Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I am hoping someone might be able to help me. My cat went missing late night 4th of July, I found him today under the deck with a injury to his right hind leg. I rushed him to the Vet. (best in my area) and they discovered that the leg is dislocated in the "knee" completely and the foot appeared dead. They said that they would try to repair the ligaments and get circulation back in the foot, but they think it might end up being amputated.
Can anyone tell me how to deal with the wound, and experiences with a newly amputeed cat and the cat's behavior. Thanks for any and all help.

Hi There,

Animals, and cats especially, do amazingly well after an amputation. They adjust far better than we do and it's not unusual for a cat to start standing a day or two after having a leg amputated. They learn how to balance quickly.

I have known several 3-legged cats. They play, run, and climb like any other cat. They may not jump normally, but they manage to jump while pulling themselves up at the same time. The front legs become very strong as they continue to do this.

Depending on what your kitty likes to do and where he likes to go, you might try putting some footstools around the house to help him, at least for awhile. He will probably need some encouragement at first but before long he should be acting normally. Your vet may want to send home some pain meds, just in case, but cats have a high pain threshold so he may not need meds.

I'll be sending Mega Glow and healing prayers to your baby. Please let us know how he does and feel freeto ask if you have any other questions.

Regards,
PHKitkat

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

He will walk pretty clumsy the first couple days, don't be alarmed...
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

Thanks for the responses! I am feeling so much better Alcatraz hopefully will come home today, I went to visit him yesterday and he was loopy form the Ketamine. It was sad because it looked to me that he recognized me and tried to get up but couldn't figure out where the 4th leg was.
I am not working right now so I will be attached to him like glue. I am glad to hear that he "should" be up and running in under a month, I have already thought about a ramp of some sort he can use to get up on his favorite place-the kitchen table! I am curious though how our dog will act. Our dog loves Alcatraz and she has been acting funny since he went missing.
I plan on keeping Alcatraz in my room for the time being until he is mobile with little or no pain. Is this ok? Again, thanks for the advice, it is trully appreciated. Alcatraz thanks you as well!

Glad to hear Alcatraz is doing well. I want to echo the others in saying that 3-legged cats do fine. My cat, Gracie, lost a front leg at an early age and has no real problems because of it. She may not jump as high as the other cats, but it doesn't prevent her from jumping on the bed or a chair. She still runs up and down the stairs. Interestingly, she seems to run better than she walks. I guess once she gets started, momentum carries her forward.

Good luck taking care of your furry one!

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ellen
gracie, voodoo, Puss 'n Boots.... & Willow!

Gracie is adorable! Alcatraz is asleep on my bed as I type. He will be on a pain patch til' Tuesday. Then,on the 29th his staples come out. He ate for me, and he used his litter box right away. He even tried climbing to get up on the bed. I helped of course. His brother Custard is scared and took off for a while. I think it was when Custard smelled him that he freaked out a bit. I'm sure it will pass.

Wonderful news that he ate for you! That is a major hurdle and he is well on his way to recovering if he is eating already!

Keeping him in your room for the first few days may be a good idea -- particularly because of your dog -- if you don't think your dog will leave him alone.

Pookey wanted to be left totally alone the first three days or so to rest. He slept almost constantly. He was on pain meds for about 5 days at home. Your boy is probably going to be cranky and grumbly. My two really didn't start bonding again for several days.

Don't be surprised if he doesn't use a ramp. Don't spend a lot of money on them. Pookey pulled himself on the couch and bed without using ramps. After the first couple days, he got better at jumping vs. pulling. It sounds like Gracie is the same -- doesn't use ramps.

I agree with Ellen. Pookey runs much better than he walks. You can't really tell he is missing a leg when he runs. When he walks really slow, he has a hop. The faster he moves, the smoother it is.

About a week after his surgery, I was in the bedroom changing clothes and a blur of fur zipped by me. I assumed it was Stanley, but it was Pookey. He was pretty much fully mobile after a week. You will be very surprised how fast your boy recovers!
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

Alcatraz has left my room, i think for good today. Since he has been brought home from the surgery he has been sleeping in my room and every night he ends up right in my face. It never failed, and I moved him to the side a little and sure enough he would end up right next to me. I didn't mind him sleeping with me but I just didn't want to move suddenly and hit his staples.
he hasn't run yet but he isn't much of a runner

Sounds like he is doing well! Pookey has always been a runner, a flaming ball of orange fur racing around the house, so it didn't surprise me to see him running soon after surgery.

How is Alcatraz moving overall? Is he getting around well? Not as wobbly as when he first came home? Pulling himself up on the bed and couch pretty well?

You will be so amazed at how well he looks after the stitches come out.
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

Sounds like Alcatraz is recovering. If he is sleeping with you, I think it means he is not feeling too bad. I hope he continues to do well. Cats are extraordinary in their power to adapt. They are happy in the moment. As long as he has you, he will be OK -- with 4 legs or with 3.

Good luck,

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ellen
gracie, voodoo, Puss 'n Boots.... & Willow!

Alcatraz is doing great. He gets ariound great on his own, but I feel he is milking it a bit. He can go every where on his own, but he would rather be carried. As soon as he sees me he will stop what he is doing and lay down quickly, then he will look at me and meow once which means help me! I have seen him run a couple of time and I was very surprised! As soon as the staples come out i will post pics so every one can meet him and his brother Custard. Thanks again everyone-Casey

Thanks for the great update! It is amazing on how well they do fast... You will be amazed once again at how well he looks when the staples come out.
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey