How do you get semi-feral amputee moving again?

[Locats]

That is a very interesting one. Our garden centre has moved all its potting trays out of the way until after Christmas. Thought I had found a good one at B&Q, but one was too small, when I pulled it off the shelf and another too big (for a BIG Growbag). I have got a hooded one, that has a lower bit at front, but only on one side and he tends to go in one side and out the other. I was thinking of using it without the lid, but it would force him to use the lower bit with the lid on, of course. He seems to be managing quite well with the normal one now, on his metacam, so might just see how that goes. I have reduced the dosage a little and still ok. He continues to go and eat while we are nearby. Today I managed to go into the room and change his bedding, while he was at the food bowls. I did get grumbled at, but no hissing  Next step is to try and get him into another room for a little while, then he will get more exercise walking back to his den.

[sheilarose]

Definite progress. 

I have to "not look" when Chubby is eating or moving around the place as he gets freaked, but so long as I either look/turn away quickly or blink slowly at him when he catches me watching him, he forgives my rudeness  He comes and sits with me so long as I promise not to move too quickly, so I'm hopeful Hearty is coming along a similar road.

I just spotted this litter tray - it looks like what you were thinking of? Big enough to move about in, but with a lower entry point?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0026MSVF6/ref=asc_df_B0026MSVF610992766?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=shopdc38813-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B0026MSVF6

All my cats have different preferences for litter, but with eight of them I have to cater to the majority, so the girls use either World's Best (which is flushable, fab but expensive), Chick crumb - (same stuff, unbranded, far cheaper, equally good in my opinion) or a silica based one called Igloo Snow in our newly won auction item The Igloo, which the boys seem to prefer.

Beau actually prefers just plain flat newspapers for peeing on, so he has his own tray with my neighbour's Daily Mail inside  Talk about journalistic criticism! 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Sounds like progress 

[Locats]

Yes, he does enjoy having his head and cheeks brushed, but not the rest of his body so much, and Dreamies too, for when he has put up with it.  I had to try and brush him, as I was using wood chip litter on the tray, which sometimes left him with bits of it on him and a trail of sawdust behind. I am moving him over to the silica stuff, to see if that is any better.

Yesterday, I was washing up (opposite the door to his room) when I heard movement behind me and he had got up to eat breakfast while I was there. He gave a little grrr, to tell me not to disturb him, but he carried on eating while I carried on washing up. So progress, I think.

[Liz]

I leave a radio on as background seems to get them used to noises and they don't get so jumpy in time

Like Sheila I have used and still use Zylkene as this takes the edge of them it takes a couple of weeks to work but we have had no adverse effects from use and most of our ferals have very hearty wet food appitites and eat any wet food put down

Thata a basic count there are a lot more than that but 30+ doesn't scare folks

The dogs are my babies to in fact all bought is as puppies so the cats have trained them well and the ferals seem to adore them and can be found curled up with them at night

[sheilarose]

This may seem odd but you might want to try a (flea) comb around his face and neck - this trick worked a treat with my feral Chubby who was totally hands-off for a year. Once he got the idea that Dreamies were good, he would enjoy being combed around the face, head and neck, and from there I've been able to gradually handle him so he's now happy to come and search me out for cuddles and treats.

It might work?

[Locats]

The metacam seems to be doing the trick, the last couple of days he has been sitting very upright on his front leg when out for food - he doesn't like you to watch him or he rushes back to his bed, so I have to peep around the corner and hide every few seconds, as he can feel your eyes on him  He has it on his breakfast, so is set up for the day. We have even managed to go into the room several times without being grumbled at, although for some reason he complains the most when you empty his litter tray. The vets didn't guess at an age (or tell us, if they did). I would probably go for at least 10 years, so in the senior range.  I will be ordering him a valerian toy though as well.

Wow. 30+ cats, as well as dogs, Liz. You sound to have got lots of experience with them all. Cats generally decide they will move in with us, so we can have issues with ages. Our old cat died in the summer, she moved in with us, pregnant, 17 years ago and had no look of young adult about her, so we put her at least at 2 years old then. Hers was the only kitten birth experience we have had, as we have always neutered, once they showed signs of sticking around. So our oldest is now Dan, who we know was born in the summer 15 years ago, as she came to us found abandoned as a tiny kitten (and yes we thought she was a boy - those tabby markings confused us   ) Another unknown age male, Splatt, probably 7 or 8 and a young male about 8 months now (Little Kit or Kits, as we can't seem to settle on a name, who is so friendly but seems to have been passed pillar to post, due to various reasons. We tend to go for descriptive names the way they tend to come to us. Hearty with his heart shaped patch and Splatt looks as is someone has dropped a tin of black paint on his mostly whiteness.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

So pleased the metacam is helping and he is a hunk and a half 

[Tiggy's Mum]

What a lovely boy, a 'proper' cat if ever I saw one    He does look a bit *ahem* chunky so losing a few grammes will definitely help ease matters for the other leg  Hope the metacam continues to take the edge off things for him

[Liz]

I live with 30+ ferals and others collectively known as the Clan cats made up of 2 ragdolls - both rescues, a Physco Bengal we were her only hope and my wonderful NFC again came to me on foster due to the state he was in, underweight by nearky 3kgs and very badly matted now a stunning 9kgs of big fella and my wonderful domestics and my ferals ranging from Nice to horrendous and not for the feint hearted, nothing like a 5kg feral flying off the top of the door at you and my 3 Wonderful cat loving Border Collies Sky who nis 5, Sunny is 4 and the baby of the bunch Mistral who nis 18 months

In fact currently have ferals curled up in each of the dogs crates and the dogs are all curled up, my mob range from 18 years young to the Boris the only surviving kitten from a feral mum, we also have Hyperthyroid and our forever foster Miss Millie Diabetic at 15 years young she was due to be PTS tillwe said we would take her as we have had 2 diabetics one feral and one my Princess

[sheilarose]

Gosh he's a handsome hunk  Great photos too, 

I re-read your first post and apologise for missing some elements. I'm a little concerned that you said he sometimes can't bear weight on his remaining front leg. I wonder if he has some damage to that leg too, a bit of arthritis in the joint or maybe an ingrowing claw that is causing this? 

Glad you've got some Metacam for him. It's a NSAID so needs to be given with food or, same as for humans, the stomach lining would be attacked and this can cause digestive ailments.

Did your vet mention how old he thinks Hearty is? This may give you some clues.

[Locats]

Thank you for all your replies, good wishes and suggestions.

We call him Hearty, from the shape around his nose:



That was when he had no problem with his leg a couple of years ago. We found he liked catnip after he spent 2 days sleeping in the trug, after I'd tidied up the straggling catmint plants.

This was how his leg got before removal, and you get an idea of his size.


And this was last week, with his catnip heart.


He is too big for kitten litter trays, but the potting tray options sound like they might work. I had wondered about a roasting tin (mostly through reading the "Cat who..." series of books by Lilian Braun Jackson, in which the 2 Siamese will only use roasting tins for their litter), but I seem to have some inbuilt aversion, it just seems wrong 

To be honest, he has always grumbled. It just seems to be his defence mechanism for keeping people from touching him (but as I said, he has not scratched or bitten us, even when it is getting to hissing level). There have been a couple of days when you know there is pain, as the degree of grumble is greatly increased in volume and length! The metacam seems to be helping though. We stopped it early straight after his op, as his stomach seemed a bit upset, but he had been drinking some milk and we have found he can't tolerate it. He now has a bit of natural yoghurt with water, as he doesn't seem to like clean water (there is still always some available) and he went off cat milk, and wasn't keen on goat's. So hopefully, we won't have the diarrhea with it this time. I also have the biggest bottle to keep us going, as I had to take one of our parrots with a sore leg too, so they are sharing the metacam!

He gets 2 pouches and often not a full pouch, as we have 3 other cats (so I tend to share out pouches between them), and some biscuits, but have changed to indoor ones now. But I will be extra careful with his quantities. We are happy to keep him inside, the other cat's tolerate him very well, sometimes go and see him, but generally just accept him. You have given me hope Liz, that he may change, I suppose it is still a short time really.

We did have another 3 legged cat years ago, but he was very much a pet cuddly cat and it was a back leg that had to be removed. He used to jump up after butterflies on his one leg though and it didn't really stop him doing anything. It was about 30 years ago though and I just couldn't remember how long it took for him to start to get back to normal. It helped he was used to being handled and enjoyed chasing around too.

Thank you all again and I will keep you posted on his progress.

[sheilarose]

What a lucky boy, and what a superstar you've been to take responsibility for him 

Agreed he sounds like he's struggling with pain, or possibly the memory of pain. I would ask the vet about some metacam for him, and dose when he seems particularly down. Like Gill said, it can make a real difference but you need your vet's agreement as it isn't suitable for all cats.

There's another thread running here with a similar topic, you may be interested to read through

http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,41919.0.html

Cats in pain will associate places and people with that pain. e.g. our Theo was taken in and cared for wonderfully by a local cat rescue manager Anna, after being hit by a car - but after she re-homed him here, whenever Anna visits us, Theo gets very angry and stressed, and has feigned attacks towards her before now. 
I dose Theo metacam when his behaviour turns angry or solitary, as his pain comes and goes in waves, and is reflected in his behaviour. He needs it probably only one or two days each month. My vet is happy with this, and accepts that giving Theo a full dose occasionally is doing no harm and Theo is much happier.

I wonder if your boy is associating his pain with being handled by you, which is why he's showing defensive traits.
Anna advised that we have to be guided by Theo, if he doesn't want to be handled, then don't do it. Just being consistent with a supply of treats, food, a little play with laser and valerian toys and he lets us know when he's ready to be loving again.

If you can get some pain relief into him, you might find a completely different cat underneath, who may well turn out to be much nicer than the poor sad boy you're currently seeing.

I also note he was recently neutered, so he will also be adapting to unfamiliar feelings due to the hormone changes this brings about. This may too have contributed to his loss of confidence, and be another reason why he's reluctant to venture out. 

As for his weight, do start hiding the night food away, your other cat will adjust quickly. Then a diet made for indoor/less active cats will benefit his weight control. Most of my lot eat James Wellbeloved senior Turkey and Rice which achieves good coat condition and weight control whilst having no grain - so my grain intolerant boy can eat with the others.  Polly on the other hand prefers Purina Indoor formula, which I find is good for her regularity and weight control.

Catnip toys might get his attention, or he may prefer valerian. This is the one my outdoor boys go particularly crazy for, and may work for your boy.

http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/shop/best-cat-toys/Cat-toys-valerian/purrsWiffeezz-yettiez-valerian-cat-toy

Stress wise, I'd start with a little Rescue Remedy in his drinking water, and maybe sprinkle a Zylkene on his food for a few days to get him relaxed.
http://www.animeddirect.co.uk/zylkene-capsules-priced-per-tablet-75mg.html

Once he starts to trust you and the pain is under control, the grumbling should reduce and he'll eventually come to you for attention - especially if you use this...

my secret weapon (actually not so secret  ) I never fail to be amazed at how much they love this, and it's so good at building trust and loving them better

[Liz]

A tray used for pottingup in the greenhouse is another good thing it has 3 high sides which are needed for the bigger boys

Mine all use normal trays the ones you can get in tesco it does need to have some type of lip on it for certain reasons

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

No I dont think you are being too soft and just possibly he is scared you are going to put him out again.

Amputees, I had a birman with one leg missing, sometimes can still feel the missing limb and if that was painful he may still be feeling pain so the metacam may help.

I would keep him in the house and you need to improvise a lower litter tray, how about a tray or a cooking tray with low sides? If you put puppy pads under and around this will help to catch any accidents or litter scattered.  You need to think outside the box      ummmm no pun intended 

If he has put weight on he maybe finding it hard to balance on the one front leg so maybe more wet food and less dry cos the latter puts on weight.

He needs to feel he is loved and wanted and to be encouraged to move so agree with a toy on a string that is moved gently infront of him, even my late Kocka who didnt seem to know how to play eventually succombed to a Mr Fish which was a whiskers fish on a string and then used to out and play football with snails shells and a ping pong ball.

Ducha had arthritus in his back leg and hip but a very small doseage of metacam made him a new cat.

Please let us know howyou get on and what is he called?

Sending lots of love to him 

[Bonkers Mad!!!]

no advice to give but just wanted to say what a lucky boy he is to have you looking out for him.  hope it all comes good 

[Liz]

I have got 2 - 3 legged darlings one a former feral and one totally feral and they are both tabbies

Maverick is missing his back leg and is a poppet now and Miss Maddison feral lost her front leg to a snare and we were her last best hope

I use catnip and valarian toys and Maddison took sometime to leave her safe room but now does stairs when I'm not looking and is active, we do feed upstairs though sue to our numbers and the bucket gobs here at the Clan

Maddison is a house cat and if you have the time and space I would keep him in and let him come round in his own time, Maddison sleeps on the table in our study on her sheepskin bed usually with Riley and Annie ferals

I think loosing a leg can be a shock and they do take time to adapt but they do its just loosing a front leg is awkward for them whereas most folks think at slow walking space Maverick has a limp feel free to pm me if you want more advice

[Tiggy's Mum]

  to Purrs

I've no experience of amputation in cats myslef but nine weeks does seem a very long time for him to adapt to three legs. You say he is big and muscular, do you think there is any room for him to lose a bit of weight as the lower the weight the easier it will be for him to support himself. Have you tried enticing him to move about by playing with a bit of string or a shoelace? Or maybe even a gentle session with a laser pen toy.

For a low sided litter tray you could have a look at trays designed for kttens (although not sure if they'd be big enough?) or cut down one edge with a jigsaw so it's three sided with one low side.

Also found this via google:

16.IS YOUR CAT FINDING IT DIFFICULT TO CLIMB IN?  Arthritic, elderly or injured cats may need a shallow tray. Arthritic cats, like arthritic humans, need pain relief. Some garden centre/DIY shops stock bases designed for holding plant pots/grow bags: they come in a range of sizes and there quite large rectangular ones with solid bases that hold several large plant pots, and the rims are about 1” high.

I know he probably doesn't feel it right now but he's a lucky boy to have you looking out for him 

[Locats]

Hi,

I joined due to the recent auction, but you seem like a bunch of very knowledgeable cat people, so does anyone have any experience in getting a recent amputee to start moving around more to stop his leg getting weak?

We have a big, muscular (now neutered) tom cat who had a front leg amputated nine weeks ago (probably due to tumour, vets thought). He has come to us for food outside for years, but wouldn't move in. A long time ago he did have a bright pink collar, so has lived in a house, we think, or had someone else feeding him, at least. His leg started as a limp but got much worse over the year, so has been walking on 3 legs for a while.

We kept him in downstairs loo until the vets gave the all clear that he could go outside again. He was miserable but got used to the litter tray, after a few days, and I think appreciated the extra warmth and food. However, the weather was foul when he could have gone out, so I cleared the conservatory to give him more space and he stayed in another week. Then it was bonfire night (week!) so stayed in some more. He went out on a nice Saturday afternoon, into a bit of garden where I used chicken wire to form a pen. He had slipped under  the wire after 5 mins, but he was sat on the driveway a couple of hours later. Back in and exhausted. Wouldn't venture out again when the door was left open. The next Sat was fine but chilly. He wouldn't go out, so I lifted his bed outside. Saw him a little later sat under something, then couldn't find him. No sign all day, made his outside shelter very warm and cosy as it was going very cold, but still no return. Couldn't find him anywhere in our or neighbour's gardens. Perhaps he had tried to get back to "other home".

Found him again the next evening under the car, starving (he hadn't eaten his breakfast the day before going out, so nearly 2 days without) and took half an hour to get him out from under car. He refuses to go outside again now.

We are worried about his front leg, so I have tried moving his food further away, so he has to walk further and have reduced his intake a bit (he was big to start off with, but all this inactivity and regular meals means he has probably put on weight). He now sometimes sneaks out into the kitchen during the night and eats the other cat's food. I don't leave much out, and at least he is walking a bit further for it. He looks like a cat who has never played, so trying to get him to chase or play is pretty much out. Although we can occasionally tickle his cheeks or give him a stroke, he doesn't like being picked up. He grumbles a lot if you go in his room (he has never scratched us though) and we tried taking him into one of the other rooms and then let him go back at his own pace but he got very stressed and soiled himself.

Sometimes he sits very upright on his front leg, other times he can't walk on it and hobbles and pulls himself back to his box, in a crouched position. I got some Metacam from the vets yesterday, to see if that will help. The litter tray also has quite high sides, but I can't find any lower sided ones. Does anyone have any suggestions where to look or alternatives to use?

If it was spring or summer, I wouldn't be as bothered about putting him out and leaving him over night, if it was warmer. But  the weather is just so cold and wet at the moment, I can't do it.

So any ideas for getting him motivated to move more or any experiences with how long it takes for them to get going after such an op? Vets were saying (at op time), he will be much happier without the weight of the deformed leg to carry about and have no trouble adjusting. Have we just made it too cushy for him??