Cat leg amputation can live happily, without pain on three legs

James is a beautiful young cat who has lived the last four and a half years with his family. Unfortunately, one night he was hit by a car. He was found hiding under the neighbour’s car and rushed to hospital.

When our pets are involved in motor vehicle accidents it is not easy to see all the injuries. The emergency vet team ran a series of tests so they could understand how injured he was. They found four visible wounds as well as injuries internally to his back leg and pelvis. Kate agreed that overnight care with fluid therapy, pain relief and antibiotics was the best idea. If James could use the bathroom properly then amputation surgery could take place. With these injuries, being able to urinate is really important because if they cannot go to the bathroom there are few long term options.

Many pet owners understandably struggle with the gravity of the situation. Cats who have a leg amputated can live happily and without pain with three legs. They can also walk, use the bathroom and play. Most pets recover remarkably well, are immediately in less pain and often resume a full cat life. The following night Kate made the hard decision to amputate his right back leg. James went into surgery, had his right hind left successfully amputated and stayed in the hospital for another night to recover.

His family were really careful with caring for him when he first came home. James lives happily as an indoor cat now and ‘is going so well that when outside he gets grumpy when told to come back in.’