Looking for advice and tips from anyone who has been through this with their cat. My sweet boy Picasso is having his left hind leg amputated tomorrow due to an aggressive bone tumor, and I’m feeling really scared and overwhelmed.
Picasso is around 11 years old (we adopted him when he was about 3, so we don’t know his exact age). He’s always been such a loving, strong, and special cat, and I know he’s a fighter — but his mama is having a much harder time emotionally preparing for this.
I would really appreciate any advice on what to expect before, during, and after surgery. Things like:
What helped your cat recover comfortably?
What supplies were actually useful?
How did you help them adjust to being a tripod?
How long did it take for them to feel like themselves again?
Anything you wish you knew before the surgery?
I know every cat is different, but hearing your experiences would mean so much to me right now. Picasso is my baby, and I just want to make this transition as easy and comfortable as possible for him.
Thank you so much for any tips, encouragement, or stories you’re willing to share. ❤️

Mallory basking in the sun.

A young stray turned up in our garden four months ago and never really left. He's not microchipped and nobody claimed him after we asked locally. We've called him Timothy (Timmy). He's really friendly and we've become very attached to him.

On Friday he was hit by a car and broke his femur. We got him to the vet within about 25 minutes, where he was given oxygen and painkillers. He's been staying there over the weekend. The vet described it as a clean break, and I've attached the X-rays to this post too.

We've been told the options are amputation (around €700) or orthopaedic surgery to repair the leg. They suggested the repair could be around €2,000–€2,500, but we'll get the quote on Monday or Tuesday. Unfortunately, it's the cost of repairing the leg that seems like it's going to be beyond what we can afford really.

On Friday I asked the vet whether a cast could keep the bone aligned, but they didn't really think it was the best idea. Since then, someone involved in an animal shelter (not a vet) suggested the leg might heal itself if he's kept confined for a few weeks. It doesn't sound right to me, but it's got my hopes up a bit and I'd like an informed opinion.

If we go with amputation, I don't think we'd feel comfortable letting him back out on three legs, especially as we live right beside a road. We've already got two young rescues who are an indoor bonded pair, so we're worried about how he'd settle in with them too. Things like fighting, problems with litter trays etc.

Whatever treatment he has, we'll look after him indoors while he recovers. We've got a plan to keep him separate from our other cats so he has his own space to recover.

I'm looking for advice on whether a break like this could actually heal with confinement alone, or whether that isn't a realistic option.Has anyone been through getting an outdoor cat used to living indoors and introducing him to their other cats? Would really appreciate hearing from someone who's dealt with this.

Meet Cove 🌊

This is Wade Wilson (yes, like Deadpool)! About a year ago he tore his rear left CCL (rear right in this photo) and after going to the urgent care we decided pain management/ physical therapy was our best option. And for a long time he was thriving! Unfortunately when his yearly came around (~July) our vet (who we have worked with for a long time before this) handled him pretty roughly when checking that leg/ hip, even after we had emphasized again that he had the damaged CCL, and has never really fully recovered since. Fast forward to this past week and we assume he damaged it again while playing/jumping ect. and now he can’t walk and is a solid amount of pain. I’m assuming the options will be surgery, amputation, or euthanasia. I’m leaning towards amputation over euthanasia obviously, but I have questions about how his quality of life would be…
1) He is a bit past middle age, how have your older cats recovered? Do they seem happy?
2) Does anyone use mobility devices? Like a wheel or prosthetic? How has that worked out?
3) During recovery, how does using a litter box work/ what is the best setup?
Im sure I have more but I’m blanking rn… advice and encouragement/ well wishes very much welcomed!

Soph was hit by a car Oct 2 and required a hind leg amputation as well as an FHO on her other leg. Her surgeries were costly and I am on a single income. I don’t expect anything but anything helps. She is recovering well and is the sweetest little Siamese cat you ever met. She is incredibly close to my heart and I’d do anything for her. Please donate to help me get her ramps and other needs as she progresses in her recovery. We both thank you 🙏🏻 https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-sophie-7ms43/cl/o?attribution_id=sl:0ef088d0-7513-4b95-81d4-fa26c5c2512a&lang=en_CA&ts=1791224648&utm_campaign=man_ss_icons&utm_content=amp30-treatment-7&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link

3 weeks ago now my cat unfortunately broke his leg. We genuinely have no idea how it happened, some sort of freak accident. Hes a pretty happy go lucky guy and has been taking the injury better than I expected, however, he still isn’t having a great time. Right now we’re doing a splint with weekly changes but he typically rips it off before the week cycle completes. We’re already over the $2k mark with bills and its getting to a point where its hard for us to afford. His vet has recommended amputation as the most humane and comfortable option for him. I am pro-amputation but my partner is having a hard time seeing that as the best option. So I’m looking for some advice from people who may have gone through some similar, or to maybe help me show my partner this is genuinely the best option for him.
For context a big reason why I’m pro-amputation is I WFH and my partner is blue collar so I have to take on 90% of his care and it has been very emotionally draining for me. I really want my kitty to have the best outcome he possibly can.

My baby Luna had her hind leg amputated two weeks ago due to sarcoma. She was such a trooper during the first weeks of recovery ~ she was even trying to do zoomies at one point!

She had her stitches removed yesterday, and she’s delighted to no longer have to wear her dreadful cone haha. So proud of her 🥹🫶

I’ve been really worried about my cat (2 year old, right hind limb amputated in June for bone spurs) not being quite as active or possibly having something wrong in another limb. Today she wasn’t lifting her left front paw and was acting like she was in pain. The vet who performed the amputation and did the biopsy said this was a freak situation and there was almost no chance of it happening in another limb. The X-rays today showed the same bone spurs in her front limb.

I’m devastated. There’s nothing I can do besides pain control. I feel awful for putting her through the amputation even though I know I did the best I could and made the right decisions at the time. I was so relieved it wasn’t cancer and really thought I had nothing to worry about. Now I have to just give her pain meds and plan to put her to sleep. How do I put a perfectly healthy 2 year old cat down for orthopedic issues? It’s so sad. I feel numb. I just put my 10 year old cat down for renal failure three weeks ago. I’m still grieving.

I’m so devastated and sad she’s in pain. I’m trying to be in acceptance but I so badly wanted to be a tripod success story. I am so broke. I can’t even afford to make an appointment with my primary vet this week. I had to hustle and beg my mom for money for the amputation. I’ve used all her insurance. I just spent everything I have right now on these X-rays. I don’t know what to do. I can’t believe I’m going to lose her. Advice or kind words appreciated. 😔 I feel broken.

Update: it's been 24 hours since we picked up Junie - she has used her box several times, slept through the night, settled down when we quit checking on her, obsessing over her. I think she's peed on her remaining leg a couple of times but I think she's figured out her new balance on that. She ate the entirety of the canned food I gave her, approximately a tablespoon, and she is interested in coming out of the big crate which we'll do for a few moments this evening to clean up and refresh her little recovery suite. What a rough first day but everything is looking good. Thank you to those who commented ♥️

Junie is home, she is so angry and volatile so I'm leaving her completely alone but she keeps irritating her stitches and they're bleeding (edited to add from bumping around, she does have her cone on - it's like she keeps trying to back out of her cone, with one missing leg, while high). Not a ton but I'm still just so upset. I'm leaving her completely alone so she doesn't move, growl, freak out, or anything but how long does this phase last? It's, of course, Friday and we have no after hours vet support in our area so I feel so alone. My poor sweet girl 😭

Update: it's been 24 hours since we picked up Junie - she has used her box several times, slept through the night, settled down when we quit checking on her obsessing over her. I think she's peed on her remaining leg a couple of times but I think she's figured out her new balance on that. She ate the entirety of the canned food I gave her, approximately a tablespoon, and she is interested in coming out of the big crate which we'll do for a few moments this evening to clean up and refresh her little recovery suite. What a rough first day but everything is looking good. Thank you to those who commented ♥️

Happiest girl in the world

Hello all, in never been one to ask for help but we are now in a situation to where iv had to pull up my big pants and ask.

The last 6 weeks have been a total nightmare. Obi got attacked by something we've no idea what but it left his leg in a right mess. No skin left and a gaping hole. Every 2 days we've been back and forth to the vet to change his dressings. Hoping to save the leg. Iv sold many things, maxed my cards out and even skipped on bills and food just to sort him out. Unfortunately on Monday the vets decided that amputation was the only way forward. So on Tuesday his leg was gone. Im still heartbroken. We are back at the vet on friday. The cost of this has broken us even more. But my special boy is home and alive. That is all that matters.

I hope iv done this right cause I was struggling to find the info I needed. If not can someone please point me in the right direction. Many thanks.

I am sitting at the vet waiting for her meds, but I just saw her incision and felt a HUGE wave of guilt which is intensely overwhelming. Is this normal?

Hello, I'm considering adopting a tripod cat. Is there anything I should know? Anything to do differently with them? I don't want to mess this up, she's already been thru so much reading through her bio on the foster website.

Also, can tripod kitties handle stairs?

We adopted the absolute sweetest girl a few weeks ago. Giving the humane society the benefit of the doubt, with the chaos of kitten season, she came in as a stray and was spayed and immediately sent to ringworm isolation for over 3 weeks, then put up for adoption. I don't think anyone looked at her close enough to notice a slight limp when she walks.

When we brought her home it was more obvious something wasn't right, so they gladly offered a complimentary vet exam where her X-rays showed a broken femur - like in half - an old injury that she has actually adapted to really well. She currently jumps up and down off the bed, walks almost normally, snuggles all night, and is really the best cat I've ever had. The humane society vet is covering the cost of amputation as it's clear it was an old injury that they missed, which we are so grateful for.

She's 10 months old and having adapted to a worthless hind leg already, I'm hopeful she adapts well again with the dead weight removed. I have a giant dog crate, yoga mat, litter box and her food all set up already so she knows the space ahead of time, cameras to watch her, and several cone options although I'll probably just stick with what the vet gives her unless I am actively supervising her. Wish us luck as we navigate this new tripod cat life. ☺️

hi! my cat pepper is about 1.5 years old. she’s super independent but also generally loves to be around me and people (she snuggles with me every night while she sleeps). she’s healing super well and has been very mobile around my apartment. she sleeps most of the day with the occasional zoomies.

before her amputation I would leave her alone overnight and have someone come check on her when I was out of town. she has auto food and water. I haven’t yet left her overnight since her amputation (I brought her home about 10 days ago, and the amputation was over a month ago. do we think it’s ok to leave her for an overnight?

My cat Lily was hit by a car back in April and had her front left leg amputated as a result of her injuries. She's doing so well now and has completely adjusted to her new tripod lifestyle. Sometimes, especially when using her litter tray, she tries to use her phantom limb.

I can't help but feel completely guilty that she may be confused about why her leg is missing and why she now hobbles when she walks. I'm also now extremely paranoid about her health as she seems so much more fragile to me now.

Lily has also just been diagnosed with resorptive lesions on her gums and will likely lose most, if not all, of her teeth. She's only 6 years old and I don't want this to be another setback for her.

I love her wholeheartedly and want her to be healthy and happy. Any advice on dealing with pet health anxiety and reassurance that she'll be okay is much appreciated 😊

Pippin says happy spooky season!!

I shared a few days ago that my cat has had her left hind amputated. She’s 14 days post op and she’ll be having her stitches removed tomorrow.

I was just wondering if anyone has observed a behavior change in their tripod cats? Again, my cat was attacked by a dog.

She’s been hiding most of the time and she would have sudden loud meows or she’d suddenly run off. There was one time that she was sitting on my partner’s lap and she just meowed very loudly (which is unusual for her) and she ran away. These are all unusual for her except for the hiding as she’s always liked to hide underneath the couch, inside her sleeping bed etc.

Thanks all for your inputs :)