New foster is trembling a week after amputation surgery

[ndahl]

I just want to start out and say that I plan to contact the foster coordinator in the am because I don’t think this a true emergency but I’m curious if anyone else has experience with cats right after amputation surgery.

I brought my new foster, Sweetie, home on Monday. She seemed to be in good spirits and was a week out from her surgery already. She had been on gabapentin and took another dose Monday night then her final dose Tuesday morning. Wednesday morning I went into her room when I first woke up and she had one half of staple stuck in her gum and the other half still in her incision! My husband had gone in there to feed her a couplehours earlier so I know she wasn’t like that all night thankfully but I have no idea when that happened. I pulled it out of her gums (it was in there good) and texted the shelter. They said to remove the staple if I felt comfortable, it came right out, and to do warm dry compresses.
They also recommended a cone or shirt. Sweetie is 15 lbs and very overweight so she sometimes already doesn’t like getting up and I figured a cone would just exasperate that. I made a little shirt for her out of one of my tank tops and unfortunately had to work that evening so she was alone for a few hours until my husband got home. He said she didn’t come to see him at the door and just stayed in the corner in the closet. I got home from work to see her litter box hadn’t been touched which led me to believe she probay hadn’t eaten or drank either. I took the shirt off and she immediately stood up and rubbed against me so I just think she didn’t like the shirt.

Yesterday and today I’ve noticed that sometimes she will tremble. I rub her belly so she rolls over and I’m scratching her and I’ll remove my hand and her paws and tummy will start to sort of vibrate? She is purring of course but it doesn’t seem caused by the purring. She’s not trembling all the time but it is making me worry. She seems to be scared of every little noise. Today she was in her corner of the closet sleeping and I thought maybe she’d like to sit on the couch with me. For reference, she has her own room but I have started letting her out and she goes to the coat closet and guest bathroom right outside her door so she hasn’t been in the other areas of the apartment. So I bring her to the couch and she’s terrified of the tv and new area so I put her back in her spot.

I don’t really know what I’m looking for with this post. I just feel so horrible for her, she is10 years old and overweight so I know the amputation is a little more difficult for her than other cats. Ithink I’ll feel so much less anxious once she gets her staples out next week but I’m just wondering if anyone has any advice to share. Does her trembling seem like a cause for concern? How can I encourage her to get up to eat and drink more often? How can I help her feel more comfortable? She seems to like me but I can’t be by her side 24/7 and it’s hard for me to handle that.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
I think, like you said, that the trembling is literally that she's very scared, poor sweetheart, and having to learn her new normal along with a new house.

Try a heartbeat toy, a purr toy, and also Music For Cats.

This article might help regarding water consumption -my Poppycat loves the baby food soup using Beechnut since it doesn't have cornstarch;

Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake – TheCatSite Articles

Right now, try different types of food to entice her to eat. Later on you can start to deal with getting her to lose some weight, which needs to happen very slowly.

 

[ndahl]

Hi
I think, like you said, that the trembling is literally that she's very scared, poor sweetheart, and having to learn her new normal along with a new house.

Try a heartbeat toy, a purr toy, and also Music For Cats.

This article might help regarding water consumption -my Poppycat loves the baby food soup using Beechnut since it doesn't have cornstarch;

Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake – TheCatSite Articles

Right now, try different types of food to entice her to eat. Later on you can start to deal with getting her to lose some weight, which needs to happen very slowly.

Thank you!! I ran to the store and made her some baby food soup and she loved it! I also got her different kibble and she’s eating it right up. I feel so awful for the poor girl. We don’t know a lot of her history but a woman brought her in needing the amputation surgery and the shelter said they’d do it for free. Then when the surgery was done the woman never answered her phone to come pick her up! So poor girl was just abandoned after a traumatic surgery and now she’s being bounced around. She has so much love to give and loves cuddling, I wish I could sit with her all the time but I hope she’ll feel more comfortable soon. Maybe once she has healed some more.

 

[maggie101]

Try putting a box,something for her to hide in need your couch.even scatter more than one

 

[fionasmom]

Surgery was two weeks ago, more or less, if I am reading this correctly? You certainly may be right that she has had so much happen in a short time that she is just shocked and afraid. You also don't know what kind of life she lived before the amputation. The fact that she liked the new food is promising for a couple of reasons; she is eating and she is more relaxed.

Which leg? Her weight may be complicating her willingness to try to get up. Front legs count for 60% of body weight and balance and rear legs count for 40%. So if she is a heavy cat, she has lost 30% of her balance if it is a front leg. Amputees do heal and adjust, but it could be a little while before she figures it out. Do you know what prompted the need for the amputation?

The trembling certainly may be fear or residual nerve sensation/pain because of the surgery. I don't think that this is an emergency, but worth bringing up, as you said.

https://tripawds.com/2020/01/08/amp... recovery,other pre-surgery health conditions.
Amputation in Cats | International Cat Care

You have probably been given complete instructions for caring for Sweetie, but there are some perspectives on healing in the above articles.

I did have a GSD amputee, front leg, and he made a complete recovery and lived for several more years. Sweetie is very lucky that you are caring for her.

 

[catsknowme]

Bless you for taking in Sweetie during her time of great need This world needs more people like you. She may be having pain/nerve sensations as she heals so may need future doses of gabapentin. You have already received excellent suggestions on helping her emotionally. I would add "comfort grooming" about the neck and about the shoulders. To comfort groom, I use a cheap plastic comb with my thumb across the teeth to adjust the tooth length. I use "J" strokes that mimic a mama kitty's locks. Please keep us posted!

 

[ndahl]

Surgery was two weeks ago, more or less, if I am reading this correctly? You certainly may be right that she has had so much happen in a short time that she is just shocked and afraid. You also don't know what kind of life she lived before the amputation. The fact that she liked the new food is promising for a couple of reasons; she is eating and she is more relaxed.

Which leg? Her weight may be complicating her willingness to try to get up. Front legs count for 60% of body weight and balance and rear legs count for 40%. So if she is a heavy cat, she has lost 30% of her balance if it is a front leg. Amputees do heal and adjust, but it could be a little while before she figures it out. Do you know what prompted the need for the amputation?

The trembling certainly may be fear or residual nerve sensation/pain because of the surgery. I don't think that this is an emergency, but worth bringing up, as you said.

https://tripawds.com/2020/01/08/amputation-recovery-time-for-tripawds/#:~:text=In general, amputation surgery recovery,other pre-surgery health conditions.
Amputation in Cats | International Cat Care

You have probably been given complete instructions for caring for Sweetie, but there are some perspectives on healing in the above articles.

I did have a GSD amputee, front leg, and he made a complete recovery and lived for several more years. Sweetie is very lucky that you are caring for her.

Surgery was 10 days ago so she is still in the very fresh healing stages. She had her front right leg removed and I definitely agree that her weight is keeping her from moving around more. Every few hours I try to encourage her (with treats) to get up and walk for just a couple of minutes. I don’t want her to overdo it at all but at the same time I know she needs to have some movement to build up the muscles on her remaining legs. I don’t know what prompted the amputation but I assume it’s due to trauma because they didn’t mention anything about cancer or growths but I can’t be sure.


She is a very sweet cat and didn’t seem to be afraid of myself or my husband but we live in an apartment and if she hears a door in the hallway close or some bumps from our upstairs neighbor she runs and hides. She’s only been here with us for less than a week though so I can’t expect her to feel entirely safe yet. She lapped up the kitty soup and ate a good amount of kibble, which made me feel better. She is very good motivated for sure! I’m feeding her according to an 11 lb cat like the shelter said but I’m supplementing with treats and stuff too because I feel like her just being comfy and mobile is a higher priority than weight. Not that I'm minimizing that fact that her weight only makes it harder to adjust but I really just want her to heal and feel comfortable at home first.

Im thinking she might end up being my first foster fail but I have a15 yr old resident kitty that’s going through some health stuff right now so we’ll see!

 

[ndahl]

Bless you for taking in Sweetie during her time of great need This world needs more people like you. She may be having pain/nerve sensations as she heals so may need future doses of gabapentin. You have already received excellent suggestions on helping her emotionally. I would add "comfort grooming" about the neck and about the shoulders. To comfort groom, I use a cheap plastic comb with my thumb across the teeth to adjust the tooth length. I use "J" strokes that mimic a mama kitty's locks. Please keep us posted!

Thank you for the added advice! I have been using grooming wipes and a brush because I know she can’t groom very well right now. She had quite a few mats cut off too so I don’t think she was grooming very well even before the surgery, probably because her belly is so big!

 

[fionasmom]

You are doing everything that you can for her and I agree that this is not the time for a rigid diet when she needs to be made to feel happy and comfortable. She has probably been through the wringer, especially if the leg was amputated as a result of trauma. She probably can't believe that she is in such a wonderful place now.

 

[Furballsmom]

She probably can't believe that she is in such a wonderful place now.

 

[Jaxson’s momma]

Poor sweetie!! You are a blessing for her. Please hang in there.. this kitty needs you

 

[FeebysOwner]

How is she doing now?

 

[ndahl]

How is she doing now?

She is getting better and more comfortable every day. I haven’t seen her tremble as much and she hasn’t touched her staples again. She absolutely hates being locked in her room, even though I tried to set it up as comfy as possible with boxes and scratchers and soft blankets, but that’s alright. We don’t have a baby gate so we made a little blockade out of boxes to separate her side from the other side of the apartment where our resident kitty spends his time. They do not like each other at all so that’s been fun lol now with her being out though I have set up another food and water station near one of her “spots” and I’ve seen her go to the bathroom more so that tells me she’s drinking more!

I reached out to the shelter Friday afternoon to ask about getting her on some more gabapentin and they thought it wasnt a bad idea but all the vets had gone home for the weekend so there wasn’t anyone to prescribe it. They said to reach back out Monday (tomorrow) but we’ll see how she is tonight and reassess because at this point I think she might be over the hump so to speak.

 

[Jaxson’s momma]

I am happy to hear she’s feeling better!!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Good news! Baby steps, baby steps. That is all that matters! Keep us posted please.

 

[ndahl]

Absolutely! I will check back in with this post Wednesday after she gets her staples removed. I’m a little worried that the vet trip might undo any of her progress but we’ll see. Hopefully not

 

[ndahl]

I have an update! Sweetie got her staples removed and I was so worried that any progress with her would disappear after a trip to the vet but she’s actually doing great! She freaked out going back in the carrier and being in the car but they said she did good at her appointment and she was much calmer on the ride home (maybe she was just glad I wasn’t dropping her off forever?). I let her out at home and she sat down on the rug instead of running to her hidey hole. She gone to get some food and water and is still sitting out so yay! They said her incision is healing up wonderfully and that everything looks good. Thank you everyone for all the advice and kind words! I’ve fostered a few different litters of kittens before and even the feistiest kittens tend to open up quickly so this is my first time with an adult kitty that has been through the wringer. I felt a little overwhelmed for a few days there but didn’t really want to give up unless I absolutely needed to. I’m feeling so much better about everything and I think Sweetie is too!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Great news!!! Thanks for the update, and glad to hear things are going well!

 

[maggie101]

And many more hearts. So glad she is doing better. Most cats hide after a vet vissit!

 

[Furballsmom]

let her out at home and she sat down on the rug instead of running to her hidey hole. She gone to get some food and water and is still sitting out so yay!

Oh baby girl, welcome back