Possibility of Having A Three Legged Cat

My beautiful 12 year old cat had an accident with a patio door. I was so upset that my cat might loose her leg. We tried a fixture to mend her leg, but sadly it did not work due to her age. I just could not let my cat be put to sleep. So I asked the vet for her honest opinion, she told me that cats do well on three legs, and she was right. My cat has got some adjusting to do like using her tail to shade her eyes, it is early days and I am looking forward to letting go back outside in an enclosed area we are building for her.She may not be able to chase the birds into the trees but her naughty habit for mice will still be on the cards. Sherri had a sprain 2 years ago and recovered in a few days, please do not think the worst and if it was to happen it is not the end of a happy life for your well loved cat

Jason I’m sorry to hear about your cat’s dreadful accident, I really hope the worst doesn’t happen and her leg heals. It’s early days yet and if the same is true for cats as humans then it’s said that a sprain can be more painful even than a break. Best wishes for her full recovery.
People can be so cruel, I think some men wrongly think it’s masculine to dismiss cats as worthless, they should know that most cat loving women would run a mile from such unfeeling behaviour towards cats. Stick to your guns, each cat has one precious life, they’re not disposable when problems come along. You should read about this site owner’s adventures with his three legged cat! Good luck.

we wish you all the luck in the world with sweet pea, and if the worst comes to the worst a three legged cat can be an active and happy cat. obviously money comes into the equation but if you and your wife can manage it sweet pea will go on to live a very long and happy life with people who obviously dote on their cats. we have had cats at the sanctuary who, because of road accidents usually, have come to us and we’ve had no choice but to have their leg removed, yes its been costly but as you said, how can you justify having a young and otherwise healthy animal pts, if there is any way at all you can pay for her treatment you’ll never regret it. the cats we’ve had here have all gone on to find new, loving homes and are enjoying life to the full. good luck to you, your wife and your little furry family.

Hello Jason, I very much admire you as a man who isn’t afraid to tell the world how much you love cats.
I think with Sweet Pea being a heavy cat her leg will take quite a time to heal, she is probably limping to keep her weight off it and give it that chance.
If no bones are broken I can’t see why she should lose her leg!
It’s good to have a vet you can trust, don’t be frightened to ask questions and get the best treatment you can.
Good luck, let us know how Sweet Pea goes on, will you?

Sometimes soft tissue injuries take longer to heal than broken bones. It may take months, but that doesn’t mean your cat’s injuries won’t ever heal. Not having seen the actual injury I could be wrong, of course. But I just know that injuries to tendons, ligaments, muscles and nerves can be painful and slow to heal. Putting the cat down at this point would be like offering physician assisted suicide to a person with a bad ankle sprain. Personally, I think she’ll be ok eventually. The only reason I can think of for amputation would be ischemia, like from damage to blood vessels or perhaps a blood clot cutting off circulation– and even if it came down to that, the creator of this site has a three legged cat who gets around pretty well and has a great quality of life. Of course, he lives with one of the greatest cat caretakers on the planet. As does your kitty. I love it that you didn’t count the cost– you just did what was needed to take care of your cat. That’s loving behavior and it’s too bad so many humans seem incapable of it, especially when it comes to how they treat animals.

If there are no broken bones, no torn ligaments, only limping, why would she need her leg amputated? Why not something simple, like an anti-inflammatory and cage rest to give her injury time to heal?

The expense of buying a cage and the proper medications would cost you so much less and save her leg. Wouldn’t it be kinder to confine her to a cage for 6 weeks then amputating her leg because she limps?

I had a three legged cat who did wonderful. Before we took him in he had been attacked by dogs and was injured so badly one of his front legs had to be amputated.

This just does not sound like that bad of an injury!