Oh Jackson! My beloved cat had a really hard day. Jack broke his leg last night after a run in with a car. I found him in the backyard with the bone exposed, bleeding and separated...it was a terrible moment but I didn't vomit like I thought I might, so that was good. We made it to the emergency clinic and got him some pain meds...he stayed there overnight. Today we consulted with the surgeons and vets. After many tears and questions and much discussion we decided the best option for Jack was to amputate his leg. The healing time will only be 10 days, vs 8-12 weeks for surgery. The surgical outcomes weren't super promising, little chance of normal function, risks of infection, arthritis later on, or limited function with fusing the joint. We decided he would go nuts in a crate for 2-3 months healing with a cast or external fixiter (crazy looking hardware)...and it's better just to get him recovering and moving around. He would be miserable to spend the summer in a crate. I would never wish this decision on anyone else. I hope we made the right one. It breaks my heart to think of him hobbling around at first, getting used to it. We just went with what would be a fast and good recovery....the vets told me two things that helped. One guy said, "Cats are three legged animals with four legs." Meaning they do great with three...and the other vet said "It will not affect his quality of life." I hope Jack feels the same way, but the funny thing is that he won't even know we had to make a choice. Also, most vets say that cats aren't attached to their limbs the way people are, like he won't be pissed that he can't get his groove on dancing the way he used to. I knew a three legged cat once, it was a stray, a big black male cat I named Galileo who lived outside at my grandparents house. He was a great cat who got around just great. I pray that Jack will adapt with ease. Tonight they will do the surgery. Let's all send him some good love and healing.
Oh Jackson! My beloved cat had a really hard day. Jack broke his leg last night after a run in with a car. I found him in the backyard with the bone exposed, bleeding and separated...it was a terrible moment but I didn't vomit like I thought I might, so that was good. We made it to the emergency clinic and got him some pain meds...he stayed there overnight. Today we consulted with the surgeons and vets. After many tears and questions and much discussion we decided the best option for Jack was to amputate his leg. The healing time will only be 10 days, vs 8-12 weeks for surgery. The surgical outcomes weren't super promising, little chance of normal function, risks of infection, arthritis later on, or limited function with fusing the joint. We decided he would go nuts in a crate for 2-3 months healing with a cast or external fixiter (crazy looking hardware)...and it's better just to get him recovering and moving around. He would be miserable to spend the summer in a crate. I would never wish this decision on anyone else. I hope we made the right one. It breaks my heart to think of him hobbling around at first, getting used to it. We just went with what would be a fast and good recovery....the vets told me two things that helped. One guy said, "Cats are three legged animals with four legs." Meaning they do great with three...and the other vet said "It will not affect his quality of life." I hope Jack feels the same way, but the funny thing is that he won't even know we had to make a choice. Also, most vets say that cats aren't attached to their limbs the way people are, like he won't be pissed that he can't get his groove on dancing the way he used to. I knew a three legged cat once, it was a stray, a big black male cat I named Galileo who lived outside at my grandparents house. He was a great cat who got around just great. I pray that Jack will adapt with ease. Tonight they will do the surgery. Let's all send him some good love and healing. 
6 comments:
we kow that you made the right decision for jackson.. he will be jumping to watch those birds before you know it. get well quickly jackson. it will be interesting to watch how he adapts to his new lifestyle. hugs, gram
I just read your blog and you TOTALLY made the right decision for your cat!! We have our 7 month old kitten recovering from his broken leg (a run-in with a horrible neighbor child!) and if I had known then that he would live in a 2'x3'dog crate for 3 MONTHS I would have insisted that they amputate it right away. They originally casted it (badly) and another vet surgically repaired it with pins and wires a month after it happened because it wouldn't knit together, which elongated the poor thing's confinement. The surgical vet did a great job and he will make a full recovery, but if I could go back in time I would. Thankfully if he is healing properly he only has about 3 weeks left in there - if not, THEN we'll have to amputate it, which would be such a let-down after all these months. Hopefully all will go well -- I cannot tell you how excited I will be to get that dog crate and litterbox OUT of my living room!!
Hope your kitty feels better!! Best of luck!
Yeah we also have a seven month old kitten with a broken leg. She was attacked by our nextdoor neighbours dog 7 weeks ago. We got her straight to the vets and have been back for regular visits! We decided to have the vets put a cast on and she has been restricted to a cage. It is so sad to see her sitting in the cage but we know it is for her own good. We are due to have cast taken off this friday, hopefully it has healed correctly. It has been a very long road to recovery but hopefully we are nearly there.
My 2 year old male cat broke his leg this weekend but we dont know how because he lives in an apt with 2 other cats and a dog--not sure if he fell or what. We went to the vet and unfortunately I cannot afford the surgery or an amputation. I couldn't come to euthanize him, but instead am keeping him kenneled up on antibiotics and pain meds--praying it will heal with time. I also am not sure this was the right decision, but my options were limited.
Do you have copy writer for so good articles? If so please give me contacts, because this really rocks! :)
I didn't understand the concluding part of your article, could you please explain it more?
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