I have no idea what "Right" is! And it's SO important... I so hope that Fang can learn to be as agile on three legs as your Tiger was, though Tiger grew up his entire life learning to adjust to this style of life. The "crawling" and "creeping" idea is so frightening ! I cannot imagine seeing Fang that way. This story really gives me hope... and I really hope that it's much much harder on me than on him because this is terrible.

I am so appreciative of your willingness to share your story and to help answer my questions. It truly gives me some solace.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

I have two former barn cats that I transitioned inside after one was hit by a car. He is at this moment stretched out in the LaZBoy having a snooze. Both boys were literally born in a barn. They were super wild when I got them as kittens. They lived outside their first year before the car hit-and-run.
When I moved them inside I filled the litter box with dirt initially. Gradually I mixed the dirt with the kitty litter. They have had no problems figuring it out. Your boy will figure it out as well.

If it were me I would do the amputation and see how he does. If he is absolutely miserable and in pain you can explore euthanasia down the road. But he will likely adapt and be fine. Animals are tough. They can adapt to all sorts of problems and be fine. I would keep him inside as long as possible. I know cats love the big outdoors, but their lives are shorter and more fraught withperil outside.

Good luck. It is so hard when our babies are ill.