Broken Hip

satai

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Originally Posted by jcribbs

OH libby, what a horrible thing for that vet to say! He is in the wrong line of business and that certainly wasn't his call to make. Stupid vet! That would have made anyone want to scratch his eyes out.Jenn
Scratching his eyes would definately been high on my response list too.
 

satai

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Originally Posted by jcribbs

My husband is very sad for JJ. He says he is a beautiful cat and he was so hoping JJ could keep his leg, but I told Juan that this is for the best and JJ will be our house kitty until we have our enclosure built for safey. But he is still sad. He loves JJ very much. But JJ will be FINE as WINE in no time at all.
One of ours, Sláine, had to have one of her front paws amputated - we knew it would have to go from the being, but tried everything anyway (she had no feeling in it what so ever, and towards the end she was getting too heavy and there was an infection risk). So, we had a long time to accept it, and the morning we took her to the vets we had mixed feelings about it - but when I saw her come home I cried, I really felt like we had mutilated her - she had quite fond of using it as a tool. Once the glassed-eyed look from the anasthetic wore off and she was tearing around the house again, I felt a lot better. She didn't mind, so why should I?

She still uses it to chase bugs - it's not there, of course, but she couldn't feel anything below that shoulder before, so it seems to be exactly the same to her.
 
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jcribbs

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but when I saw her come home I cried, I really felt like we had mutilated her
Satai, that is exactly how my husband has been feeling. But he is coming around. He has been talking to JJ about his leg...
He tells him he is going to be alright. My husband loves JJ so much. JJ will end up really bonding with my husband... Juan holds him and he also gets in his lap when he is on the computer. I have been reading about front leg amputations on cats and they have a little harder time than rear amputations but whether rear or front, they do adjust.. I'm glad Sláine is doing well. I hope JJ fairs as well, but I have high hopes for him and I don't feel in the least bit sad for his leg. I have felt bad that he had his leg damaged, but I am happy the vet agrees that it should be removed. JJ will be able to get "back to normal" now. I don't even see it as a handicap. I see it as just part of JJ... But he will remain a house/enclosure cat. JJ crawled up on my porch on June 16th. Since then, it was been rough watching him going through a healing process.... So, it is a relief to know this will take care of his problem. And I think JJ will feel better when this is all over as well.. He really only uses three legs now. He is so active now that it worries me he might hurt his leg because he has no feeling in it. He tries to scratch with it and that doesn't work. He tries to walk with it and that doesn't work. He has learned to move it from the hip for walking. And I am glad they are amputating mid thigh. The stub that is left more than likely will have a little feeling when it heals and it might can use that for balance when rising or laying down. That is my hope anyway.

I'll just be glad when it is over. I guess after his surgery when we go somewehre we will leave him in out bedroom and put a kitten in there with him. That way he can lay on something soft and he won't be alone.

I have also read that you don't really need to do special things for the homecoming from the vet.. But that I'm just not sure about. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Should I just leg JJ do what he feels like when he comes home?

Jenn
 

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Pebbles had to stay at the vets for 2 days (although they ended up letting her home the day after, as she was doing so well), have 10 days cage rest, and wear a collar, so JJ might be the same. She did like to try and escape out of the cage though - she felt so much better - hers is a full amputation, so no stump at all (I prefer that actually). I expected to be in tears when I saw her, but I was fine with it). I read an article that said they might not feel like eating for a few days after, but that wasn't the case with her.
 
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jcribbs

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I love the name Pebbles.......That's so cute.


And based on what you said, I guess then possibly JJ will be at the vet for a couple days. Ok....

I have a huge dog crate for 100+ lbs so I guess Molly would let me use for crate for JJ... It's big enough for him to walk in, and have a litter box and his food and water. The crate is about 3.5 x 2.5 feet or so... It's a big one. It might be 4 feet by 2.5 feet. It's the biggest one walmart had.

Dogs are funny with their crates. It is her den and I have the door off, but she sleep in it every single night..

Some of the cats curl up in there with her. But it would be a great hospital room for JJ... It's just the right size and I can put it in our bedroom.

I suspect JJ will eat fine. He has an appitite like a horse.

Did Pebbles gain weight after her surgery? I have read the some cats get obese after an amputation.

Thanks for the help with my question by the way....
Jenn
 

satai

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Originally Posted by jcribbs

I have also read that you don't really need to do special things for the homecoming from the vet.. But that I'm just not sure about. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Should I just leg JJ do what he feels like when he comes home? Jenn
I always give my cats kitty treats like smelly fish or kitty pate or something - and my vets really appreciate it, because it they don't associate the vet visits just with bad things.

Of course, see what JJ feels up to too - once the anasthetic wore off Sláine tore around the house and peed in the pot plants, before engaging in a spot of rough and tumble with her foster sister.

I forgot to say in my earlier post that she still 'cleans' her phantom limb; the only thing that seems to bother her is that she really likes her eye on that side rubbed (I guess she can't do it for herself). When she was really little she had trouble cleaning her face too, but her sister washed it for her


Anyway, I hope Sláine's story helps your husband get guilt free faster, I understand exactly how conflicted he must feel.

They don't think of themselves as crippled, and they are totally incapable of self-pity.

And anyway, if she can still clean it, and chase bugs with it, it must still be there, right?
 

satai

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Originally Posted by jcribbs

And based on what you said, I guess then possibly JJ will be at the vet for a couple days. Ok....

I suspect JJ will eat fine. He has an appitite like a horse.

Did Pebbles gain weight after her surgery? I have read the some cats get obese after an amputation.

Jenn
I guess it depends on the vet - Sláine was in and out on the same day (and was spayed at the same time), and she was fine that evening - eating, playing, kitty things. No collar, she didn't go at her stitches at all - although we did have to intervene in one co-grooming session where Slayer found a stitch and was all like "that's not kitten! here, let me remove that for you."

No fudging: Sláine did gain a lot of weight after that, though I think it had less to do with the surgery/amputation and more to do with the fact that she'd stopped growing (which I didn't realise) and I was still feeding her kitten food. Now, I realised that her head looked really small, but I assumed that it was an optical illusion because of the missing front leg - I took her to the vet anyway, because I'm paranoid like that.

Me: I know that this is probably a crazy question, is Sláine's head really small?
Vet: [disbelieving look] No, she's really fat!

Once she learned to climb and jump, which she'd never been able to do before, she lost almost all of it. She's a little on the side of chubby, but nothing serious. (Oh, and she has this amazing vertical leap about 5 ft straight up, off her back legs only).
 
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jcribbs

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That is fantastic. Love how you write about your small headed cat. Reminds me of the the time I took Yellow to vet to find out about his 'tumer'.. I was in tears and nothing was wrong but he was FAT.........hehe

Thank you so much and keep posting stories of Sláine. I love reading them. She sounds really active. And that 5' jump is something else.... Do you have a picture of her in the air??? Or just a picture. I would like to see her..

I havel also already called the vet today and talked to the receptionist and gave them my cell and verified my phone number here at home so they would know I got JJ's results yesterday. Hopefully I can pick his estimate up tomorrow.

Now, off to sheet rock a little more.

Till this evening,
Jenn
 

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Originally Posted by Satai

Me: I know that this is probably a crazy question, is Sláine's head really small?
Vet: [disbelieving look] No, she's really fat!
That is a classic.
 

satai

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Originally Posted by jcribbs

Thank you so much and keep posting stories of Sláine. I love reading them. She sounds really active. And that 5' jump is something else.... Do you have a picture of her in the air??? Or just a picture. I would like to see her..
Jenn
Thank god - because I can go on and on!

I will post some new pics of her in the 'fur pics only' forum - there are is a thread called 'pictures from limerick' - that has a really cute on of Sláine - but I shall add a couple more.

I wish that I had a picture of her jump


Maybe one day.
 
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jcribbs

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I wish you had a picture of that jump too..... I told my husband about that today and he died laughing......

Now off to fur pics. And I'll be waiting for some of your big headed cats antics!!! That is so funny.......

Jenn
 

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Pebbles is a funny cat when it comes to weight, we have battled weight issues (mainly under with her though, unlike the two overweight boys) all the time I have had her. She had put some on when she had her stitches out, and she is on monthly weigh ins to make sure that she doesn't put too much on for what her body can hold, her next weigh in is the 13th July.
 
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jcribbs

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I bet JJ gains weight too. He is a big eater.

Here is a pic I took today of him. In my entire life I have NEVER seen a tom-cat love babies. They took a nap together... And I do believe this is father and son. On Hanks sides, he has some of the same coloring as JJ. Or at least Hank has one big 'spot' that is also striped like JJ. NONE of the other male stray toms in my area look like this Most are black and white like the girl babies. But check this out. Their ears even look alike.Both baby girls are black and white.











Jenn
 

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I love these pictures Jenn.
JJ is so loving with the kittens.


Be sure to let us know when you have new info about JJ's pending surgery.
 
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jcribbs

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CCC? hehehe That's funny.

I did not hear from the vet today XOCATS. I will call him in the morning. Hopefully the papers will be ready. I am READY TO GET THE SHOW ON THE ROAD!!!

JJ is just a big lump of love. He craves human contact and talks all the time. And I do mean ALL THE TIME....


Jenn
 

satai

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Originally Posted by jcribbs

JJ is just a big lump of love. He craves human contact and talks all the time. And I do mean ALL THE TIME....

Jenn
Well, the rest of us are craving JJ contact all the time!
 
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jcribbs

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OH WOW...........!! YOU ARE FUNNY sATAI....


mAKES ME FEEL LIKE DANCING WHEN I LAUGH!!.......
 
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