Accommodating A 3-legged Cat

[florine]

Hello!

A coworker of mine had adopted a cat last November who had been found injured on the street and his back left leg had to be amputated due to infection. He is six years old and the cuddliest cat you can imagine!

Long story short, she asked me if I would be able to take him as she is no longer in a position where she feels she can properly care for him, so I may be bringing him home as early as next week.

I have a couple questions about making the transaction as smooth as possible! His current owner told me yesterday when I met him that he has trouble jumping, and gets around vertically by climbing most of the time. He climbs onto her bed, climbs up the couch, climbs into his window seat. He also enjoys hiding under things low to the ground. So I want to know what I should have ready in my home for his arrival?

I want him to have plenty of safe spaces as I have one cat already (Florine), and I want them both to feel safe during the introduction process. Florine enjoys high places so I have plenty of those around my home, I just am not sure what to provide for him closer to the ground!

Thanks!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Would it be possible for you to visit your co-worker's home and see her layout in terms of what types of spaces, etc. she has provided for him - maybe even see him 'in action' while you are there? That should help give some ideas of what you can do with your own space.

It wasn't part of your question, but are you prepared to do all the proper introductions, and bring with him his food, food/water bowls, litterbox, toys, blankets/towels that he might use, cat bed if he has one, etc? Just so you have things he is familiar with in your place.

This site also has some good articles about cats going to a new home, as well as cat introduction advice. If you want them, just let us know!

 

[florine]

Hi. Would it be possible for you to visit your co-worker's home and see her layout in terms of what types of spaces, etc. she has provided for him - maybe even see him ''in action'

Thanks for the reply! I visited yesterday and she mentioned that he has problems jumping but didn't have other options for him, so I didn't get any ideas from there.

During our visit yesterday my coworker told me she would send him with all of his belongings, so I am planning on setting him up in his own space with his own belongings. My week has been me having fun planning where everything will go!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Maybe get him something like one of these?

Amazon.com: cat tunnel

Would he be capable of climbing a cat tree like this, or something similar?

https://www.chewy.com/frisco-72-in-...MIpYKCqciJ4QIVyIizCh1i2Q_aEAYYCCABEgKJmvD_BwE

You can also use cardboard boxes for him to crawl into/onto. ​

 

[florine]

I do have two cat tunnels, so hopefully he enjoys them! And my current cat tower is not the kind with those little ramps, so I will have to look into that. Thank you!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Good luck!! And keep us posted on how things go and how he is adapting to his new home - including a pic! So glad you are taking him in. And, I hope it doesn't take very much time for him and Florine to become buddies!

 

[Talien]

If I remember right, rosegold 's Chai had 3 legs so she may have some advice for you.

 

[Kflowers]

Sturdy cardboard boxes make nice little houses. Be sure to put an exit on the opposite end/side from the entrance. You can also put a wall part way across inside for extra privacy. Lead the way with cat treats. Yes, building these are fun. I'm guessing it's even more fun if your cat actually goes inside them.

 

[calico man]

You can get some small stairs/steps to set next to your bed or couch so (you haven't told us his name!) he can use that instead of climbing and shredding your furniture. That way he can easily hop up to wherever he needs to go. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Tobermory]

You might consider something like these to help new kitty navigate your home:
https://www.chewy.com/b/steps-ramps-1637?rh=c:325,c:456

There have been two kitties with an amputated hind leg at the sanctuary where I volunteer, and I’ve been amazed at how well they jump. The cat rooms have some “caves” at floor level, but I’ve never seen either cat in them. In fact, none of the cats like the hidey holes that are at floor level. They all, including the tripod cats, want to be higher up, whether that’s on a chair or shelf or in a higher enclosed space. Boo, the current tripod kitty (the first one, Thor, was adopted), has a favorite cave, but he won’t use it unless it’s up on a chair or sofa.

You might wait a bit to see how your new guy moves before you invest in cat furniture for him.

 

[florine]

You might consider something like these to help new kitty navigate your home:
https://www.chewy.com/b/steps-ramps-1637?rh=c:325,c:456

There have been two kitties with an amputated hind leg at the sanctuary where I volunteer, and I’ve been amazed at how well they jump. The cat rooms have some “caves” at floor level, but I’ve never seen either cat in them. In fact, none of the cats like the hidey holes that are at floor level. They all, including the tripod cats, want to be higher up, whether that’s on a chair or shelf or in a higher enclosed space. Boo, the current tripod kitty (the first one, Thor, was adopted), has a favorite cave, but he won’t use it unless it’s up on a chair or sofa.

You might wait a bit to see how your new guy moves before you invest in cat furniture for him.

Thanks for the insight! I know he doesn't often jump, but that might not be because he can't-- it might be because he just prefers climbing. I will definitely wait to see how he does with my current set-up before making any major changes, thank you!

 

[marmoset]

I think the cat is likely to do just fine. I'm more familiar with outdoor amputees- TnR ferals that have had to have a limb excised. They can still get up on fences and lead pretty normal lives. Indoors I'd imagine they'd need very sturdy structures to climb on (considering this cat is a hind leg amputee) so I'd invest in more heavy duty and sadly expensive cat trees and posts, especially sisal.

Is this a young cat or an older cat?

 

[florine]

I think the cat is likely to do just fine. I'm more familiar with outdoor amputees- TnR ferals that have had to have a limb excised. They can still get up on fences and lead pretty normal lives. Indoors I'd imagine they'd need very sturdy structures to climb on (considering this cat is a hind leg amputee) so I'd invest in more heavy duty and sadly expensive cat trees and posts, especially sisal.

Is this a young cat or an older cat?

That is good to hear, thanks! He is six years old

 

[marmoset]

That is good to hear, thanks! He is six years old

So one thing to ask your vet about then is arthritis later in life. At six he's probably fine now. Any medical records your friend had should be transferred to the new vet so they can see the xrays and know it's medical history.

 

[rosegold]

Hi! I LOVE tripod kitties—thank you for taking him in and please post a photo for us when you get a chance!

Chai was missing a front leg rather than a back leg, so her needs might’ve been different from your guy. But I’ll give you some ideas just in case. When I got her I think she had been pretty sedentary for the year she was in the shelter since she hid in a cubby the whole time, and was a little fat because of it. At first she was very timid about jumping. She liked climbing up on stuff, but lacked confidence because she struggled getting back down, so she enjoyed having hideouts and hangouts closer to the ground or places she could access in smaller steps. Her favorite spot was a cubby on the window seat and I put a little step below it to help her when coming down. A couple times she got herself into situations (usually due to following Chilli) that she struggled to get out of, like jumping/climbing her way up into the closet and then being scared to jump down. At that time I couldn’t touch her, so getting her out involved a towel and a lot of squirming! Or, she would try her best and then faceplant. Poor little girl. Definitely the more horizontal space to maneuver on cat trees and such, the better. It took her time and space to get herself turned around and gauge distances. She was definitely not the most graceful cat I’ve ever seen.

She never went to the top of the cat tree, but she did go up and down the steep stairs quite easily, taking it one step at a time. I noticed that after playing with her regularly with a wand toy, encouraging her to jump up and down the couch while chasing it, she got stronger and much more comfortable getting around on three legs. Exercise helped a LOT overall. After time she learned how to jump down in an awkward way that distributed the landing weight on all three feet, rather than just one. Since your guy is missing a back leg, it makes sense he would struggle more with the jumping than the landing. Hopefully building strength in that hind leg will help him. I would provide both spots on the ground level and higher spots with convenient access (steps or ramps) so he can decide if he’s a tree-dweller or a bush-dweller. Chai was a really chill cat and stuck to the lower areas pretty much and the floor. She loved the rug and being in her bed under the coffee table. When she did want to have climbing adventures, I think she appreciated having wide, solid steps to get down afterwards.

Her favorite cubby, which I put on the window seat:

Tripods are the best!

 

[florine]

Hi! I LOVE tripod kitties—thank you for taking him in and please post a photo for us when you get a chance!

Thank you for the thought-out and helpful reply!! I really appreciate it, and it sounds as though Chai was wonderful!! Those pictures are so cute, what a sweetheart.

I will have to see how he gets along-- I will definitely work on exercising him! I believe he's 8 pounds now and my coworker said the vet told her he shouldn't get any larger than that or he will have trouble walking, so that's something I will need to keep an eye on.

Here's the beautiful boy! His name is Carlisle.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Carlisle is ADORABLE!!!!

 

[rosegold]

florine Yes, she was amazing. I will always have a special love for tripod kitties now. Carlisle is soooo stinkin’ cute! That fluff! Those mittens!

 

[Tobermory]

What a beautiful boy! And smallish at eight pounds although he doesn’t look small in the pic. His floofy tail looks like it’s most of that weight!

 

[leo12]

We have a cat, Spencer who is missing a back leg for about 4 years now. He has short legs, which I think makes it harder for him to get around with only three, and he doesn't seem to walk as well as other three legged cats I've seen. He is also 11, and his front leg seems to have quite a bit of arthritis. I have been looking for a Cousequin? supplement for him that has no chicken in it, but haven't found one yet. He can't have any chicken. I would suggest you start your cat on it early, before problems start. My husband made several stools, that look like an upside down box, and we carpeted them. We put them in front of the chairs Spencer likes jumping on so he won't have to jump up or down as far as he would without them. Were also considering putting the litter boxes upstairs instead of the basement, so he doesn't have to do the stairs. Your cat is still young, so I doubt you will have any problem, but I would definitely keep an eye on him from the beginning to make sure he doesn't try jumping on something higher than he can handle. Good Luck.