My amputee cat's records mention a contracted limb. What is it?

I am so sorry for all of Luna's trauma! I would recommend taking her back to the vet to be evaluated. They may be able to tell if she just has muscle contracture causing her to be unable to bend the foot if or if it's a complication in the joint. Physical therapy may be able to help in some cases but she needs to be evaluated to figure out what may best help her. In the worst case situation if amputation ends up being recommended, three legged cats do remarkably well. I have a 17 year old tripod due to an injury as a kitten. But hopefully it won't come to that. Get her re-evaluated and find out what exercises you can try to help her with at home. good luck to Luna!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Weebil is adorable and I love his name! He likely had a congenital defect or trauma at birth. I have seen the umbilical chord wrap around paws, legs and tails causing deformities. As for the head bobbing it could be just do to the lameness and paw deformities (use the head to balance) or he could have a mild form of cerebellar hypoplasia which is due to his mother being infected by panleukopenia while pregnant. Animals with this condition live a normal life but are "special." I wish you all the best!

Poor Abbott! It sounds like he had a pretty nasty infection with draining tracts! I'm so sorry that this happened to him! Unfortunately, the infection may have infiltrated the bone at this point, making it even more difficult to treat. Amputation is definitely an option, and most cats do great following the procedure (they are not very concerned with looks)! Abbott will have to be placed under general anesthesia, and the surgery itself typically does not take more than hour. He will likely need to be hospitalized for a few days following the procedure, but will go home shortly with an E-collar to prevent him from damaging the sutures. His mobility will likely be just fine, most cats continue living absolutely normal lives following an amputation. One of the concerns would be to keep him from getting overweight throughout the rest of his life, as he will have three legs to support himself. I hope this helps!

The only way to better determine Snit's prognosis of regaining use of the affected limb is through repeated neurologic exams. Based on your description, it sounds possible that Snit may be experiencing either radial nerve paralysis or a brachial plexus avulsion. While function of the affected limb may return, this is not the case for every cat and amputation may be considered in some cases. I recommend taking Snit to his vet regularly for neurologic exams to determine if there are any changes. If there is no improvement after 6 or more weeks, it may be best to discuss amputation as an option with your veterinarian. I hope that all goes well!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. This is likely a genetic malformation during birth. The only thing I would watch out for is pain in the affected leg and any abrasions from the leg dragging on the ground. Otherwise, she should be able to adapt to her malformation. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

As long as the skin is healed and dry you should just monitor for any discharge/bleeding etc which would indicate infection. It is likley that complications will develop as he starts walkingand putting wieghton the stump and the bones of the leg may break through the skin covering - in such cases amputation is recommended to shorten the stump and prevent open sores and infection once e is more mobile and strong enough for anesthetic

I am very sorry the kitten has been born with this limb issue. Thank you for providing a picture. Many conditions of the limbs can be corrected with surgery. I would advise taking the kitten to the veterinarian to have an X-ray performed. The vet will then be able to diagnose what is specifically wrong within the limb and discuss the treatment options available for you.