There are cats that do very well on three legs and others that don;t adjust quite as well. There are also cats that do incredibly well on just two legs. What would concern me is the reason why this can needs the amputation. You will need to talk that over with the vet.
However having three legs is way better than being dead - honestly cats do do fine but you are right about some having a bit of a ballance struggle. They do adjust!!!!!
Oes - try looking up two and three legged cats on youtube!
Yes, and what worries me is I don't seem to hear about those kitties that don't adjust as well. What is life like for him? I wish I knew the range of potential for life-difficulty resulting from this surgery, but I only mostly hear of the good cases. Of course, this helps me believe that maybe they are almost always good cases, but I don't know if that's a false belief. I don't know if people that have had good outcomes are more likely to post about it online. I wish I had even MET a three legged cat in my life, but I've not even seen one. I'm doing all of this on imagination, and it's very hard.
I have definitely talked to the vet about whether there were any other alternatives to amputation, and she assures me that there are not. I have, however, also contacted the nearby UC Davis Veterinary school for a second opinion about both the need for amputation, and also about phantom limb pain and what can be done to stop it from occurring, or at least lessen the chances. I do know, though, in my heart that this is the only option besides amputation. In this week since I first felt the lump on Monday, it has already definitely grown... so it's pretty alarmingly fast. and while there aren't many cases of this type of cancer in cats, it happens to dogs very very often and the only option is to amputate. I am, of course, extremely hopeful that this second opinion will be different, but I don't think that it will be. However, I feel like getting a second opinion, like you said, will really put my mind at ease - at least about this PART of the issue. I don't think my mind will really be at ease for a long long time.
I have been watching some on youtube - It sort of helps, and sort of hurts, but makes me more realistic.... I think. It's hard to imagine Fang that way... and it's hard to tell from a little clip whether or not these cats are happy, ya know? It seems hard for front-leg amputees to walk.. but I don't know if it really is, or if I just think so because it's such an unusual way to see a cat walk.
