When adopting a cat with three legs you do a double good deed. Not only do you choose to take care of a furry friend, but you choose a particularly fragile specimen.
A cat tripod, in fact, it needs some particular attention more than a specimen with four legs. Today we find out in detail what these attentions are so that Micio can live life to the fullest.
Why does a cat have three legs?
A cat can have three legs due to an accident or, in most cases, it is aamputation which must be carried out due to a deep lesion.
A tripod specimen has a considerable handicap which, however, thanks to the help of its masters and a series of expedients, can live a happy and normal life just like that of a four-legged specimen.
Naturally, each specimen is unique and will experience this condition in a particular way. We give you some general advice on how to take care of the animal on a daily basis, but the vet is the only one who can best advise you on what to do with your Tripod Kitty.
When do you amputate a cat’s paw?
There are many reasons why a paw is removed in cats. The most common causes include the consequences of serious injury (for example, following a traffic accident).
The amputation operation is necessary in case of:
- complicated fractures;
- permanent nerve damage;
- severe damage to the skin, tendons or muscles.
Statistics show that cats lose their back legs more often than their front legs in accidents. A study by the humanitarian organization International Cat Care it also shows that males are more at risk of amputation, probably because they are more territorial and therefore are more often outdoors.
How to take care of a three-legged cat?
As a rule, tripod specimens are calmer than the others. So if Puss finds himself having to have the operation, it’s no wonder that the disappointment of the sudden disability can also cause him to become silent and not go out as usual.
If the vicious cycle continues, he could gain weight and suffer from obesity-related conditions.
Adapting the house for a tripod cat
First of all, you need to arm yourself with patience and adapt your cat’s home and diet to its level of activity.
Prepare a place where the animal can retire and sleep and which is easily accessible. For example, you can arrange a ramp or low steps that lead to the doghouse. The same goes for the food bowl and litter box. Grooming can also be a problem at first: you should help the cat clean its coat.
Gradually, Puss will learn to handle just three little feet. If the cat moves away from you or is in great pain despite taking it painkillersit is advisable to consult the vet.
Three-legged cat and exercise
As with any cat, exercise is essential to the health of a tripod specimen. Or maybe even more, because even a single extra kilo can make a difference on the body weight distribution of the animal.
Trying to strengthen the animal’s trunk is essential: this objective can be achieved by encouraging the animal to move through play. A wand with feathers could be for you or even a laser game that Micio has to follow can stimulate movement.
Three-legged cat suffers from phantom limb pain?
Even though amputated limbs, such as arms or legs in humans, are gone, many people who have had an amputation experience pain in the parts of the body that have been removed. Doctors define this pain sensation as “phantom limb syndrome“.
It is not yet known exactly how this type of pain develops and what it comes from. However, the researchers hypothesize that there are complex processes underlying it involving psychological as well as physical factors.
Veterinarians have observed similar behavior in cats that have had amputations. This pain often persists for a long time and then acquires a chronic character. This phenomenon occurs, for example, when a tripod cat wants to scratch its head with its amputated paw.