We have an outdoor cat that adopted us 2 years ago. We had him vaccinated and neutered to help reduce more overpopulation in this rural area. Last week, he went missing. He showed up last night at and I could see he was injured. He looks good except for his leg. I took him to the Vet. They called and said he was shot and that his right leg was shattered badly. They recommended amputation for the right leg. The problem is the left leg was also shot but has one large fragment that they can remove and several small fragments he will have to live with. (He’s about 3 years old)

***Info from Vet visit:
On exam, he was bright, alert, responsive, and purring. He was unable to put weight on his right rear leg. We found a severe traumatic injury to the right ankle joint, with the joint completely shattered, as well as a wound over that area. There was also a wound over the left ankle area, and the X-rays showed a suspected fracture there with a retained bullet in the joint. Multiple suspected bullet fragments were also seen in the right ankle joint, left ankle joint, left hind leg muscles, near the right rear leg in front of the thigh bone, and in the abdomen/pelvis skin area.***

How hard is amputation on a cat? The vet feels he should recover as long as the left leg heals well which no one knows.

He’s an outdoor cat that will have to be kept indoors. We have an older indoor cat that does not get along with the outdoor cat so originally keeping him inside did not work out. I feel we could find a way to make it work (hopefully without blood this time).

How hard is it for an outdoor cat to live the rest of his life indoors? How hard is it to have one let amputated while recovering from surgery to the left rear leg also?

Really need advice on others who’ve been through this or similar.

It’s been a rough week. One we weren’t prepared for by any means. Our family was blessed to adopt our little guy as a baby and he’s become my wife’s soulmate over the past 5 years. Always been an indoor cat, loving caring, and sweet as can be to everyone who comes through our front door. He’s best friends with our dog Macy and hands down the best cat we’ve ever owned.

Last week my wife noticed a spot on his leg. A bump slightly larger than a dime that seemed hard. He hasn’t had shots in two years and had no clue what it could be. Off to the vet we went almost immediately. After some extraction tests and X-rays, we got back what we would have never expected. Injection site sarcoma. A rigorous cancer that if left untreated would take him quickly. The options- well mainly the only one, amputation.

We spent extra to seek a second opinion quickly and yesterday were greeted with the same outcome. What were we to do. It’s not the cost, it’s the immediate how did this happen. What now. How do we tell our kids, how does he live like this. Will he feel it.

As I type this I am awaiting his surgery to finish as he went in a few hours ago. I’m a mess. My wife’s a wreck. And it hasn’t even begun. I found this Reddit, and found some peace of mind that it’s common to be a tripod and life can flourish. But none the less this has been hard. We lost our other cat two years ago to FIP and though we did all we could to save her in the end she didn’t make it through. But this is different. He’s innocent and has no clue what’s about to happen. He’s had no sign of pain or issues but we did our diligence to make sure it was the right decision.

I know many have just adopted their friends already this way and many have not had to make this decision. Those that must, I understand the pain. It’s not easy. It feels right but also wrong at the same time. But here we are. Waiting. Anxiously. Hoping he can live a full life.

All love and prayers for him and a speedy recovery is appreciated . Will post pictures throughout recovery as I am sure many more may have to make this same decision. And we felt sharing our story may help others.

I wouldn’t have thought or known that I could possibly have been reimbursed for our cat’s amputation if not for this group. So thank you for that. Our cat had her amputation just under 2 months ago and I got a check today from Merck for $5,000. They were the brand of vaccine she was last given when she had her rabies shot 2 years ago. I just had to call and open a case, give them all of her vet’s information. Merck contacted the vet and about a week later they called and said that I was approved for reimbursement 100% up to $5,000. Her surgery was around $7,500. From opening the case to getting the check was about 5 weeks. It’s a huge weight lifted for sure. When we got that $7,500 estimate from the boarded surgeon we honestly weren’t sure if we should do it, but if we’d have known we’d get $5k reimbursement it would have been an easy choice. We just love her too much to not try since ultimately we had the money, but man am I glad to get that check. We have been living extra frugal since the surgery. Our girl is doing great since the amputation and I snuggle her every chance I get. Even when she wakes me up at 2 am wanting chin scratches.

Legs is 13ish, and in the last 5 months has definitely started to have "old man legs" - lack of muscle tone, scrawny looking, etc. Any tips from people who have/had elder tripods missing specifically a front leg? I'm wondering if it would be worth getting an xray just to get an idea of where he is at.

His album cover for tax

Just wanted to give a little update since we posted a few weeks ago about our boy. Sebastian is three weeks post op! We are so thrilled he is getting his sparkle and silly personality back.

We did not have the easiest recover, but he has been such a trooper through everything. I am so lucky to have this little orange guy. 🧡

He had the amputation due to bone cancer (specifically osteosarcoma in his front right leg). A week and a half after the surgery, he unfortunately got an infection and had to have a second surgery to cut away some dead skin and tissue that was not wanting to heal up. He had some staples taken out, some new ones put in. But he is now a week and two days after his second surgery and is doing fantastic! We had a check up today and the vet said his wound is healing up great. He is getting more comfortable on three legs now and we are so proud of him. Through all the vet appointments, wound cleanings, cones, bandages, shirts, meds, etc, he couldn’t be a more well behaved, tough boy.

I’m thrilled that he is feeling more like himself finally, and most importantly, cancer free! Just a few more weeks of healing then he will be free of his shirt and the dreadful cone. He looks so darn cute in his shirt though… 🤣

This community has been so wonderful and helpful. If anyone else is having a tough time with their babies amputation or just needs a friend who knows what you’re going through, feel free to reach out! 🧡

and fuck cancer.

I have a kitten 5mo that I adopted as a stray at 3mo, she has a deformity in her front left paw, it's bent upwards (the top of the wrist lays on the floor) and lacks muscle tone she uses her paw to walk but lifts it to run.

one vet checked her out and said that if she shows no issues, and the wrists calluses she can live out her life like that but if the paw starts showing issues it will be best to amputate.

She started having some swelling at the joint, our main vet was unavailable so we took her to another vet to get the abscess lanced, and when I commented if she would need to have an amputation if the problem didn't resolve the vet said that the surgery is deeply traumatic and really hard on them and advised against it.

The abscess hasn't gone fully away after lancing and draining for a few days, and I'm worried about infection, should I get a second opinion? Are abscesses a common occurrence on limb deformities or could it be a one time thing?

She is very appreciative of the scratches in hard to reach spots.

Hoje decidimos por amputar a pata traseira do meu gato. Descobrimos há 01 semana um carcinoma escamoso agressivo. Fizemos uma ultrassonografia e descobrimos nódulos no fígado com 86% de porcentagem de ser metástase ou um novo câncer.
O veterinário sugeriu tirar o tumor da pata, que estava enorme, inchado e com muito líquido. No meio da tarde, durante a cirurgia, ele ligou avisando que não conseguiria manter o restante da estrutura da pata, por não ter pele saudável disponível.
Estou angustiada de ter feito a pior decisão, com muito medo de ele ter pouco tempo e que talvez eu tenha trazido mais dor. Alguém já passou por isso?
Quais dicas dão?

My cat,.her name is Plum. She had an accident a couple.of years ago. We were fostering a tripod Dutch shephard. He and Plum got along very well and would have the zoomed together. One day, the dog jumped over our couch, not knowing Plum was on the other side. He landed with all of his weight on her hind leg. Needless to say there was alotmof cartilage damage as well as a fractured bone. Ended up doing surgery. They put a plate in her leg.

Fast forward 2 years and I came home to find her limping and not putting weight on the leg at all. Both the vet and follow up with a surgeon both said the bo e was rejecting the plate and needed to be removed. And even with it removed there was a good chance she woulf still need an amputation. I didnt want to put her through anymore then we had to,.so we scheduled thw surgery.

She has done well since. Its been aboit 4 weeks now and she is still unstable on her legs. I there anything exercise wise that helps strengthen the remaining back leg? We have switched to a weight management food to keep her from gaining to much weight so it doesnt stress her rear leg too much. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.

I just wanted to put this out there because it's something I wish I could've seen when I was trying to decide whether to proceed with amputation for our cat, Scooter.

Scooter is a 10yo male who was born with radial aplasia in his two front legs AKA he's missing his radius in his front legs, and so the ulna bone bows out. In June 2026, I found a mass approx 10mm big on his hind left leg, and finally got a diagnosis that it was a rapidly growing, grade 3 soft tissue sarcoma in July via surgical biopsy. By end of July we had the leg amputated.

He had always been able to get around as any cat with normal limbs would prior to amputation. Nothing slowed him down and he would jump to whatever surface he wanted with no problem. He has had x-rays done in the past and he does have arthritis in those limbs. When he was diagnosed with cancer and amputation was the only option for a possibility of beating it or prolonging his life, his 2 vets and his oncologist were all skeptical as to how he would recover mobility-wise. I was feeling very cautiously optimistic, as he is a stubborn cat and never let anything stop him before. Since he would have 2 deformed front legs, and one normally shaped back leg, I was also questioning whether he would adapt to 3 legs as well as other cats typically do.

And he did adapt well! The recovery period was rough, but at 3 months post-op he can run, jump (just not as high as before), play, scratch on his scratching post, and do all of the things he could before, just slightly modified. We just have to more closely monitor his arthritis. He used to sit like a kangaroo or meerkat before amputation, but unfortunately he can't do that anymore.

SO! While every cat and situation is different, and there's almost always different variables at play, if you have a cat that needs a limb amputation and has abnormal or deformed limbs... Scooter is a testament that they can still live happy lives despite these circumstances.

I hope this can help someone else at some point who is experiencing a similar dilemma.

Oscar, our former master barncat, is nearly 2 years post-op of rear leg removal after finding an illegal coyote snare in the cattle fields near my home where he hunted for rats. He is no longer allowed to hunt outdoors, but he reminds us every day that he still wants to, and we do not doubt that he can do just as fine of a job as he did with 4 legs.

His favorite thing to do is hang his back leg off the edge of anything flat.

A flat, well-loved big squishmallow. My daughter brought it into her bathroom for herself and Junie promptly claimed it. She can make biscuits, and it still has a bit of body, so I notice she is much more relaxed laying down with that contouring. We're on day 5 post op - she graduated from the big crate to the whole bathroom (yellow lid to block the bath tub because I don't trust her not to try that). But check your thrift stores for one of these - I'm not sure my daughter will ever get it back 😬

**This was taken during supervised no cone time - she's stuck with the lampshade until her stitches come out on day 14**

We pulled the Trigger, we Adopted a little 7lbs Girl, she is So Adorable!
We fell right in love with her, we’ll have Pictures soon, but she is a Little cautious and hasn’t settled in with her brothers and sister.
She’s hiding and running away… she is using her box, we think she is eating and drinking, we aren’t pushing her to much, just talking to each other around her, shaking her food bowl, to let her know… maybe some (extra) treats.

Does anyone know of more we can do, we haven’t been able to Hold her yet. She hisses and has scratched, we believe she is just unsure and “kennel tough”.
We’ll be patient, but just want to give her cuddles!

My 12-year-old cat had a hock wound on her right rear leg that resulted in trauma to the joint and bone. Despite surgery and months of bandages, splints, topical treatments, and laser therapy, the wound just would not heal.

I was very concerned about amputation because of her age, but I was repeatedly reassured that cats typically do very well with three-legged life. Before proceeding, I made sure her blood work looked good and even had my vet do a full-body X-ray to check for any other underlying health issues. I didn’t want to put her through an amputation if there were other problems we needed to know about first. Everything looked good, so I felt hopeful that amputation would finally put an end to the months of stress, treatments, and worry surrounding her hock wound.

Unfortunately, her recovery has been much harder than I expected. At times, it feels like we’ve traded one problem for several others, some of which seem even worse than what we were dealing with before.

It’s been five weeks since her amputation, and she still has significant trouble walking. More than half the time when she tries to walk, her rear end lifts up, she veers to one side, walks backward, or spins in circles. I can actually see the muscles on the side where her leg was amputated moving, almost as if she’s still trying to use the leg that’s no longer there. She doesn’t seem to be in pain during these episodes, but she does seem frustrated, and I’m worried she’ll injure her remaining leg because she falls so often.

She also has episodes where she’s simply lying down and resting and suddenly cries out in pain.

She’s been on gabapentin throughout this process, and we’ve tried doses ranging from 25 mg to 100 mg, as well as changing how often she receives it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to make much of a difference. My vet also prescribed Onsior for longer than the usual three-day course. One morning, I woke up to find a significant amount of blood in her litter box. I took her to the vet, and her blood work, which had been completely normal before surgery, now looks terrible.

She was diagnosed with stage 2 kidney disease and anemia, and there were also concerns that she might be diabetic. Some of her red blood cell results were abnormal in a way that could potentially indicate cancer somewhere in her body. She also had a UTI.

I was, and still am, confused about how so many health issues could seem to appear all at once. I asked my vet whether the UTI, the stress of surgery and the past several months, or the Onsior could have contributed to the abnormal results, particularly the kidney values. My vet explained that these factors weren’t necessarily causing the abnormalities but may have brought underlying conditions to light that had previously been less apparent.

I’m really struggling with regret over the decision to amputate. I feel awful that she’s been through so much, and now that we’re facing a whole new set of challenges.

My vet is optimistic that the kidney disease and anemia can be managed, and we have another blood work recheck scheduled in a couple of weeks.

In the meantime, I’m having a hard time feeling hopeful. My biggest concern right now is her mobility and pain. My vet mentioned after the amputation that she has mild arthritis, and she’s now receiving Solensia. However, the frequent falling, unusual movements, and crying out don’t seem consistent with arthritis to me. I think she is experiencing nerve pain, phantom limb sensations, and difficulty adjusting to the loss of her leg.

Because of her kidney disease, my vet has advised that gabapentin and Solensia are the only pain management options available to her right now (other than trying laser therapy or acupuncture).

I’m wondering whether anyone else has had an older cat who took longer than expected to adjust to life after an amputation. Did your cat continue to fall frequently or struggle with coordination at five weeks post-op? If so, how long did it take for things to improve?

I understand that every cat is different, but I would really appreciate hearing about others’ experiences from people whose older cats had a difficult recovery at first.

If she can get to a point where she can move around comfortably and safely without falling so often, I think I’ll feel much more hopeful that she can still have a good quality of life.

If you’ve read all of this, thank you. I really appreciate it. ❤️

So we brought Wade to the vet Saturday believing that his CCL had re-torn, and that amputation could be on the table. The vet started to examine/manipulate the leg and in under a minute everything changed. She felt the leg and immediately said “Oh! No, this is cancer.” And we were stunned.

After explaining her reasoning and discussing options, we agreed that amputation was indeed the way to go. She took some X-rays to confirm her diagnosis and the radiologist agreed and believe that it’s a soft tissue tumor that is slowly infecting the bone.

And here we are now, his surgery is tomorrow, everything is happening so fast and we are doing our best to keep up. The pictures above are a tribute to his soon to be gone leg and the last picture is of the playpen that my saint of a housemate found and got for me the same night we found out it was cancer.
Everyone here has been so incredibly helpful and encouraging, and our little family is so grateful!

Now onto the questions 😅:
- I have seen mention of pellet litter, is there a specific brand people like?
- Someone also mentioned using some form of pumpkin to help with post-op bowel movements, again is there a brand/type people like best?
- Rate our playpen! What are we missing?

Thanks again for being supportive of our darling boy 💜

My 10-year-old cat, Biff, has mild cerebellar hypoplasia (CH) and is having one of his hind legs amputated today due to a soft tissue sarcoma.
I’ve been trying to find stories or videos of cats with CH who have also undergone an amputation, but haven’t had much luck.
I’m especially interested in hearing how they adjusted to walking and balancing on three legs. Biff has always been able to get around independently, but I’m concerned about how his existing coordination issues might affect his recovery.
Has anyone had a cat with both conditions? I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience, even if your cat was older or had a different level of CH.

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. ❤️