Today my Monty (short for Montgomery) became a tripawd. He is a sweet and wily young kitty who has always made it his mission to explore his world. His adventurous nature earned him his namesake after the Colorado mountain pass. Needless to say, his most recent exploration ended in miss-adventure. Monty was missing for three days (I was searching high and low) before limping home, in a snow storm, on a badly broken leg. The wound was old and infection was setting in and our vet and an orthopedist both recommended amputation. So…Monty is now a tripawd without a right hind leg. Most importantly he is home and alive and will continue to explore his world!
I am happy to have found this community of tripawd pets and pet parents I hope to connect and hear tips and tricks for helping Monty adapt to his new physical state. So far, he is doing very well! It has only been just over 24hrs and he has begun to hop around, used his littler box and is although his appetite isn’t great he is eating and drinking.
Monty hours after coming home…happy and purring to be warm and safe.
Monty is NOT a fan of the cone…or being confined in a kennel. Does anyone have tips for keeping a kitty calm during recover?!
Enjoying some supervised cone-free roaming. He climbed up on the back of the couch all on his own!
Hello and welcome! I’m glad Monty found his way home.
I’ve had two rear amp dogs, both pretty small. My current is a pug mix named Elly who lost her right rear leg after being hit by a car. Elly is a little over 3 now and can do pretty much anything a dog her age and size can do.
We have an awesome group of Tri-Kitty parents here- I’m sure some will post here soon. In the meantime check out the Tri-at forum:http://tripawds.com/forums/3-legged-cats/. You will find lots of answers to your questions there- and if you have more you can start your own post and gets more direct input.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Welcome to you and Monty,
Monty I love you, he is adorable !
Purrkins is a front leg amputee. We used a spare room to recover in. A lot of people do use cages. The goal is to limit his activity.
We did not have to use a cone I got permission from our surgeon to use a baby onesie . Again Purrkins is front leg amp. If Monty doesn’t bother his incision and you are there to supervise every second give him breaks from the cone. He will appreciate it. But do not leave him cone free unattended. They can do some serious damage and cause infection by getting to the incision.
The meds should keep him somewhat calm. I had to gut our spare room so Purrkins would not jump etc, Then as recovery went along I added stuff back in for his learning process. I used a Feliway diffuser in recovery and a calming spray both.
Appetite won’t be normal, pain meds will do that, as long as he is eating, drinking, going potty that is great! The poop might not come form the meds so don’t panic if he does not poop right away. Wet food is great in recovery you dont have to worry as much about the drinking. Warm foods, add toppers to his food anything to stimulate his senses.
If you need immediate help you will get help sooner in the forums fyi. Will keep a eye out for your blog posts.
Heal Well Montgomery
Hugs, Holly & Purrkins❤️ (also a orange guy)
Thanks for the tips! Monty’s appetite has been improving and I will check with my vet about trying the Onesie thing! He manages to get the cone of nearly every time so we need to try something else. Luckily he has been good so far with leaving the incision alone but I don’t want to tempt it. He is absolutely insistent on walking around the house, my vet said he can with supervision. I think I’ll also move some furniture around to make our spare room more accommodating so he doesn’t need to be in a kennel.
Ohhhh Monty you are such a doll, how wonderful you made it home and survived that terrible ordeal! You look pretty good and I know you’ll continue to get better.
I’m not the best person to offer insight on keeping a new TriKitty calm, but Holly and Purrkins and all our TriKitty members are the go-to folks who have paws-on experience in that department. I know that for dogs, keeping them entertained without heavy physical activity (aka, Brain Games and Food Puzzles) are ways to tire their minds without asking much of their bodies. There are some pretty cool TriKitty games in the Tripawds Amazon blog. See:
http://amazon.tripawds.com/2016/12/08/food-puzzles-for-cats/
Best wishes to you and get well soon! We are so glad you found us too.
Because Purrkins is a front leg amp. I do not believe the onesie will be a option. I do not know how that would cover the incision. Jerry did a post on a suit that may work for a rear leg amp with a little alteration. http://gear.tripawds.com/2018/01/25/suitical-pet-recovery-suit/
We have had members use a collar and or graze as a collar and attach the cone to that to keep it on, if Monty is still removing it. Glad to hear his appetite is improving!
Pet food puzzles are great now and in the future, our tripawds gain weight very easily so heads up on that. They still move around great but they tend to gain easily, At least Purrkins did and we have to watch everything he eats.
Keep healing Montgomery and leave that cone alone, more importantly leave the incisions alone.
Holly & Purrkins❤️