My cat Pookey lost his right rear leg to amputation 2 1/2 years ago. He had developed a cancerous tumor due to the rabies vaccination.

He came home 24 hours after surgery as he was listless and wouldn't eat or go to the bathroom in the litter box (peed himself). They had me bring him home and he thrived. Your cat will probably stay more than 24 hours, but I mention it for the purposes of the timeline to give you an idea... At 24 hours, he was climbing on to the couch on his own. At 48 hours he "jumped" on to the bed. At 5 days, he was fully running thru the house.

Cats heal very fast. They also have no emotional hang ups. He was very mobile at the end of a week. The fur grew back fast and at the end of two weeks when the stitches were out, the wound looked very well. Just a furry patch. Today, he looks marvelous. Many don't even know he is missing a leg as he moves so well.

Some things to expect. I recommend you take 4 or 5 days off to keep an eye on him. He will be in pain when he first comes home. He will probably be on pain meds for less than a week. He will also likely be on antibiotics for two weeks. Keep an eye on his appetite. If he doesn't eat, you'll want to put him on an appetite stimulant to jump start his eating. Pookey needed this. Do not let him go more than a day or two after the surgery without food. If he isn't eating at the vet and doesn't eat for you with the appetite stimulant, you may have to hand feed him for a couple days. Don't worry about it for now, but keep in the back of your mind making sure he eats within a couple days of surgery is important...

It is scary -- the wound will look bad to you because he is your baby. Shaved skin with a long harsh scar and black stitches. Just know, he will be mobile very fast (fully running within a week, likely) and the wound will heal very fast (within two weeks you will be amazed at how well it looks).
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

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