amputation

[catsinc4]

hi i posted a few weeks ago that tia had broken her leg well things arent going well love her,the leg is still very unstable and today the vet is worried about her foot,she has given antibiotics but wants her back on weds and has warned me things are looking like she will lose her leg.tia is very!!depressed will hardly eat even turned her nose up at fresh salmon!she is growly and miserable so unlike her!!so i guess a blessing of her losing her leg wud be an end to her pain and misery and a return to near normallity for her??i know cats get on ok with 3 legs but im still very worried about her as she loves nothing more than to be outside hunting,its upsetting to think of her bless.so really im after advice on how ell they adjust etc bearing in mind she is a bit dense lol love her,how will the other cats here react to her??and how on earth do i tell my 6 year old daughter??do i tell her b4 that it might happen or wait and see ??help please

[Fran]

Hi there, I'm sorry to hear things are so bad for Tia right now. It certainly sounds like she would be much better off without her leg. Animals adapt very quickly and with the loss of pain you might be surprised just how quickly Tia returns to 'normal' I am sure that she would adapt well to doing almost everything she did with 4 legs. However, you have to take your vet's advice and go with your gut instinct. It's a toughy with your 6 year old isn't it? You have to do what you think is right but if it was me, I'd wait to tell her until a definite decision was made to remove the leg and then try and explain to her how much happier Tia would be without the pain in her leg. Good luck will all of this and please let us know how it all goes for Tia x

[catsinc4]

thankyou so much my line of thinking right now is for her to free of the pain and misery,obviously i wouldnt say "yeah remove it"if i thought the recovery with it would be beneficial but i feel for her and i do think she would be happier in the long term or short term even without the pain.does the fact its a front leg make any difference??

[Fran]

Originally Posted by catsinc4

does the fact its a front leg make any difference??

I'm not really sure tbh...I would imagine that your vet is thinking she should cope ok if she is considering the amputation. I have no experience of a front leg amputation, I hope that there will be somone here who does have experience and can reassure you x

[tilly]

Sorry I can offer any help but I am sure your vet knows what is best.

Best of luck and hope there is some good news soon. On the bright side eitrher way she will be free from pain as if the leg heals it will hurt less and if it is removed it won't be there to cause any pain.


Sally

[Soupie]

One of mum and dad's has his leg amputated after it was caught in an illegal trap and he was coping well but unfortunately contracted tetanus soon after the op and mum and dad had him to put to sleep as he was suffering so badly from the tet. However he was very active and seemed to be adapting ok The tetanus was purely because of the nature of the initial injury so pleasedon't be put off by that - he would have already been infected before the op

When I was very young one of our cats had her back leg and tail amputated and she coped great - they are so adaptable cats.

I would say if the vet advises then follow it because the reality for the cats is not horrific like humans and they can have happy lives afterwards. Big HUGS coming your way though

[Sweet]

Sending a big ((((((hug))))) x

[dinahsmum]

I've known one front leg amputee and one back leg amputee and both coped perfectly well with their situation.
Remember animals don't have the same psychological hang ups we do. She just knows that she hurts and that is why she is miserable; remove the pain and she will be happy again.
One of our members, Booktigger, went through a lot of soul-searching before she agreed to an amputation on her (quite old) cat. She was amazed at the speed of recovery and how the cat soon got round to jumping and doing all the things cats should.
As for your little one - well she wants Tia to be happy and cuddly doesn't she, not a sad little thing? I think she can accept that the leg is broken so badly it can't mend.

[alexgirl73]

Sorry to hear that you are faced with this situation. I think all the advice given so far covers it, so I just wish you well, and Tia ((hugs))

[Elaine]

http://wizz-catz.co.uk/catsponsor.html
I am a sponser for Simon, who lost one of his front legs due to amputation. He copes very well. You can also contact Wizz if you wish via her rescue site.
I feel its very sad for any animal to lose a limb but they do recover very well normally.
Wishing you all lots of love and best wishes xxx.