# Hind leg amputation?



## MyCatisacat (Jan 15, 2012)

Hi all,

First of all thank you for taking the time to read my post.

My 4 year old sweet kitty has somehow managed to tear a major amount of ligaments in his right hind leg. I have three options:
1. Pay an INSANE amount of money (I'm a single 20 year old waitress) for a surgery to help repair the leg, with major rehab time.
2. Amputate the leg, which is said to have a speedy recovery, but breaks my heart. Although the cost is still expensive, it is considerably better than the price of the first option.
3. Put my baby to sleep.

I'm leaning towards amputating, because the price is better, the recovery is said to be quick and I won't have to part with my honey. But everybody seems to have all these opinions and they're driving me nuts! Some of these people don't even have pets! I need some real advice from people who have had to make decisions like the one I'm facing. In the end all I want is for him to be happy.

Thank you so much!!!!
-Tormented


----------



## Dally Banjo (Oct 22, 2009)

So sorry to hear about your poorly paws  I would go with the amputation if it was me & in your position, cats are real masters at adapting to things  Im sure alot of people without pets would tell you to do option 3  we have had the same things said to us over the years  good luck, hope the suregery goes well if you choose that & I hope she has a very speedy recovery x

Welcome to the mad house by the way


----------



## Ian B (Jul 19, 2011)

Sorry to hear about your cat, but as Dally Banjo say's, cats adapt very well to this type of thing. I haven't had a amputee cat myself, but have known of a few locally who managed perfectly well afterwards.

Ian


----------



## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

Really no need to consider option 3, cats manage perfectly well after amputation, it has been said that they are born with 4 legs and a spare! ( the tail) 
Depending on just how serious the damage is, there may be a risk that the repair option would not be successful and amputation be required after all, so I think option 2 is what I would advise.


----------



## carolmanycats (May 18, 2009)

3 is not an option, as I am sure you will agree . Amputation is far more traumatizing for the owner than the cat! Years ago we were faced with the same decision and went for amputation. Was naive then and somehow expected him to come home all neatly bandaged up so the large shaved hip area and big row of stitches was a bit of a shock but it upset us more than him. He adapted very quickly and was soon up and about as normal and lived happily for many years after, even still climbing trees (we were young in those days and let our cats out, we don't now and have a safe enclosed garden). 

I always think it is easier for them to lose a back leg than a front as they just shift their balance and "move" the remaining one more central when they stand to balance. It is a shame though when they get an itch and try to scratch with a non existent leg so we used to scratch for him whenever we saw his stump trying to!

So prepare yourself and go for amputation, it may take you some time to adjust but your precious cat will be fine and will adjust amazingly well.

Carol


----------



## alyssa_liss (May 4, 2009)

i have an amputee cat. shes fine . and has been for about 5 years since it happened  

she still trys to scratch herself sometimes lol


----------



## Ianthi (Oct 21, 2008)

How did this happen? Was it a gradual or sudden event? The reason I ask is because sometimes with cruciate ligament this can happen due to a degerative breakdown as opposed to trauma. Has your vet mentioned strict cage rest ( no surgery ) as an option as sometimes this can work well depending on the extent of the damage though given your cat's age etc this may present with difficulties as some hate the confinement? Is someone at home during the day? 

Otherwise cat recover well from and cope well with hind leg amputation in particular.


----------



## bobby7 (Sep 10, 2011)

Sorry to hear about your cat, My old cat Bobby had his hind leg amputated. He had an overnight stay in hospital, home the following morning and was 'running up and down the stairs within the week.


----------



## northnsouth (Nov 17, 2009)

alyssa_liss said:


> i have an amputee cat. shes fine . and has been for about 5 years since it happened
> 
> she still trys to scratch herself sometimes lol


Mine used to do this, so I would scratch behind his ears for him and his little joint /stump would go like mad as if he was scratching


----------



## MyCatisacat (Jan 15, 2012)

Thank you for the support everybody, I feel a bit better.

This was a very sudden thing, I came home a few nights ago and he could barely walk. I don't know exactly what happened to cause the injury, but there are no flesh wounds. My guess is that he got his leg stuck somewhere while running. The vet claims that the injury is very serious and that with the stunning amount of torn ligaments his leg will take months of pain to heal themselves and will most likely continue to be painful for him for the rest of his life. Also, I can't be home all the time, and I'm the only one he's got. The vet also mentioned splinting, but told me that this also takes a long time to heal and is very painful; many cats won't take to it and causes high risk of infection. Does anybody have any experiences of splinting their cat?


----------



## MyCatisacat (Jan 15, 2012)

Just figured out how to use pictures, so I can show off my handsome boy. Thank you for all your support, I love having animal people to talk to!


----------



## missP (Jan 11, 2012)

i would imagine splinting the leg would mean restricted movement of the leg for months possibly and months of pain, and it's probably not a guaranteed fix either.

amputation is quicker, should heal quickly and lets the cat get on with it's life.

i'm no vet though so good luck whatever you decide


----------



## carolmanycats (May 18, 2009)

How's he doing? Any updates?


----------



## AlexArt (Apr 25, 2010)

I'd go with the amputation too - I've seen loads of cats with three legs and they manage just fine, a back leg, as others have said, is easier to loose than a front as there is not so much weight bearing on it. 
I had a mog years ago that tore his cruciate ligament after being hit by a car - luckily that was the only damage and they repaired it - was pretty expensive though!! - but as he was such a huge mog and only 4yrs old they decided to give it a go. It worked very well and he lived to a ripe old age with only a slight limp and some loss of flexability when bending his leg, had the damage been more extensive I would have had no hesitation to loose the leg - he would have adapted just fine - animals really don't think cosmetically like we do and just get on with life!! Let us know how he gets on!


----------



## marple (Jun 9, 2012)

Hi just read your post I realise it was posted some time back but i hope all turned out well 4 yous. Would love 2 hear how everything turned out 4 u.


----------



## Champers (Jun 7, 2012)

If you read my post 'Distraught Owner' it might fill you in on some background info. This is the same type of injury my Taz Taz had from being caught under a car when it moved off. Because it is such a tricky injury to heal, he ended up having numerous anesthetics to replace his cast several times. I am still convinced that these led to complications, seizures and ultimately, him being PTS. I know hindsight is a wonderful thing but if amputation had been suggested at the start, I think he would still be alive. At the time, you want to try everything but my vet told me that a straightforward break is much easier to deal with than these ligament problems. When Taz first had a cast he very quickly learnt how to run down the stairs on three legs holding it stretched out behind him. Naughty boy still was still able to jump up on the work surface when I was sorting his dinner out so I think he would have coped easily on 3 legs.

Please let me know how you get on.


----------



## Treaclesmum (Sep 26, 2011)

Sounds like amputation would be by far the best option in this situation.

My cat might need to have surgery on his back leg for a luxating patella at some point, and if it doesn't work, I guess I may need to consider amputation too, rather than him having multiple surgeries and lots of pain. I would not think number 3 was an option!


----------



## Meli1973 (Nov 15, 2012)

Last night I picked up our almost-2-year-old, deaf, cat Spot from the vet after having his hind leg amputated. Surgery was on Wednesday morning (it's now Friday morning). I really didn't expect it to be so confronting! Naive on my part . He is such a plucky little guy though - last night he jumped up on the couch to get comfy and he even slept on our bed last night (falling off at 4am!) All this despite me making him a super comfy bed in a basket that's easy to get in and out of. 

This morning he seems like he's in pain, he's withdrawn and he's shaking a little, but he has eaten and groomed himself. The vet didn't mention anything about pain relief - is this something I should have been advised about? Is there pain relief for animals? I've removed his Elizabethan collar as it seems to distress him and he doesn't seem that interested in picking at the stitches.

Any advice would be welcome.


----------



## Ianthi (Oct 21, 2008)

Sorry to hear about your cat. How did it happen?

Yes, most definitely pain relief should have been prescribed so I would contact the vets about this as it's recognized as being a major barrier to healing. Bone surgery in particular can be very painful.

Otherwise, amazing how they recover though!


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Sounds terrible that he was not discharged home with any pain relief. I should think it would be surprising if he is not in pain after such major surgery. 

Cats are very adept at hiding pain but as he is shaking and withdrawn I would say he could be in a lot of pain. 

I would contact the out of hours vet straight away and ask for some pain relief immediately. it would not be right to leave him in pain overnight.


----------



## Meli1973 (Nov 15, 2012)

Thanks for the fast replies. I will phone the vet this morning. 

We're not sure how it happened - he went missing for 3 weeks and I thought he'd been killed on the road, but then someone found him in their yard and phoned us. He had injured his leg though - x-rays revealed a dislocated kneecap, but because it had already begun to heal in the wrong position (and I mean REALLY wrong) the possibility of success of orthopedic surgery was not guaranteed. Also the cost was prohibitive for us. Amputation was a better option but it wasn't an easy decision to make. 

I'll let you know how we go.


----------



## rose (Apr 29, 2009)

Poor puss! Usually with this type of surgery they inject a long acting pain killer at the time of the operation to give relief for a few days, Do you have the vets bill to check if he had it?


----------



## Meli1973 (Nov 15, 2012)

I've spoken to vet and she has said that there shouldn't be any need for pain relief for a couple of days - because they've already given him the long acting one. She has prescribed additional pain relief and I'll pick it up today. She sees to think that the withdrawal is more likely to be psychological at this point and that sleep and time will help. thanks for all your help and concern.


----------

