Recovering tripod cat

[Catbutt]

Hi all!

My 1.5 year old cat had his left hind leg amputated 3 weeks ago. A little over 2 months ago he actually broke both his hind legs. Fortunately, the remaining leg has healed just fine. During the past 2 months he had to be crated 24/7, last Monday was the last day of crate rest and he has been hopping around the apartment since. Understandably, his remaining leg is very weak after both a fracture and not being allowed to exercise for 8 weeks.

He can't jump yet and hopping around is still a struggle with him taking a rest every few feet. He also sleeps a lot, which again doesn't seem weird to me, as everything he does requires so much energy. I've seen some progression with the jumping though. Still nowhere near being able to jump, but he hops a little easier on the bed. I also don't have to treat him like a king anymore and bring him his food.

Right now I just let him be, give him some cuddles from time to time and doing 3 lazy play sessions a day (which he asks for himself). He mostly just lays on the ground batting at the feather toy or wrestling with the kitten. Should I continue as I do or should I force him a bit to move around more? He goes absolutely nuts for treats, so I was thinking about walking around a bit with treats in my hand. I feel like that might be asking too much from his remaining leg though.

 

[fionasmom]

https://tripawds.com/

This is a support group and informational website for amputee dogs and cats. They may be able to help you with some specifics about the recovery period.

I have a GSD with three legs....missing the right front leg due to cancer. After the amputation, I let him set his own pace for activity. Yes, they need encouragement to start to move, but I would not overdo it. The idea of treats being used to help him move is good, but take it easy at first.

In the case of your cat, given that the other leg was broken as well, has the vet set any restrictions which might not apply to an animal who only had one impacted leg?

Amputation can be a very good solution to many medical issues in a dog or cat and it can provide good quality of life for years to come. It does change the way that an animal is able to move though, so be sensitive to the fact that the remaining hind leg will possibly become sore from bearing the sole weight of the rear body. Even the amputation of a weight bearing toe can cause a major change in body placement and cause soreness in joints and muscles.

 

[Boris Diamond]

As fionasmom said,Tripawds.com is a good website for information about pets with three legs. They have been friendly and helpful to me.

I have a tripod cat, but he did not need physical rehabilitation when he came to live with me. I wish your cat a speedy recovery and rehabilitation.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. For now, other than letting him improve at his own pace - with maybe a very little bit of encouragement, you might want to set up some temporary steps for him to use to get to places that he enjoyed before. It will give him some other spots to spend time on and might help to build his strength back up without over-exerting himself.

I use footstools for my elderly cat (arthritis) to help her access places that she used to easily do on her own. The reason I mention the footstools is because they are bigger than the traditional steps made for cats and dogs (mine are a foot wide/long), so more secure for landing on to and pushing off from. Maybe some small ramps instead?