I am very worried about my cat, have I done the right thing?

Question

I got married on the 06th September and had my wifes Aunt cat sitting. When we were away she got her leg trapped in something (The story is vague and not relevant at the moment) When trying to release her leg she snapped her achillies tendon. She was taken to hospital and had the tendon stitched back together.We got back from honeymoon and were broken the news that she was wearing a plaster cast and she had surgery.Anyway we get back and we are told she will need to wait another week and have the cast removed. When the cast was removed it turns out that the tendon had snapped again!!! Now I have a cat walking about on her back knee as it were.We took her to a orthapaedic specialist today and he explained that he could carry out complex surgery which may take up to5 months to heal and may not even be succesful.The other option was to have the limb removed and she would be"as right as rain in two weeks"We agreed to have the leg amputated and now I feel sick did i do the right thing?

Answer 1

It is a sickening feeling to look at your cat right now and see her 'mutilated' , but you really did do the right thing.
First of all, there is no guarantee that the second operation would work.....or the third....or the fourth...... and there is the added danger of infection as well as the risks of general anaesthetic each time. And your cat would be as miserable as hell with her leg in plaster.
If the tendon did not return to its original strength, she would always be vulnerable to dogs, cars, etc as it would affect her ability to accelerate and change direction quickly.
A cat on three legs does not have this 'dead weight' and can really shift!
I have seen three-legged cats jump 6' walls and climb trees - she will honestly have a fantastic life.

Answer 2

Oh what a dilemma, in my mind the cat would be happier and healthier if he were fully mobile and fully intact.
If you are settling for the easy option, and I dont know about your vet but mine would advise the easy option as being amputation then get tough and dont wuss out on your cat.

You know your cat better than anyone, my guess is that whilst you were away your cat was not himself and missing you, they tend to be a bit spooked and can get into scrapes easily. When it happened originally having anyone but you there for him/her will have stressed cat even more so even when the cat was treated it will have been spooked and unsettled, probably jumping on and off furniture and trying to get the dressing off, this could easily redamage the tendon.

But with you around it will have a proper chance to heal and will be more settled around you.
If you got the amputation that will take longer to heal and the consequences are more severe if cat cant keep settled and still (opening the wound/infection/shock) and then there is the psycological adjustment.

Dont get me wrong I know it is not easy, I had one of mine lose a toe, and that was bad enough, it is hard caring for them, but you are the best option for the cats healing process
and you are here now so if I were you I would give the tendon fixing op a try again.

Just make sure you have insurance.

Answer 3

Please don't beat yourself up, you made the best decision for your cat. The specialist would have made a stronger recommendation for the complex surgery if they thought it would benefit your cat more than an amputation.

The loss of a limb sounds catastrophic, but 3 legged cats adapt well and are usually as agile and active as 4 legged cats. The loss of a limb would be catastrophic to humans, but our limbs are more specialised (2 for walking, 2 for manipulating things) while a cat's limbs are all used for walking.

I think that you might find the web article "Living with a Disabled Cat" by Sarah Hartwell very informative and helpful.

http://www.messybeast.com/disabled.htm

I hope she makes a speedy recovery.

Answer 4

Yes i think so - the vet would have been honest and if he said it would be highly likely that the surgery would NOT be succesful then you made the right decision for you. If you had money to burn then perhaps you could have tried the surgery but lets be honest - if it had failed you would have put the cat through the pain for nothing only to have to amputate it anyway. You did the right thing for YOU ate this time so dont worry about it. A cat is miserable when it cannot get about as good so with its leg off it really will be right as rain and soon it will be jumping about as normal - dont worry about your decision :)

Answer 5

Yes, you did fine. Cats can do very well on three legs and the tendon surgery is very painful and not always successful [as you have learned]. On the one hand, she might have use of a limb that would be in perpetual pain, but she looks more normalish-as she may walk on her knuckle forever. On the other, she now has a non complicated life that will be pain free and less intensely veterinary office oriented. She probably says thank you.

Answer 6

My next-door-neighbour's cat had her leg and part of her tail amputated years ago and it's never really bothered her. She sort of limps along and spends more time sitting than scamping about since the op but she's very happy and healthy otherwise. Don't feel guilty - you've done the right thing. Kitty will get used to it soon enough and lead a happy and healthy life. It's much better than putting her through lots of treatment and surgery, especially if it might not work. She'll be fine.

Answer 7

I am so sorry Hun.I am glad to know though Ur aunt Thinks enough to have taken it to the Vet.(want ask how aunt managed that)But sweetie,many a fur kids live normal Happy lives without a limb.We had a one legged dog as a child.Mom named him hop a long.He went every where he wanted.Seems to me u r a very responsible person and I believe u done whats right.Just give him time to heal and he Will be running a muck in no time!!I am sorry about all this.Its a lot to deal with .Most vets around here would have suggested euthanizing,,only a few have sense God gave a horse..Don't feel guilt,U done what is right.Now just Love him.

Answer 8

many cats and dogs live a full and healthy life with 3 legs your cat will learn to adjust the main thing is it will no longer be in any pain it you had decided the other option you could very well have put it through 5 months of agony and still not have fixed the problem this way your preventing the pain and yes it will be difficult and heart wrenching at first but your cat will adjust and be just as happy afterwards. good luck with everything.

Answer 9

Awwww... that's so sad...

But, yes, first instinct is usually right....You're human and of course you're going to worry, cos if you didnt, there'd be something wrong with you...But lets call it for what it is...

She's a cat, while most have four legs, she will be just fine on three, she'll be much happier than five months of agony... I think you're probably relating it too closely to her being a human and the implications of a human losing a leg, which although equal under the eyes of god etc... You can look after a cat, buy her food, stroke her, shes not going to miss out on anything... SO chill and give her lots of lovin'

She'll be fine in no time!!

Answer 10

I believe you did the right thing. Cats can adjust quickly to an amputated limb.

If the other surgery was so complicated, I can only imagine it may be painful for her. We can't explain to our kitties why something hurts and that it may be better soon. This way once she is heal, it is all done and she can get back to being a kitty!

Purrs and prayers to you and kitty.