I’ve always liked cats. My affinity for felines goes back to my childhood. As some of you know, I spent a portion of my youth in Saudi Arabia (more posts on that someday) and befriended a “sand cat”, a relatively rare feline that had wandered into our walled compound. I fed it every day and, in turn, it would wait for me at the bus stop each afternoon and walk home with me. We had an understanding, it seemed. I would feed it, but it would remain a creature of the desert. Good thing. When Iranian revolutinaries overran the the US embassy in Tehran in 1979, the company my Dad worked for evacuated us on 2 day’s notice for our safety. I never saw my sand cat friend again.
Three-Legged Cat?
April 11, 2012
As an adult, I just find dogs very restraining (even though we have dogs). You can’t leave your house for too terribly long without having to find someone to let them out or board them someplace. A cat, with ample food and water, can fend for themselves alone just fine with maybe just someone dropping by to make sure they haven’t gotten into anything.
We have a houseful of indoor cats. I know there’s a huge debate on outdoor vs. indoor, but I side with indoor (that’s a post for another time).
Anyway, our black cat Kierney (SIGH, Rachel names them, I never get to) is enjoying his last evening with four legs.Ah, nothing like preparing to do a laundry load of towels and having the cat take up residence on them.
An aggressive tumor on his back right leg is leaving us with no other option than to get the leg removed. Treating it otherwise would A) be cost prohibitive and B) wouldn’t guarantee the cancer wouldn’t spread elsewhere. He’s a beautiful black cat and I feel bad for him, but the veterinarian says he’ll do fine with three legs. Does anyone out there have any experience with “three-legged” cats? If so, how did they do? I’ll let you know how he fares after the surgery.
UPDATE: The vet rescheduled the surgery for about 10 days from now…
Brenda e
Apr 11, 2012 @ 18:56:56
My vets office has a resident 3 legged cat. I think someone there found it as a kitten after it had been hurt and after helping him they kept him. He does just fine, runs all over the place with no problem.
Carmen
Apr 11, 2012 @ 19:06:09
Cats do remarkably well with three legs! Sure it will take some adjusting for the cat but I bet you will be suprised at how soon Kierney is back to normal cat ways! You might have to take into consideration jumping ability (like if you normally feed your cat up on top of the dryer / counter they may not be able to get up there) but other than that not too much else should change. Also because of the way they have to hop to move some cats prefer not to have an enclosed litter box, an open litterbox might make it easier for him to get in and out.
Carol
Apr 11, 2012 @ 19:09:42
My neighbor rescued a kitten, thrashing in the street, that had been thrown from a car (she witnessed the car speed up and leave tthe area). She took the kitten to the vet right away but unfortunately they couldn’t save the right hind leg. Squirt adjusted to three legs and gets around just fine. She climbs, jumps, and terrorizes the other cats. 🙂
Dick Wood
Apr 11, 2012 @ 19:40:47
Hi Kevin,
We have a 2 year old Maine Coon cat that was born with one short rear leg and no foot on that leg. It is about 3 inches shorter than his other rear leg. He has no problem getting around, can jump over our 4 foot high back yard fence and can chase the dog for hours. After a little adjustment Kierney should be fine.
Heather
Apr 11, 2012 @ 19:45:40
My granddaughter has a 3 legged cat and also a 4 legged one. Crookshanks the 3 legged cat has no trouble keeping up with Kiowa. Cats are resiliant animals and adapt easily. I agree with Carmen on the litter box, an open one is easier.
Brian
Apr 11, 2012 @ 21:00:28
I once had two rabbits with only 3 functioning legs. The same hind leg on each one flopped uselessly out to the side. The good leg was probably 3x stronger than a normal rabbit’s hind leg…
So… busier than a 3-legged cat in… too soon? Don’t tell wifey I said that…
Sandy
Apr 12, 2012 @ 02:25:26
I have a friend with Neco the three legged wonder cat. He sits oddly but is fine in every other way. They adapt pretty quickly.
Theresa
Apr 12, 2012 @ 07:17:41
Yes Kevin, a three legged cat or even dog gets aong just fine.I’ve worked at a vet’s for 18 years & hae seen many 3 legged pets com in.
Kathy Knupp
Apr 12, 2012 @ 15:30:33
I once knew of a three-legged cat named Tripod who ran around and chased dogs and didn’t seem to realized he was disabled!
amishcook
Apr 12, 2012 @ 15:59:56
Kathy, that is great, thanks for sharing!
Heidi
Apr 12, 2012 @ 22:52:40
Our dog just pulled her hamstring a few weeks ago (who knew a dog could do that??), so she has been a “three-legged dog” for the past two weeks. On the second or third day after her injury, she took off after one of our cats, and I thought she was using all four legs, but she was only using three. Cats are amazingly adaptable, so I’m sure your cat will do just fine.
Carol
Apr 13, 2012 @ 19:44:29
Kevin,
Too bad about your cat. Be sure and let us know how she does after the surgery.