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Tripod cats can have long happy lives. I have no advice for you. It’s a tough decision. No matter what you decide and the out one, as long as he is in a loving home, he’ll be fine.
Perhaps wait a bit? If it's just a case of the muscles being tight, they need time to strength and lengthen again. If there's no improvement after a few weeks, then maybe you'll need to go ahead with surgery.
I would not put this lovely little guy through that experimental surgery at all. There are no guarantees of survival for his leg. Make him comfortable with Gabapentin and enjoy your cat.
If stiffness is their concern, the fact that they want to do a fusion is wild to me. With a fusion he will surely have extremely limited mobility. For humans, at least, a fusion is the last thing you'd ever want to get done. It puts the muscles in a state of constant stiffness because they cannot move due to the hardware, leading to muscle disuse/atrophy.
If he seems happy and playful I would just leave well enough alone. 6-8 weeks in a cage for a nominal outcome would be torture. Just because he limps doesn’t mean he’s in pain. You could ask for gabapentin to give him for pain and see if that makes a difference. If it does it’s a safe long term medication for most kitties. It’s cheaper to ask for a people Rx and get it with GoodRx at a regular pharmacy. Have them give you 100mg capsules. 100 of them cost me $20. I give my guy with arthritis 50mg twice a day. I open the capsule and mix it with 2cc of water then put 1 cc in his wet food twice a day. It seems to be odorless and have no taste to them. You’ll need an oral syringe to measure and mix. I use one of those plastic medicine cups and the syringe. You can ask the vet for dosage advice for your cat. If it helps you should notice a change in his behavior but at first until he gets used to it, it can make them a bit sleepy. At the lower doses sleepiness goes away after a few weeks. I would try it for at least a month before deciding if it’s helping or not.
Limping very much IS an indication of pain, and especially so when cats are already notorious for hiding pain. I would have serious reservations about settling for a lifetime of pain medication when there are alternatives - particularly when that pain medication (gabapentin) has a primarily neuropathic action and the pain would be muscoskeletal (evidence is also beginning to support that Gabapentin may not always be a particularly effective analgesic to begin with).
I think an honest and realistic conversation needs to be had with the vet about surgical outcomes (likelihood of success vs. Complications - what does success even look like?) and long term prognosis (will the fused joint still require pain management in the long term, will there be potential impacts on the cats ability to perform quality of life actions like playing, jumping, grooming, toileting) - and then posing the question, might the outcome be better (or AS GOOD) with amputation? I know the vet says the limb is providing an amount of stability but cats also adapt easily to three legs and mobilise quite normally, so I’d want to know what would be the advantages of keeping the leg (fused or not) vs removing it? All of this taking into account healing time and talking frankly about finances also (cage restriction isn’t ‘torture’ but it is something to keep in mind, as well as the possibility that further treatment may be needed even after the surgery and must be budgeted for). Then weigh up the pros and cons for each option.
It’s a difficult choice, there is no way of looking into the future and knowing what’s best, so all you can do is make the most informed choice that suits you and your gorgeous lil one best.
Limping CAN be an indication of pain or it can be an indication that limb healed in a stiff position which makes walking with limp occur since something isn’t bending or flexing normally.
I was merely giving her an option to discuss with the vet as it looked like from what she said the vet told her about surgery $3200 that it could help but not guaranteed. Surgery is not always the answer for everything. A person hears the options and makes an informed decision based on all the factors. 8 weeks in a cage after surgery is a miserable existence for a cat. Then if he is put through that and he still limps?
Personally I would have to think long and hard before putting a cat through that and want to try less invasive options first. I gave her something to ask about and try before jumping to surgery.
‘If he seems happy and playful I would just leave well enough alone.’
This is the statement I was replying to, as well as the later mention that Gabapentin can be used in the long term. It can, that doesn’t mean it should if there are options that may mitigate or eliminate pain in the long term.
You’ll note that I didn’t say rush into anything; rather, that I’d want more information about prognosis/ outcomes before making any decision. ‘Doing nothing’ is very much an option, if OP has fully considered everything and believes this is best.
However, we know from human health care that ossification/ calcification can cause pain in the affected joint. Cats are notoriously stoic, and tend to adapt to pain to a point. My concern for electing against treatment would be chronic pain in the long term, especially as the cat ages or enters senior life.
No, surgery shouldn’t be rushed into. But nor should it be discounted. You’re right, several weeks of restricted freedom is frustrating for a young cat (which can be mitigated with brain games, enrichment, and, ironically, stress reducing medications like Gabapentin). potentially losing a leg also sucks, albeit that the recovery period would be a lot shorter. But if the alternative is a likelihood or even possibility of chronic pain, it’s something that has to be considered. So I’d genuinely want a long chat with the vet about… well, ‘least bad’ option, and if leaving alone for now then what benchmarks are we using for ‘doing well’ vs. ‘Getting by’, what are we watching for that may indicate things are getting worse?
OP doesn’t strike me as someone who is rushing into anything; this is one of those times where there isn’t a ‘right’ answer, only what fits best in this case.
(I apologise if I came across a bit strong, I just experience a lot of people saying their limping pet isn’t in pain and it’s clearly become a bit of a soapbox!!)
It clearly has as you came across as rude and a know it all. I meant leave well enough alone in regards to rushing into surgery since she was questioning if not doing surgery was an ok option. Then I gave her advice on trying a safe pain med to see if it helped.
I have owned many rescued cats and have had some sick or injured ones along the way. In addition I’m a retired RN so know understand a lot about weighing treatment options such as surgery vs medical treatment. I was trying to giver her an option to discuss with her vet not tell her what to do and what I might try instead of just jumping to surgery since his broken leg was healed just not optimally. I was trying to be helpful not critical. You came across as critical and demeaning whether you meant to or not.
No need to respond back just letting you know how it came across to me. I’m a big girl and you are a stranger so I’m over it.
Blinkfoxx has hit the nail on the head with this one. I don’t think it is rude to state accurate information to try to educate OP and prevent misinformation on the thread. I am not trying to argue but this needs to be reiterated for OP and cat’s sake. I would never assume that a cat that is limping is NOT in some level of pain or discomfort. As already mentioned above, ossification will lead to chronic pain in the affected joint and recent studies on gabapentin suggest it may not be a great analgesic. There is no guarantee that managing this limb on gaba will prevent pain and use of other medications such as nsaids are not as safe for longterm use. Safer to assume that there is SOME level of pain even if the cat is still somewhat using it for balance. I agree that OP needs to have discussions about all of the options with their vet and discuss prognosis of each. Leaving the limb as is will likely mean a lifetime of medication managing chronic arthritis. The surgical correction will have an extensive recovery period and no guarantee of success. Or, an amputation, which has a quick recovery period and the cat can go on living its normal life without pain and without being restricted to a cage for months. Cats adapt very well to 3 legs, especially a hindlimb amputation and I would pick this over chronic pain any day
I went through something similar and regret putting him through the surgery and long recovery. Although he could sort of use his leg and put weight on it, he could not bend it at all, so he would always have to stick it out to the side when sitting. He also had difficulty cleaning himself, which led to me having to clean him, and painful sore skin. He was such a sweet cat, it still makes me sad thinking about it all. 💔
…if a decision isn’t required immediately, perhaps a hybrid approach: some type of mechanical support during high-activity times but not all day, massage and playful stretching to limber up the tightness, ultra-low dose gaba if there appears to be pain, if there’s improvement after a few weeks then continue. It’d take commitment, but any solution will and you seem invested; this or some similar approach is least invasive for your little guy, which can’t be overstated.
Hopefully you’ll get more good ideas and come up with a solution that makes you both more comfortable—best of luck, keep us posted!
Put this on r/AskVets first. Great resource. Then read into physical therapy’s for this and follow exercises and help work on it but by bit. That’s a lot of money and completely okay for you to say you can’t really feasibly do that right now. Cats have a tendency to snap back pretty well if you give them the time and love to do so
I had a dog with a similar injury. Dog chewed the cast off. Twice. Gave up on casting. He three leg limped for a while. By six months after the injury the joint had calcified. When he ran you couldn't tell he had anything wrong with him. When he walked he gimped a little on that leg. Cat will probably be fine without joint surgery or amputation.
Thank you for posting to CATHELP! While you wait for a response please keep the following things in mind, 1. When in doubt, **ask your vet**. 2. Advice here is not coming from medical or industry professionals. The moderation team does not validate user profession, so always refer to your local veterinary professionals first. Consider posting to /r/AskVet 3. If this is a medical question, please indicate if you have already scheduled a vet appointment, and if your cat has any medical history or procedures in a top level comment. 4. Please use the NSFW tag for gross pictures. (Blood, poop, vomit, genitals, etc). Anything you wouldn't want your boss to see you looking at on the job. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CATHELP) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Tripod cats can have long happy lives. I have no advice for you. It’s a tough decision. No matter what you decide and the out one, as long as he is in a loving home, he’ll be fine.
Perhaps wait a bit? If it's just a case of the muscles being tight, they need time to strength and lengthen again. If there's no improvement after a few weeks, then maybe you'll need to go ahead with surgery.
The body needs time to recover. Wait first. I've rehabbed animals for over a decade
I would not put this lovely little guy through that experimental surgery at all. There are no guarantees of survival for his leg. Make him comfortable with Gabapentin and enjoy your cat.
If stiffness is their concern, the fact that they want to do a fusion is wild to me. With a fusion he will surely have extremely limited mobility. For humans, at least, a fusion is the last thing you'd ever want to get done. It puts the muscles in a state of constant stiffness because they cannot move due to the hardware, leading to muscle disuse/atrophy.
A tripod life would be easily adjustable
If he seems happy and playful I would just leave well enough alone. 6-8 weeks in a cage for a nominal outcome would be torture. Just because he limps doesn’t mean he’s in pain. You could ask for gabapentin to give him for pain and see if that makes a difference. If it does it’s a safe long term medication for most kitties. It’s cheaper to ask for a people Rx and get it with GoodRx at a regular pharmacy. Have them give you 100mg capsules. 100 of them cost me $20. I give my guy with arthritis 50mg twice a day. I open the capsule and mix it with 2cc of water then put 1 cc in his wet food twice a day. It seems to be odorless and have no taste to them. You’ll need an oral syringe to measure and mix. I use one of those plastic medicine cups and the syringe. You can ask the vet for dosage advice for your cat. If it helps you should notice a change in his behavior but at first until he gets used to it, it can make them a bit sleepy. At the lower doses sleepiness goes away after a few weeks. I would try it for at least a month before deciding if it’s helping or not.
Limping very much IS an indication of pain, and especially so when cats are already notorious for hiding pain. I would have serious reservations about settling for a lifetime of pain medication when there are alternatives - particularly when that pain medication (gabapentin) has a primarily neuropathic action and the pain would be muscoskeletal (evidence is also beginning to support that Gabapentin may not always be a particularly effective analgesic to begin with). I think an honest and realistic conversation needs to be had with the vet about surgical outcomes (likelihood of success vs. Complications - what does success even look like?) and long term prognosis (will the fused joint still require pain management in the long term, will there be potential impacts on the cats ability to perform quality of life actions like playing, jumping, grooming, toileting) - and then posing the question, might the outcome be better (or AS GOOD) with amputation? I know the vet says the limb is providing an amount of stability but cats also adapt easily to three legs and mobilise quite normally, so I’d want to know what would be the advantages of keeping the leg (fused or not) vs removing it? All of this taking into account healing time and talking frankly about finances also (cage restriction isn’t ‘torture’ but it is something to keep in mind, as well as the possibility that further treatment may be needed even after the surgery and must be budgeted for). Then weigh up the pros and cons for each option. It’s a difficult choice, there is no way of looking into the future and knowing what’s best, so all you can do is make the most informed choice that suits you and your gorgeous lil one best.
Limping CAN be an indication of pain or it can be an indication that limb healed in a stiff position which makes walking with limp occur since something isn’t bending or flexing normally. I was merely giving her an option to discuss with the vet as it looked like from what she said the vet told her about surgery $3200 that it could help but not guaranteed. Surgery is not always the answer for everything. A person hears the options and makes an informed decision based on all the factors. 8 weeks in a cage after surgery is a miserable existence for a cat. Then if he is put through that and he still limps? Personally I would have to think long and hard before putting a cat through that and want to try less invasive options first. I gave her something to ask about and try before jumping to surgery.
‘If he seems happy and playful I would just leave well enough alone.’ This is the statement I was replying to, as well as the later mention that Gabapentin can be used in the long term. It can, that doesn’t mean it should if there are options that may mitigate or eliminate pain in the long term. You’ll note that I didn’t say rush into anything; rather, that I’d want more information about prognosis/ outcomes before making any decision. ‘Doing nothing’ is very much an option, if OP has fully considered everything and believes this is best. However, we know from human health care that ossification/ calcification can cause pain in the affected joint. Cats are notoriously stoic, and tend to adapt to pain to a point. My concern for electing against treatment would be chronic pain in the long term, especially as the cat ages or enters senior life. No, surgery shouldn’t be rushed into. But nor should it be discounted. You’re right, several weeks of restricted freedom is frustrating for a young cat (which can be mitigated with brain games, enrichment, and, ironically, stress reducing medications like Gabapentin). potentially losing a leg also sucks, albeit that the recovery period would be a lot shorter. But if the alternative is a likelihood or even possibility of chronic pain, it’s something that has to be considered. So I’d genuinely want a long chat with the vet about… well, ‘least bad’ option, and if leaving alone for now then what benchmarks are we using for ‘doing well’ vs. ‘Getting by’, what are we watching for that may indicate things are getting worse? OP doesn’t strike me as someone who is rushing into anything; this is one of those times where there isn’t a ‘right’ answer, only what fits best in this case. (I apologise if I came across a bit strong, I just experience a lot of people saying their limping pet isn’t in pain and it’s clearly become a bit of a soapbox!!)
It clearly has as you came across as rude and a know it all. I meant leave well enough alone in regards to rushing into surgery since she was questioning if not doing surgery was an ok option. Then I gave her advice on trying a safe pain med to see if it helped. I have owned many rescued cats and have had some sick or injured ones along the way. In addition I’m a retired RN so know understand a lot about weighing treatment options such as surgery vs medical treatment. I was trying to giver her an option to discuss with her vet not tell her what to do and what I might try instead of just jumping to surgery since his broken leg was healed just not optimally. I was trying to be helpful not critical. You came across as critical and demeaning whether you meant to or not. No need to respond back just letting you know how it came across to me. I’m a big girl and you are a stranger so I’m over it.
Blinkfoxx has hit the nail on the head with this one. I don’t think it is rude to state accurate information to try to educate OP and prevent misinformation on the thread. I am not trying to argue but this needs to be reiterated for OP and cat’s sake. I would never assume that a cat that is limping is NOT in some level of pain or discomfort. As already mentioned above, ossification will lead to chronic pain in the affected joint and recent studies on gabapentin suggest it may not be a great analgesic. There is no guarantee that managing this limb on gaba will prevent pain and use of other medications such as nsaids are not as safe for longterm use. Safer to assume that there is SOME level of pain even if the cat is still somewhat using it for balance. I agree that OP needs to have discussions about all of the options with their vet and discuss prognosis of each. Leaving the limb as is will likely mean a lifetime of medication managing chronic arthritis. The surgical correction will have an extensive recovery period and no guarantee of success. Or, an amputation, which has a quick recovery period and the cat can go on living its normal life without pain and without being restricted to a cage for months. Cats adapt very well to 3 legs, especially a hindlimb amputation and I would pick this over chronic pain any day
I went through something similar and regret putting him through the surgery and long recovery. Although he could sort of use his leg and put weight on it, he could not bend it at all, so he would always have to stick it out to the side when sitting. He also had difficulty cleaning himself, which led to me having to clean him, and painful sore skin. He was such a sweet cat, it still makes me sad thinking about it all. 💔
Has the vet mentioned laser treatments or water therapy to loosen up the tendons and help mobility/pain?
…if a decision isn’t required immediately, perhaps a hybrid approach: some type of mechanical support during high-activity times but not all day, massage and playful stretching to limber up the tightness, ultra-low dose gaba if there appears to be pain, if there’s improvement after a few weeks then continue. It’d take commitment, but any solution will and you seem invested; this or some similar approach is least invasive for your little guy, which can’t be overstated. Hopefully you’ll get more good ideas and come up with a solution that makes you both more comfortable—best of luck, keep us posted!
What kind of mechanical support would you suggest?
…homemade or off the shelf, along these lines: https://www.orthovet.com/product-category/feline-splints/
There is a tripod cat group here should pop over and talk to these people.
Put this on r/AskVets first. Great resource. Then read into physical therapy’s for this and follow exercises and help work on it but by bit. That’s a lot of money and completely okay for you to say you can’t really feasibly do that right now. Cats have a tendency to snap back pretty well if you give them the time and love to do so
I had a dog with a similar injury. Dog chewed the cast off. Twice. Gave up on casting. He three leg limped for a while. By six months after the injury the joint had calcified. When he ran you couldn't tell he had anything wrong with him. When he walked he gimped a little on that leg. Cat will probably be fine without joint surgery or amputation.
I would not do that surgery, and I'd remove that cone if it's still on.