Angular Limb Deformity in kitten

[jakerot]

hello everyone. i am looking for some help and a sanity check with an issue i just can’t let go.

last week as a reward for my 2 daughters doing well with school i told them i would adopt 2 new kittens. we already have an old 18 yr cat but as my girls get older they want to play with one.

so i went to the shelter last friday and picked out a male and female kitten who looked like they were playing well together. brought them home and everyone was excited. kittens came out ok. started chasing each other around. noticed the male cat limping when walking. didn’t think too much of it at the time since he was neutered only 2 days ago. but then i looked at the medical history closer and saw “agl angular deformity”, then further down it said “amputation in the future”. my heart sank. first off nobody at the shelter mentioned this issue when i adopted him, which they should have. my wife and i tried to get a vet appointment that saturday or sunday but couldn’t. this kitten runs sprints plays fine. might not jump as high as normal but did jump and climb as well. felt the legs and no pain was evident. didn’t look like the kitten was in pain at all since it was such an active player. and of course we all started to bond. the 2 kittens were inseparable.

so yesterday AM (monday) i was finally able to bring him to the vet and the vet really didn’t say anything except the kitten’s knee was bigger than the other and he couldn’t tell what was going on without an x ray. he asked if the shelter took an x ray and i said i didn’t know. i can’t start a bottomless money pit with a kitten with special needs. i don’t have the resources and since this would be considered an abnormality, insurance wouldn’t cover it.

so i panicked, and brought the kitten right back to the shelter. my wife and kids were sad, but i think i am the one feeling the worst. i didn’t handle it well yesterday and i am not handling it well as i type this.

so today i go back to the shelter with my daughter to pick out another kitten. i am a still a wreck at this point and the kitten we returned saw us and i swear he knew it was us. came over the cage and put his paw up. my daughter saw him too. we looked at a kitten and picked another one out, all the while i could see my daughter looking at the one we returned. i got choked up again and asked my daughter to leave the room and asked the staff if i could speak to the vet and or counselor about the cat i returned. neither of them knew i was the one who returned him the day before. i told them i was and i just wanted to ask them some questions with the hopes they could help me understand what kind of future this kitten would have because of this abnormality. i mean, if all that we had to worry about was a kitten that would limp and grow up into a cat that would have a limp, we were ok with it. it’s the “future amputation” that had us spooked. would this abnormality eventually cause the loss of use of this limb? or would it grow up fine. Again, the kitten ran and played fine and had a fantastic personality. however the vet and staff weren’t really able to offer anything except to say any financial responsibly for diagnosing and treating this issue would be mine and they didn’t know if it would need to be amputated in the future. we ended up picking out a different kitten.

so now our new kitten is in its own room hiding on its first day with us in its new home and i can’t keep thinking what if i made the wrong decision. i can tell my kids are like “why won’t this kitten play like the one we brought back”. i can’t help thinking i should have kept the other kitten because everyone liked him, including the other female kitten we picked up. this is eating me up emotionally and i don’t know why. i can’t let it go, but i also cant start a kitten money pit.

just hoping someone can give some advice here and share some experiences. i am not one to give up so easily, and the vet and shelter haven’t been much help to me trying to make sense of all of this. something that should be making us all so happy is also bringing us sadness and i can’t help thinking it’s all my fault. that’s why it’s probably affecting me the worst. thats why i came to this site and posted my story. all comments welcome, even negative ones. thanks for reading.

 

[neely]

i can’t help thinking i should have kept the other kitten because everyone liked him, including the other female kitten we picked up. this is eating me up emotionally and i don’t know why. i can’t let it go, but i also cant start a kitten money pit.

First, welcome to TCS! Second, reread what you wrote above. It sounds to me like you can't let it go because if he had been in perfect health you wouldn't be having these thoughts. I think personality and temperament play an important role not just health alone. Even though the newest kitten you came home with may have a clean bill of health now there's no guarantee down the road he won't also have some type of problem(s). I can understand if you're worried about finances but please keep in mind that pets do get sick so you may want to consider starting a small savings account now. Most vets will work out a payment plan too or offer CareCredit. TCS has an Article that addresses this issue: No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat’s Life – TheCatSite Articles

Should you change your mind and readopt the original male kitten you may want to talk with your vet about x-rays now or ask if it can wait. Another option if you're worried is to ask your vet to speak to an orthopedic specialty vet. However, none of us can make this decision for you. It's up to your wife, children and you. One thing I can tell you though is that all of our animals, both cats and dogs, have had some type of health issue at one time or another and just like children they require medical care/treatment. In summary, I'm a softie and follow my heart. I wish you the best of luck and hope whatever you decide you are comfortable with your decision.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I agree completely with what neely has said. There are absolutely no guarantees that the first kitten you adopted would ever need that amputation, and there are also no guarantees that either of the kittens you now have, or your elderly cat, will NOT have any health issues. Did you happen to ask the Vet at the shelter how they even came upon that diagnosis of Angular Limb Deformity if they said the financial responsibility for diagnosing him would by yours? Were they just guessing? Additionally, did you happen to ask your own Vet how much they charge for an amputation, were it to come to that? Cats normally do very well with amputation and it might not be as much as you think, especially if you were to put a little aside every month for Vet emergency fund, which you should do if you can anyway, just because you have three cats (at least...for all I know, you could have other pets as well).

I can tell this is really eating at you, and if the "replacement" kitten isn't what everyone wants, you will probably continue to feel bad for a long time even though it really was the shelters fault for not telling you about this BEFORE you ever took him home. If you decide to take the first little guy back, I would do it quickly before the other one gets to used to the idea that he has a home.

 

[jakerot]

Hi Neely. thanks for the welcome and words of wisdom.

After writing my post and before seeing your reply I spoke to my wife again. we decided the only way to be happy and make the sadness go away was to go back to the shelter and adopt the original male kitten again. we didn’t know what kind of life he would have and figured a life with us would be better than shelter life. we were ok if he had to lose his limb in the future.

due to covid, the adoption process at this shelter is a bit cumbersome. one has to go down there before 9am and line up. at 9 they bring out a clipboard where u put your name and number and sign up for an appointment. first come first served. then you leave and come back at 2pm and adoptions are only from 2-4pm. long story short i got there at 8:15am the morning, to make sure i was first in line. i was. in fact i ended up being the only one in line. I spoke to the manager and said i wanted to swap kittens. she said this kitten with the bum leg was now on a medical hold and was scheduled to have the leg amputated today and i could re adopt him tomorrow after the amputation and the shelter would handle the cost, or i could take him today and any future amputation would be my fiscal responsibility.

i couldn’t think why they would amputate so quickly. kinda like in the civil war when they would amputate your leg right after getting shot in it, like a quick decision. well i knew this cat was running all over on his bum leg and jumping climbing while he was with us so i said no to the amputation and decided to roll the dice. the lady asked “are you sure, don’t you want to consult with your wife?”. i said my wife and i already discussed this possibility of having to get this leg amputated in the future and having to pay for it and we were at peace with the decision. that is why i am here again this morning.

so i went back later and did the swap and brought him back home. i think he knew it was me he meowed at me the whole car ride home. brought him back into the room we have the other kitty in. my older daughter’s eyes lit up when i opened the cage and out he came. my wife and i decided to surprise our daughters, and they were indeed surprised and both cried. and within 30 seconds the other kitten came over to him, said hello, and they got right back into the running and playing and jumping like they never missed a beat.

i got the name of a specialist who might be able to offer a long term prognosis. BTW, i did ask the vet i originally brought this kitty to for a name of a specialist and he said he didn’t have one. time for a new more knowledgeable vet i guess.

not sure what the future holds for this kitty but my wife and i did prep our girls that some day he might have to lose his leg and to be prepared for it. i used your advice that personality and temperament were very important and it didn’t matter if he had 3 or 4 legs. the girls were so happy which made my wife and i so happy.

thanks for reading and thanks again for your advice. steve

 

[jakerot]

hi mrs green,

this AM i asked the lady at the shelter if they took x rays and if they do i wanted a copy when i came back to do the switch. she said yes and OK.

when i came back later and did the switch i asked for the x rays and she said she was wrong she didn’t take any. huh?

when i was in the kitty room yesterday and spoke to the vet she said she wasn’t the original vet who evaluated this kitty and didn’t think any x rays were taken. huh?

that is why i think they were getting a little “trigger happy” with the amputation. i don’t think anyone ever xrayed his leg.

“eating at me” is the understatement of the century. i was a mess.

i agree it was the shelter’s fault and I also feel it was by design. or could have been honest mistake. regardless, one chapter has now finished and another one has begun............

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I'm so happy you got him back and decided to wait on the surgery since he seems to be ok for the moment. The future will bring what it brings.

congrats on being able to sleep tonight!

 

[neely]

Hi Steve, reading your post made my day! I'm so happy you were able to switch kittens and make this decision with the help of your family. We would have supported you no matter what you decided but IMHO I'm glad you were reunited with the little guy. BTW, have you chosen names for the kittens?

Please post a pic when you have a chance since you are now an official TCS member. Welcome aboard.

 

[klunick]

I am wondering if they decided to amputate so quickly to avoid a repeat of the kitten getting adopted and then quickly returned by future adopters.

 

[jakerot]

thanks me too! well i didn’t name them our daughters did. meet Joy and Dusty. they have been inseparable and going nonstop running around chasing each other. joy is the gray/whites female. dusty is the white brown male. i was able to snap these 2 during a lull in the chasing. the one on the right is the one with the leg issue. has no problem jumping on top of the chair, and the chair back as well. easily tackles the gray one when she tries to run away. when he walks it’s kinda like a strut, showing off. that’s the way i’m gonna look at it anyways. eating well, playing almost nonstop. dusty has some eye discharge so gonna get him some meds tomorrow hopefully. the vet on Monday noticed it as well.

 

[jakerot]

I am wondering if they decided to amputate so quickly to avoid a repeat of the kitten getting adopted and then quickly returned by future adopters.

you are probably right. the lady at the shelter said id be surprised how many people want to adopt 3 legged cats. probably easier since there is no more unknown and once the leg is amputated it’s no longer a medical issue i guess. who knows.

thanks!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

what little cuties