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I got a text from my ex this morning. Our cat has had an accident/fight (he isnt really sure) and is going to be losing a back leg.

Alfie is a big personality, which is a nice way of saying he can be a bit of trouble. Ex also has custody of our two elderly female cats and 6yr old dog. Alfie isnt particularly pleasant to any of the other animals, he has never hurt them but he winds them up and chases them, the dog mostly ignores him but occasionally chases him off. With this in mind he needs rehoming certainly for his recovery period and possibly permanently, as if the dog did decide to teach him a lesson he wouldnt be able to get away.

So after his op Alfie cat will be coming to live with me. Ive never had a disabled cat before and have had a quick google, but would like some first hand experiences and advice please.

Things im considering at the moment...

*he will possibly need to be an indoor cat, apart from toilet breaks. He wont know where he is and I live in a densely populated cat area!
*will he need help getting into a litter tray? which style should i get? is it easy to litter train an adult cat that is used to being outdoors?
*does he need 'diet' food as he wont be as mobile?

Im sure theres a million trillion things i havnt even considered yet, I literally got the text a couple of hours ago! Luckily I work from home so I can be with him all the time after the op

thanks in advance for any replies

I had a cat who had to have her back leg amputated at the age of 11, she adapted very well, and I didn't keep her in, as she could outrun me even with only 3 legs. IF he isn't used to using a litter tray, I'd get some soil to mix with a gravel type litter, maybe get a small bag of a couple of other types in case he prefers them. When Pebbles had her leg amputated, it was cage rest for 10 days after, but I know people since then who haven't had that - as he is moving house for his recovery, I Would borrow a cage to be on the safe side. You will need to keep an eye on his weight, as he only has 3 legs.

thank you. i will see if anyone can lend me a cage, would it be the same size as a small dog cage? or bigger so he can move about a little?

Hi AlfiesMum,

first of all DON'T PANIC! Once he has got used to having only three legs, you will be surprised at what he can do. He MIGHT find it more difficult to jump up at first. But that should pass.

Let me tell you about my tripod cat, Bobby, it should put your mind at ease.

Bob is my avatar cat. He was born with a nerve damaged front leg and managed amazingly well for about a year. Then the leg became infected (through a grazed 'knee'). We found out he was FIV+ and the wound would not heal. Not long after that photo was taken he had his damaged leg removed. The vet advised that we keep him as an indoor cat (due more to his FIV status, than his leg) but as all our other cats come and go as they please it would not be fair to him.

Nearly 2 years on, he is out most days. He runs and climbs and last week the little divil caught a robin. He is quite capable of washing himself and once launched himself off the back of the sofa and caught a fly in mid air! He has filled out a bit since those photo's were taken.

Although our cats come and go as they like, we still have litter trays and none of them have had any problem getting used to them. Bob is on the same diet as the others, but we have to watch he doesn't carry too much weight that might stress his other front leg - something to bear in mind. Do you have a garden, if so, can you secure it?

Your boy should be fine. Just take it easy at first and keep him in 'till he's 'found his feet'.

Best wishes

Sue - Bobby's Girl

AlfiesMum wrote:thank you. i will see if anyone can lend me a cage, would it be the same size as a small dog cage? or bigger so he can move about a little?

A small dog cage would be ideal. They adapt better with back leg than front. I remember a neighbour telling me pebbles was walking funny, he hadn't even noticed the lack of a leg!

Hi Alfiesmum like Bobby's Girl (Sue) my avartar is Mayday who lost her back leg when she was about 2-3. The vet thinks she got it caught in a trap & as she was so tiny managed to drag it out ... Nothing broken but skin pulled down like a drumstick with everything exposed. He tried to save it but couldn't. After 5 days & daily visits to have dressings changed she was getting sick so he advised to amputate! The next morning after the op she managed to get out of her cage & was meowing at the top of her voice "feed me I'm hungry!" When she heard my voice she started to do flips but believe me once she got her balance, using her tail like a rudder, she was great. As she got older - especially in the last 6 mths - I stopped putting on her my bed at night to sleep with me as I was worried if she jumped down she'd hurt her back leg. I also watched her weight so she didn't carry to much. Three-legged cats are special. Keep us posted. Vivian

There is a three legged cat over the road that is outside everyday, is in and out of the cat flap and even runs after birds on the green. He doesn't need any special treatment.

Yep I've known several tripod cats, and all coped amazingly well on three legs. It's a nasty shock to the system, but in the long term he won't be much 'disabled' by this and will learn to cope. Fusses to him.

Iv got a crazy ass 3 legged top boy! Just need advice about cat flaps as he’s lost his front left.any help is appreciated

Hi Dr Tan

This topic has not been updated in some time; it may be better to start a new thread for your query.

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