Hey guys. I just joined because I needed a little insight from other points of view.
Two days before Christmas my dad found a kitten in our backyard, all alone. So we took him in and we noticed he was missing one of his back paws, cut off at about the ankle. It wasn't oozing with blood or anything, it was only a little red and raw. So we guessed he may have been born with it like that. He didn't seem like he was in pain either. So since we had a few holiday parties to go to we decided to take him to the vet a few days later.
The vet told us it could have been born that way, or possibly cut off at a very young age. He's quite small still, only maybe 3 or 4 weeks old. They also said other than his missing paw he was a completely healthy little guy. Which was a relief. My family has had a lot of cats around my whole life, so we are no strangers to them at all, but this is for sure the first time we have found a cat with a disability. So I'm a little lost at how to treat this. It's only been a week and he's already proving to be a tough cookie. The vet didn't give us much option other than leave it, or amputate the entire leg (which they suggested), but I honestly don't want to amputate it unless it's an ABSOLUTE must. They told us if we leave it, while he walks on the stubb he will probably end up opening the wound often. I have very indifferent feelings about both options. I really don't want him to cut the leg off completely because I feel he can do much better with it. I think without it, it will be very hard for him to get around with only one back leg. On the other hand, I feel amputating it would, in the long run, be a better choice in hopes of lessening vet trips for an opened up stubb wound. I have no idea what entails having a legless cat, so I don't know if anyone has experience with just a PAWLESS cat or not. I don't know if as he grows older the wound will heal, or no matter how old he gets it will continuously be a hassle.
So... I'm not sure. Any input would be appreciated. My mom and sister would prefer NOT to amputate him, they has high hopes that they can heal him and keep him going with maybe a leg wrap or something. We tried putting a small bandage wrap around his leg to see is he could walk better without opening it. But I think his legs are way too tiny to put anything on right now. They just fall off and he fights it. It also concerns me because he sometimes bites or itches his footless leg, and causes it to bleed a little bit because it's still a bit raw. It formed a scab at one point but as soon as he started walking on the blanket (we only have him on a soft surface, not the tile floor) the scab feel off and it was raw again...
Thank for any answers or ideas! I just need somewhere to start on taking care of a limbless kitten!
Victoria
Two days before Christmas my dad found a kitten in our backyard, all alone. So we took him in and we noticed he was missing one of his back paws, cut off at about the ankle. It wasn't oozing with blood or anything, it was only a little red and raw. So we guessed he may have been born with it like that. He didn't seem like he was in pain either. So since we had a few holiday parties to go to we decided to take him to the vet a few days later.
The vet told us it could have been born that way, or possibly cut off at a very young age. He's quite small still, only maybe 3 or 4 weeks old. They also said other than his missing paw he was a completely healthy little guy. Which was a relief. My family has had a lot of cats around my whole life, so we are no strangers to them at all, but this is for sure the first time we have found a cat with a disability. So I'm a little lost at how to treat this. It's only been a week and he's already proving to be a tough cookie. The vet didn't give us much option other than leave it, or amputate the entire leg (which they suggested), but I honestly don't want to amputate it unless it's an ABSOLUTE must. They told us if we leave it, while he walks on the stubb he will probably end up opening the wound often. I have very indifferent feelings about both options. I really don't want him to cut the leg off completely because I feel he can do much better with it. I think without it, it will be very hard for him to get around with only one back leg. On the other hand, I feel amputating it would, in the long run, be a better choice in hopes of lessening vet trips for an opened up stubb wound. I have no idea what entails having a legless cat, so I don't know if anyone has experience with just a PAWLESS cat or not. I don't know if as he grows older the wound will heal, or no matter how old he gets it will continuously be a hassle.
So... I'm not sure. Any input would be appreciated. My mom and sister would prefer NOT to amputate him, they has high hopes that they can heal him and keep him going with maybe a leg wrap or something. We tried putting a small bandage wrap around his leg to see is he could walk better without opening it. But I think his legs are way too tiny to put anything on right now. They just fall off and he fights it. It also concerns me because he sometimes bites or itches his footless leg, and causes it to bleed a little bit because it's still a bit raw. It formed a scab at one point but as soon as he started walking on the blanket (we only have him on a soft surface, not the tile floor) the scab feel off and it was raw again...
Thank for any answers or ideas! I just need somewhere to start on taking care of a limbless kitten!
Victoria