kitten born with 3 legs?

[jezmondo69]

hi everyone.

around 6 months ago i adopted a kitten that we heard about in our local newspaper. we felt so sorry for him we knew we had to have him. the story goes that when he was born the umbilical cord was wrapped around his one back leg. (i dont know how long it had been like that, maybe the entire time he was inside?) anyway it wasnt long after he was born that the lower part of his leg died and dropped off.

he now has a femur, and a fibula and tibia, but has no metatarsus. however this doesnt seem to stop him doing anything, he can run very quickly, climbs better than my 4 legged cat, but his jumping distance is a little reduced.

the problem is that with there still being effectively quite a long limb still remaining the end of which is quite close to the ground, as such he does sometimes bump the end of it and its almost always got a little scab on the tip of it. ever since we had him i kind of thought that at some point he may need more of it removing to prevent him injuring it further, and to enable him to run around without a care.

a couple of weeks ago he did come in the house making a bit of a fuss, and walking around keeping the "stump" right up as he does when he has bumped it. i was worried to death thinking he had been hit by a car or something. we took him straight up the vets and they eventually seemed to think he had hurt his back? (i had just assumed it was his leg?)  2 nights stay and some painkillers, as well as 2 x-rays after being knocked out which showed nothing. the pain killers and 2 nights rest at teh vets saw him back to his usual lively self...... until about 2 hours ago (5 a.m)

i have given him a good fussing and at the same time felt down his back and this isnt causing him any pain im sure, he is however pulling the back "stump" up and struggling to get it comfortable i think. so im basically sat up with him waiting for the vets to open.

my questions are........

1, has anyone else ever had a kitten lose a leg in the same way? (the vets said they had never seen this before)

2, has anyone got a cat with only a lower amputation like this? does it cause them any trouble?

3, could it be a trapped nerve thats causing the problem? i have had a little peak at the end of the stump and it looks fine, he hasnt knocked the scab off again (he was just asleep on the bed tonight when he woke me up with a little squeek)

sorry for the essay, there is just allot to try to explain! help guys, im worried about our littlest one!

 

[orientalslave]

I've heard of this happening with human babies - the cord strangulates a hand or foot - so I'm sure it can happen with other placental mammals.

I also read about a cat that had a similar condition to your cat, though in it's case it was due to injury.  Apparently it formed a hard callous on the bottom of the stump.

Have no idea about #3. 

 

[gooned]

One of my girls lost a rear leg due to a tree incident. She only had to have the lower part removed but the Vet recommended taking the leg off up to the hip. He said the stump would eventually atrophy and cause problems. We followed his advice and she is just fine 12 years later - climbing trees, hunting, etc. We have to let her front claws grow as it is her main tool for climbing.

 

[amberdawn dunn]

I i have a cat who has the exact thing wrong with her it is also her back left leg which has the stump i find when she bangs it or lands on it she will pull her stump in almost like it dislocates its self and after a few minutes of her pulling her stump in and out she returns to normal she also has scabbing do to the length but all in all seems to be doin just fine

 

[orientalslave]

If she has scabs along her stump I'd take her to the vets to see what they think.  She might be better ff without it.

 

[scuns68]

Keep this baby indoors at all times having a dissability!

 

[otto]

I have a friend who cares for strays and ferals dumped on his property. All have now be spayed and neutered, but one wild girl was tough to catch and she had several litters before he was able to trap and spay her.

Each litter, the kittens were more and more defective. Most died. Her next to last litter, all died but one which he took in, to try to save. The last litter, two of the kittens, twin red tabbies, were born with three legs. One had a right hind leg missing the other had a left. His inside cat quota was full at the time. One of the tripod kittens disappeared at 3 months, shortly after that the last kitten from the previous litter that he was trying to save, died, so he brought the other little tripod inside.

After a couple of months he noticed her stump was always looking infected and raw. He brought her to the vet and had the rest of the leg amputated. Now she is absolutely THRIVING! Much more active, he says, now that the stump is gone. He suspects it was causing her a lot more discomfort than he realized.

So yeah, I think having the rest of the leg removed would be a good thing. And definitely keep him inside.

 

[jo 351]

Yes, we have a 3 legged kitten with exactly the same problem ... his mom ate his hind leg at birth thinking it was the umbilical.... Pod has 1/2 of his back left leg ... he is constantly banging it on the floor or other things when he runs... tomorrow we have to take him to the vets because he now has an open infected sore... i was hoping it would callus up but so far not... I was wondering if there was some kind of boot we could put on it to protect it but how to keep it on is the problem ... I figure we will probably have to get the rest of the leg amputated  ... I hope not

 

[lovincatmama]

Hello everyone
I recently bought a rescue kitten with three legs. She is four months old and thriving super well, loves to run and play.
So now as many of you, I am looking for all information available on caring for our special babies and there stump.
In Sofia s case, she was born with a missing hind leg. To be accurate, its partial, so the stump drags as she runs or jumps.
When I first got her and brought her home she was everywhere and at the end of the day her stump was bleeding, slightly.
The next few days I observed it, it is now healed. I will take her to the vet in the near future as I would like there input.
Now I would appreciate yours...I was thinking this could be a good way to give feedback/support to eachother.
What have you all experienced? I have also read that many cats who have partial limbs have to end up getting the whole leg amputated...not a thought I would like to entertain...

 

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I am basically bumping this up for further discussion.  I have never had a cat with this issue, but have also read that normally it's better to do a higher amputation, as having a partial limb gets in the way, as you have observed.  It's good that the bleeding has stopped and that area appears to have healed, but that could be temporary.  It'll be interesting to hear what the Vet advises.

So good of you to adopt this little one.  Many people won't look past their disability

 

[Kbruce00]

Yes. I have a 13 week old Kitten named Rex. He has 3 legs - 2 front, 1 back, and a partial. Back leg. It is cut off from his hunch down so his stub comes about an inch and a half from the ground. He gets around amazing, except for high jumping. But even he has adapted to getting on my high bed himself. He has a bald spot on the bottom of his nub but hes as healthy as ever.

 

[Kbruce00]

Yes. I have a 13 week old Kitten named Rex. He has 3 legs - 2 front, 1 back, and a partial. Back leg. It is cut off from his hunch down so his stub comes about an inch and a half from the ground. He gets around amazing, except for high jumping. But even he has adapted to getting on my high bed himself. He has a bald spot on the bottom of his nub but hes as healthy as ever.

His leg does not meed to be amputated. Him hitting his stub feels the same to him as a regular cat hitting their paw. Its unavoidable but taking his leg could cause him major emotional distress seeing as he is accustom to the way he gets around bwcause cats in this condition often atill push their nub to the ground when walking sometimes

 

[fionasmom]

I have a three legged German shepherd who lost his leg to melanoma two years ago. While I am not trying to spend your money or put your cat through surgery, the idea of a stump is really bothersome to me. Orlando (the dog) is not the first dog amputee I have been around, and I have never known a vet to leave enough of a lower leg to create the issue that you are describing. It sounds awkward, possibly painful, and a potential for infections. I wonder how difficult it is for the cat to keep the stump up high enough to avoid discomfort or contact with the ground.

My dog's melanoma lesion was not at the top of the leg, but this is not like hemming a dress; you don't just raise the part that needs to be removed.

 

[Kbruce00]

I have a three legged German shepherd who lost his leg to melanoma two years ago. While I am not trying to spend your money or put your cat through surgery, the idea of a stump is really bothersome to me. Orlando (the dog) is not the first dog amputee I have been around, and I have never known a vet to leave enough of a lower leg to create the issue that you are describing. It sounds awkward, possibly painful, and a potential for infections. I wonder how difficult it is for the cat to keep the stump up high enough to avoid discomfort or contact with the ground.

My dog's melanoma lesion was not at the top of the leg, but this is not like hemming a dress; you don't just raise the part that needs to be removed.

It doesnt cause any pain once its healed. My kitten has never shown any signs of discomfort or pain and has never lashed out at me for touching his nub. He actually prefers to yuse it when running because its easier for him.

 

[She's a witch]

It doesnt cause any pain once its healed. My kitten has never shown any signs of discomfort or pain and has never lashed out at me for touching his nub. He actually prefers to yuse it when running because its easier for him.

but are you sure it doesn't affect his overall skeleton system or posture or spine health?