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

[KristyHall]

It is painful to think that he trusts you and will be traumatized, but you will be surprised at how quickly he'll forgive you. He may not even connect you to what happened to him. especially if you baby him when you bring him home. We have a cat who HATES me. his mother rejected him the day he was born. He as very sickly, and I kept him alive by force feeding him, constantly clearing out his nose and lungs, and medicating him. As he got older, he only seemed to remember the pain I put him through. How ever, he loves my mom. Even when she medicated him.

He has mouth trouble and i have to medicate him every day to keep his mouth from being so inflamed he can't eat. For a while mom would play Judas goat and would lead him in o I can medicate him. Eventually he wised up and wouldn't come to her anymore. So now she lets me know when he is inside, and then she would step out. I would sneak in and pounce him, and when I am done medicating him, she comes in and "chases" me off, carrying on and acting protective of him. Now he clings to her more than ever.

In this case. I am the "vet" who does the terrible things to him, ad mom is his protector. I doubt the vet will let you "chase" them off or pretend to beat them up, but he will remember that you came and took him away from that awful place. As long as you make a show that you are there now and he's safe, he'll continue to see you as a protector. If you are worried about him loosing trust in you, request that his treatments are done when you are not in the room so he doesn't link you to the pain.


About the litter box, you can try soil, particularly something from outside with his scent in it. Look for a place where he has "gone" before and place that in what you decide to use as a litter box. You should probably keep him in a bathroom or laundry room until he gets the hang of things. This will help with any accidents he may have and he will be in a small confined space that gives you better control of his care. Make sure he has a hiding place in what eve room you choose, and with something familiar that he finds comforting in there with him. I use that extra oft blush silky feeling robes you can get this time of the year. I have yet to find a cat that doesn't love that material. You can also pick up soft fuzzy or fur like fabric real cheap form fabric stores this time of year too. We get it and cut them into small blankets to use on sick and injured animals. They enjoy the comfort and warmth.

You can also try a rubber hot water bottle to put under the soft fabric so he can have something warm to lean against. Domestic cats are social creatures. Yes they squabble and can be territorial, but when it comes down to it, they will more likely than not form bands and companionships with other creatures if given the chance, and because of that, the warmth of a "furry body" to snuggle up with is comforting.

 

[chickers]

One of my neighbors is a vet and he has a three-legged cat. She is missing one of her front legs and she does just fine.

The main thing I want to tell though comes from having a three-legged dog. About twenty-five years ago, I had a 12 year old Samoyed (large sled type dog) who developed an osteosarcoma in one of her front legs, I also agonized over what to do, but I was on an even tighter timeline than you are since we knew it was cancerous. I went ahead and had it done--I was a basket case but Chloe breezed through it.

I brought her home the same day as the surgery. I set her up in my bedroom where I could watch her all night. When I went into the kitchen to get her dinner, she heard me. I heard movement in my bedroom and when I ran back in there, she was standing up! She had heard me preparing her dinner and she wasn't going to miss it just because she only had three legs!

The rest of her recovery was just like that. She was up and walking within a few days. At one poin about a week after sugeryt, we were in the living room and when she went to get up, she looked down at her shoulder and sort of shrugged, like she was thinking, "Well, it's really not coming back," and after that she never acted like she even thought about it again. It was really amazing to me to see how easily she accepted the loss of a leg. She didn't freak out or become depressed. All of that agony we have over an amputation doesn't necessarily translate into the animal world. She adjusted easily and quickly, and had a good life until the cancer returned.

I would not hesitate to amputate a limb on another animal after watching Chloe. She really showed just how much of reacting to an amputation is cultural. It was a serious life lesson for me that other animals don't view the world the same as we humans do. Chloe was very special to me--we had a strong what I would call a soul-bond--and I'm sure I made the right decision for her. Your cat will adjust *much* more easily than you expect. He will wake up and just go about his business without all the baggage we humans attribute to an amputation.

Good luck to you and Fang.

 

[TheIvoryKitty]

Thank you for all of your responses guys - (apparently this thread is no longer emailing me when I get responses, so I'm sorry that I'm so late on the reply). This has been a very long and hard choice, but your stories and support have really helped me to get through it. We are doing the amputation this coming Saturday, so that I can be home while he recoups for the first couple of days. I still worry that I haven't made the right choice, but at least now that I've made it I can do other stuff to prepare.. it sort of takes my mind off of things.

I hope that your success stories translate into Fang's life, and that he is also able to adapt quickly and well. And I really hope that this has been much harder on me than it will be on him, even though he's the one losing a limb!

Thank you all again, so so much for your support.

I will keep you updated.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

The forum has been having some glitches lately is probably why the emails have stopped.

Good luck to you and Fang! I hope he makes a quick recovery, and imagine he will. Remember that pet cats don't have to work 40 hours a week, pay bills, provide for themselves, or deal with cultural expectations of normal. If he tires out quicker, he can sleep. If he can't catch birds anymore, he's got a full dish. If another cat sees him, he isn't going to get teased for being a tripod. He has lots of time and little stress to adjust to his new situation.

 

[TheIvoryKitty]

The forum has been having some glitches lately is probably why the emails have stopped.
Good luck to you and Fang! I hope he makes a quick recovery, and imagine he will. Remember that pet cats don't have to work 40 hours a week, pay bills, provide for themselves, or deal with cultural expectations of normal. If he tires out quicker, he can sleep. If he can't catch birds anymore, he's got a full dish. If another cat sees him, he isn't going to get teased for being a tripod. He has lots of time and little stress to adjust to his new situation.

That's true - I didn't really think of it that way . Thanks a lot. I'm starting to feel a little better because, now that I've made a decision, I can start DOING things and taking steps to make his recovery easier. It takes my mind off of how worried and depressed I am!

 

[TheIvoryKitty]

Hey guys - question.

(1) I read that giving kitties Gabapentin before surgery helps stop phantom limb pain from occurring. The Vet gave me some, but is not firm on the amount to give and when to start (she has not used it in cats). Did you guys use it, and if so, when did you start and how much did you give?

(2) I read that a morphine drip during and after surgery helps greatly to prevent pain. My vet uses a fentanyl patch which is a a pain patch put on his foot that releases fentanyl for about 4-5 days. Did you guys use this? Did it work well? Does it work as well as a morphine drip?

Thanks guys.

 

[KristyHall]

Hey guys - question.

(1) I read that giving kitties Gabapentin before surgery helps stop phantom limb pain from occurring. The Vet gave me some, but is not firm on the amount to give and when to start (she has not used it in cats). Did you guys use it, and if so, when did you start and how much did you give?

(2) I read that a morphine drip during and after surgery helps greatly to prevent pain. My vet uses a fentanyl patch which is a a pain patch put on his foot that releases fentanyl for about 4-5 days. Did you guys use this? Did it work well? Does it work as well as a morphine drip?

The medicine is used for cats in pain. I don't know how it will react with other meds though. Here are some sites that may help.


http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...K3gbAM&usg=AFQjCNE5ggExkk41yV6zbRe3vskgY7h_KA

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...K3gbAM&usg=AFQjCNGY-SnMwwgbFRbBe7IOdzt6-HkqyQ

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...K3gbAM&usg=AFQjCNENCoFLFZkHU2dTXWU7UXEzMtyObg

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...K3gbAM&usg=AFQjCNFpZ3uupqzmX91DoXd8jE2JhOYNow

 

[chickers]

Hey guys - question.

(1) I read that giving kitties Gabapentin before surgery helps stop phantom limb pain from occurring. The Vet gave me some, but is not firm on the amount to give and when to start (she has not used it in cats). Did you guys use it, and if so, when did you start and how much did you give?

(2) I read that a morphine drip during and after surgery helps greatly to prevent pain. My vet uses a fentanyl patch which is a a pain patch put on his foot that releases fentanyl for about 4-5 days. Did you guys use this? Did it work well? Does it work as well as a morphine drip?

Thanks guys.

I didn't use it on Chloe and she never had any phantom limb, or at least she never acted out of sorts at all. I don't remember what she had for pain, but it was in pill form not a drip.

 

[theoldchick]

Don't use morphine in cats. Using morphine and Gabapentin is contraindicated in most species. The fentanyl patch can cause extreme sedation, nausea, and loss of appetite in cats. In my experience Buprenex is the best tolerated in the feline patient. This clear liquid can be given orally or injected. The latest technique in amputation is the use of nerve blocks to deaden the severed nerves so post op pain is well managed.

As a side note, a veterinarian should never prescribe a medication if not sure of the dose. The fact the doctor sent you home with a drug rx without proper dosing leaves this doctor open for a lawsuit, and possible loss of license to practice.

 

[TheIvoryKitty]

Don't use morphine in cats. Using morphine and Gabapentin is contraindicated in most species. The fentanyl patch can cause extreme sedation, nausea, and loss of appetite in cats. In my experience Buprenex is the best tolerated in the feline patient. This clear liquid can be given orally or injected. The latest technique in amputation is the use of nerve blocks to deaden the severed nerves so post op pain is well managed.

As a side note, a veterinarian should never prescribe a medication if not sure of the dose. The fact the doctor sent you home with a drug rx without proper dosing leaves this doctor open for a lawsuit, and possible loss of license to practice.

Thank you for the concern about the vet - she did give me a dosage, but just said that sometimes it is not enough in some cats and I will need to increase the amount if I don't see any results. I talked to another vet about it and he said that he also gives ranges to the patients for Gabapentin because different cats react differently. I feel better after talking to him about it, for sure.

She is not using morphine during the surgery (I've asked her about it) - she's using a fentanyl patch and buprenex injections. She's also sending me home with buprenex liquid for extra pain relief if we need it over the fentanyl patch that he'll be wearing. She did say that some cats become rather stoned on the patch, but I thought that that would be okay for the first couple of days while he heals anyway, right?

She is also using nerve blocks which I am very happy about.

Thanks so much for your information - I had no idea about the morphine. I have been talking to mostly dog amputee owners, as it's a bit harder to find cats for some reason (or at least information about it), so maybe that's why morphine was suggested. I was worried that she wasn't using the morphine, but now I'm glad. Thanks.