Cats losing legs -- how well did it turn out?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Our cat is scheduled for surgery Thursday to remove what is almost certainly a cancerous tumor on the back of her thigh. However, when she’s sedated they will do X-rays and blood work before the surgery. Depending on these results we may need to choose euthanasia if the cancer has spread or is inoperable, or if for any other reason it looks like she won’t recover to an enjoyable life. We don’t want her suffering without that prospect.

But there’s an intermediate possibility. It may appear that they could likely get all the cancer if they amputate that hind leg. Cats typically tolerate leg amputation pretty well. What I could use help with is, would THIS cat tolerate it well? She is 12 years old. She’s quite overweight. She has very bad hip joints that can’t be fixed, for which she gets pain medication twice a day.

We will get more opinions from the vet as they get more data. What I hope to get here is more of a feel for how recovery from amputation works out for older cats with other issues. We’ve had cats live as long as 23 years, apparently enjoying themselves until pretty near the end when it appeared euthanasia was the best choice for them. AFAIK it’s possible this cat has 11 pleasant years still ahead of her. But it’s also possible she doesn’t come home Thursday.

Amputation success or failure experiences, anyone?

2

Amazingly it really is not a big deal to them after the first day or two. I’ve had a cat with a single hind leg, and on her occasional sneak-trips outdoors she usually hunted and caught something - once a swallow! I currently have a tripod dog missing a front limb, and only now at 14 or 15 yrs old has she showed signs of slowing down.

But with your girl already having bad hips … hm. Is it both hips, or just the one with the tumor? She might still have a nice lazy few years left, even 3 legged and on meds. fresh set of xrays of her hips might give you some insight.

Good luck with your ol’ girl, Crossing everything for the best outcome, whichever way that goes.

3

There was an elderly semi-feral tom that frequented our yard. One day he got his leg mangled; it was probably caused by the neighbor’s dog. My wife took him to the vet but the leg would not heal and had to eventually be amputated. He lives in the house now because he has become a thousand dollar cat. It was one of his front legs. I thought he would really struggle just to be able to eat, drink, and poop. Turns out he gets around just fine and doesn’t seem to realize he only has three legs.

4

This, IMHO, is the (somewhat obvious) rub.

More weight on fewer limbs will have a tendency to alter the kitty’s gait, possibly exacerbating the current ortho issues or even creating new ones, and quite possibly aggravating the existing pain in the process.

Y’know … maybe.

I’m wondering – on such short notice – whether a veterinary physical therapist can see her and give you a better informed opinion prior to surgery.

I wish you and her great luck in the coming days.

5

Do you have other cats that make it difficult to put this cat on healthy-weight food? seems like losing a little weight could make things better.

Anyway, to your original question, I once knew a two-legged cat-- it happened she had one back and one front, and they were opposing-- one left and one right, and she got around like nothing was wrong-- even played with toys-- she could balance on her one back leg and smack a toy then chase after it.

She was born 3-legged, then lost the other one still relatively young, so, not that much like your situation, except, she really had no idea something was different.

And, well, not quite sure how to put this-- you can bring her home after an amputation, see how she recovers, and how life is for her, and always make a decision about euthanasia after seeing how she does. I know there’s more cost that way, but it’s a choice that exists.

6

Never dealt with this, I just want to wish your baby luck and love.

7

No idea for your cat, but a few years ago we had a cat named Reggie. TLDR: Reggie, who wasn’t 12 and overweight, but sure had his share of health issues, did great with three legs and had a few very wonderful few years of life.

Long version: Reggie, then a four-legged young feline, was one of the feral cats at my son’s high school in Jakarta - they had an animal lovers’ club that raised money and did the work to ensure that all the strays who hung around got vet care, spaying/neutering, and feeding.

Reggie made the bad decision to venture out beyond the school grounds. Alas, some f**king assholes decided it would be fun to set him on fire, then try to grab him as he desperately tried to escape. Upshot: a hideously wounded Reggie with charred tail and crushed leg somehow managed to limp back to school grounds, where they rushed him to the vet. Due to his terrible injuries, his tail and one crushed leg had to be amputated.

At that point, the school decided he wasn’t strong enough to survive as a school-assisted feral, mostly because he only had three legs. So they put out the word asking for someone to adopt him. My son sheepishly came home with the story, saying … “I know we already have two cats, but … ??”

So, we adopted Reggie. I know we all love all our cats, but he was truly The Best Cat Ever. Given his history, he had every reason to be scared/shy around humans. Yet, he gave endless love and sweetness.

A few years into his time with us, he developed other health problems, and long story short, after prodigious nursing efforts (I remember the vet saying to us, “I’ve never seen anyone take such good care of a diabetic cat!”) the time came to put him down. Thankfully, the vet came to our house, and I was with him, stroking and loving him, as the euthanasia drugs did their merciful work.

That was eight years ago, and writing his story still brings tears to my eyes. But … YES. A three-legged cat can have a good life.

8

For some reason, over the years, I have known three different people with a three-legged cat and two people with a three-legged dog.

All the animals adapted to it just fine and never seemed to notice or be bothered by it in the slightest. They would zoom around like any cat or dog.

I would suggest a three-legged cat might be at a disadvantage if you let them be an outside cat that roams the neighborhood. Something I think should not be done at all but I know many do it. The three-legged cat will be at a disadvantage if it runs into trouble (other cats or dogs). I’d keep them inside.

9

Both.

Yes. Currently she’s one of five. We’ve had several with special dietary limitations and have the house separated into different domains to keep some cats on their diets.

You put it just fine. The possibility of euthanasia is floating around this whole time. I will do whatever I believe is in her best interests.

Thank you. Really, thank you.

We have 3/4 acre fenced in and a flap door in the house to let them go in and out as they please. There are no dogs etc.

10

I got called away, and didn’t mean to leave so abruptly. This conversation is helpful, so thank you for that. Overall I’m getting encouraged that, if it comes to amputation and the vet thinks that would turn out well, we should go with that.

11

For the sake of another anecdote, my childhood cat was three-legged. We adopted him from a stable where he had been stepped on by a horse as a kitten and lost his hind leg. Like the other stories here, he never seemed to suffer for it, being surprisingly able to hop up onto the furniture and go outside to bring back mouse trophies on a regular basis. He was a big sweetie and lived a long and full cat life. Really, aside from the general “We had a cat with three legs” thing, the most memorable part of it was scritching his neck on that side and watching him wriggle his stump as though it was his leg doing the work.

Best of luck to your cat and I hope all goes well for you.