Do you have a "tripod" cat?

Question

My humane-society-adopted cat had a broken/dislocated elbow before I got her. I suspect she's having more pain just recently- decreased activity, decreased appetite, pulling hair, worsened limping. I think an amputation is the only answer for her discomfort, but I'm afraid it'll be really traumatic for her. I'd love to hear from others who've had to do this with their cats.

Looks like we need some clarification: my cat has been seen by the vet multiple times. He says that her radius and ulna are side-by-side with her humerus (rather than articulating at the joint), and her "elbow" is just a mass of arthritic growth now. He suggested amputation as a possible treatment 2 years ago, but I chose to wait. I vowed to reconsider if she was showing signs of pain, but at the time she was readily walking, running, jumping and playing. He was in total agreement with this plan, and we both have been watching her closely. He has assured me amputation would ultimately relieve her of any pain. So please be assured I am not making this choice lightly or without ongoing professional consultation.

Answer 1

The Vets Office That our Shelter Uses has a Three legged Cat,,He gets along Just fine! We recently Adopted out a Three legged Beagle"Tripod" Was His Name. It didnt slow him down a bit..Animals unlike humans try to cover any handicaps...They have to Hide illness in the wild to keep themselves from being prey.Cats are Great at not showing illness until they are crashing..I think This is why they do so remarkable if they lose a limb.And if its a clean surgcal cut, heals up nice its not a gross ugly thing.They keep up with the others just fineI would much rather have the limb amputated than have the cat suffer...Good Luck!

Answer 2

A few years ago my daughter and I "rescued" a cat,,, which is a matter of course for us. We saw the cat dash across a street and she looked like she had been struck by a vehicle. We captured her, took her to our vet, and we were told it was not a new injury.

The opitions included amputation, which we declined.

Today, nearly 10 years later, the cat lives with my ex wife and 6 others, very well fed, cared for, and has no issues with bullying by other cats. She limps, and is touchy about her leg, but isn't suffering at all. She does quite well as a 4 legged "tripod", often using the leg.

With no offense, and if the animal is suffering, and you don't wish to budget the issues into your life, putting her down might be more humane than your suggested alternative.

You don't mention even once that you've consulted with a Vet?

Answer 3

Sophie, I don't have any personal experience with this and I am a fan of Animal Cops on Animal Planet and over the years have seen many cases of dogs and cats having leg amputations and they seem to do very well.

It sounds like the leg is really hurting her and the constant pain is depressing her. She will actually be relieved to be without it and she will have pain medication from the vet when the surgery is done. Animals seem to revover their mobility very quickly. It's not like a human losing a leg as they can balance and move around well with only three.

If she does have the surgery a bottle of Rescue Remedy would be great to get and use on her. You can get it at a health food stores. Just shake the bottle well and put three or four drops on the fur between her ears. It is for emotional healing of any fear, pain, shock or trauma from a surgery. It will not interfere with any pain medication the vet gives her and cannot harm her in any way. Use it before you take her in for surgery, when you get to the vet's and after surgery if you can go to visit her while she recovers. Then continue to treat her for a few days after she comes home.

You can use it too as you will be anxious about her and she will sense your anxiety. You can just add four or five drops to a small water bottle and sip it periodically if you feel your anxiety level rising.

Answer 4

I have a cat that I am fostering for our local shelter. She was brought in with a leg broken in 3 places. I took her to the vet and they put a cast on for 8 weeks. After $400 in vet bills, she got her cast off today and now her leg is raw from it rubbing. She still isn't walking on it yet. It's a tough call, but I wanted to at least try to save her leg before they did anything as serious as amputation. I'm probably going to keep her, as I've become attached over all this time. And I will probably continue to try to save her leg, if possible.
If your cat seems in pain, there is pain medication (Medicam) that you can give it until you make a decision.

Answer 5

I had a very active harum-scarum cat. He was mauled by a dog and his leg front right leg was very badly hurt. The vet tried to save his leg but in the end it was amputated.

When he came back home after the op, he was *really* depressed. Seriously, he had a sad look in his eyes, made no sounds, hobbled to the litter tray and couldnt cover his mess. Then when he got out he'd fall over and just lay there with a sad look in his eyes. It was sooo heartrending. We all felt awful. He goit a bit distructive and chewed his catbed to bits. Also, his brother rejected him. They always used to eat together, so Logan (the one with three legs) wouldnt eat unless Rogue was eating with him. But Rogue would hiss and growl at him, and even take a few swipes at him. Logan just looked sooooos sad.

Anyway. I know I'm rambling but I want to give you the full picture.

Once the stitches came out, he started to look a bit more alert and upbeat. He began to walk around more and within a few weeks was running, jumping out windows (high ones!) and climbing up trees like nothing had happened. He was very depressed at first but soon adapted and learned to get on with just the three legs.

Rogue never accepted him again, he would just walk away from Logan or ignore him completely. But Logan had a full, happy life (he even made friends with the she-cat that took residence in our yard, and was very sweet to all her kittens).Two years later he got flu, then pneumonia and had to be put down.

Moral of the story: amputation may be best if your cat is in pain all the time. She will learn to live without it and can have a happy, active life even on three legs!

Answer 6

Amputation sounds like it might be an 'idea'..... but please, take her to a Vet first, get her checked out, THEN you and the vet can decide if it needs amputating. Most cats, after having a limb removed, recover and get along just fine. Granted, it will take some time for recovery, and adjustments.... but the kitty should adjust well. How old is the cat ??

Answer 7

It's not a cat but a dog. My boyfriend's mother was walking her two dogs and a rotweiller (who was cooped up in the house all day, never out) got out and tore her leg right off. It had to be amputated but she has never changed a bit. So to be honest with you, I think you should have it amputated perhaps that will make it better.
EDIT:
Sorry it was the dogs leg that got ripped off not the mothers. Sorry for any confusion.

Answer 8

I would definately recommend that you discuss your options with your vet. I have had a tripod cat. She came in to the animal hospital that I worked at. She came in for what the person thought was a piece of barbedwire stuck in her knee, which was really her knee bone sticking outside of her skin, the person that owned her could no longer care for her, so the owner considered euthanizing her, the vet i worked for agreed to do her amputation for nothing, if i agreed to find her a home, so the owner signed her over in our care So needless to say, my vet and I volunteered our time for her to have her surgery , the next day i went to work early to begin showing her how to maneuver herself around, the minute I took her from her cage and set her on the floor, she hopped around like she had always had three legs-she did great. Needless to say I ended up taking her home with me and she was an older cat so I was only lucky enough to have her for about 7 years, but she was wonderful. She was one of the first cats to pass the Delta Society Visiting Pet Program in my county.

Answer 9

My Siamese is a tri-pod. She's been that way for about 5 years and it's the best thing I ever did to help her recover from her injury. She adapted very quickly and bounced back from her injury almost immediately. She keeps up with my other 6 house cats and really holds her own, I forget she is missing a flipper. It's more traumatic for them to live with chronic pain. She'll do just fine.

Answer 10

If it's only dislocated, why do you want to amputate it? Has the cat been to see a Vet yet? The leg should heal on its own. To amputate it for no good reason would be cruel.