All the cats are barn cats. We go outside every morning and find them all waiting for us to walk to the barn and feed them. It's quite the ritual. But last Wednesday when we went out in the morning Jezebel wasn't there. Hmm. That's odd. But then again Sweetie Boy once went missing for over a month so how odd is one morning really. Right?
Well, that afternoon we still hadn't seen Jezebel all day. Razor went to look for her. Luckily he knew a few of her favorite hiding spots and found her high up in the barn. She purred and purred and was very happy to see him but he knew instantly that something wasn't right. Her back leg was clearly broken.
Come to find out she had a compound open fracture of her femur. And it was already infected.
So our vet recommended amputation.
::blink:: ::blink::
Come again Doc.
We now have a three-legged cat. Wait, wait. We now have a three-legged indoor cat. Furthermore, we now have a three-legged indoor cat that has already pulled out her stitches and the subsequent staples. So really when you break it all down, we now have a three-legged indoor cat with a lamp shade on her head.
And she is such a trooper that the only thing that really makes her mad about the whole thing is the lamp shade.
I know sweet girl. I'd be upset about the lamp shade on my head too.
-dana
P.S. Aren't you glad I didn't include pictures of the amputation site. It's not all that horrible actually. The worst part of it is the shaved fur and the metal staples. Poor, poor sweet girl.
57 comments:
Oh, what a sad story! I'm sure she will be a trooper, though, and in that picture she looks just like an illustration a la Beatrix Potter. Bonnet and all.
I hope she's on the mend soon!
Oh my goodness. Poor kitty!
P.S. ... yes, I AM glad you didn't include the amputation site picture. the mental image that will remain in my head for the rest of the day ~ thank you!!! ~ is bad enough! :-O
Oh gosh what rotten luck. I am so glad that Razor went looking for her, and found her! I shudder to think what might have happened if she stayed missing for a while.
When I was growing up my cat Stripes was hit by the garbage truck and had to have his tail amputated. He lived a very long, onery life after that!
Ouch! Good thing he found her right away :)
Awww, poor baby! Good thing you found her when you did, isn't it? We had a three-legged cat growing up and he was just as agile and crafty as his four-legged brothers, so once she heals, she'll be just fine, I'm sure! Cats are tough!
Terri
Oh poor kitty. My kitty had a break on her front leg but we found her in time the were able to cast it for about 6 weeks. She lived indoors at my daughter house. She doesn't get along with one of my indoors dogs. She's back home and back outside limps a little but doing quite well. I'll send you kitty some good light and prayer to help her heal. She does look like such a sweet kitty.
poor sweet kitty! you saved her life!
We have a three legged Rat Terrier. It happened this Spring and she is doing great. Like she has 4 legs. Im sure your sweetest cat will manage quite well. Cats are, after all,na tad but smarter than dogs. Gasp. I said it.
Oops, my bad spelling. it seems cats are smarter than me too.
poor kitty is right! she's gorgeous, even with the lampshade. i can see it in her eyes though: "can you BELIEVE i have this thing around my neck and then they're taking picture to boot? ridiculous." send our kitty love her way...
Oooh, poor kitty for sure!! But she will do fine -- it's amazing how well they adapt, much better than humans, to the loss of a limb. A friend has a three-legged kitty and with a few alterations to things, such as little step stools near windowsills so he doens't have a tough time getting up there, he's just fine.
Hugs to your kitty -- she's just gorgeous, lampshade or not!
Oh my goodness - poor kitty indeed! We have a lamp shade wearing pet in the house as well - ours is a little bigger and clumbsier I am sure - and no amputation - just seasonal allergies and hot spots. She looks like a sweetie - she is lucky to have you in her life to take care of her.
Poor baby...maybe you could "doll" up the lamp shade a bit, you know a little glitter goes a long way. It was great seeing you last weekend, hope it was a success for you!
OH! well poor lil sweet girl! how in the world did she do that? and how in the world did she get all the way up to the top of the barn? and how in the world did Razor get her down?
I know... so many questions! Ü
She looks just Great! even with the lampshade! Ü
Poor girl!
My sweet girl broke her hip (is it a hip on a cat? I can't remember) about 10 years ago. She had to live in a very small cage for a month, with only limited range for weeks after that. But no collar, cause no stitches. You wouldn't know it now.
Awww, poor girl. Like everyone else says, she'll be alright. Sending kitty love your way from my own 5 kitties! xo
Oh I hope she feels better soon. I can't help but feel that that last photo of her, with the pink cotton tie hanging down, it reminds me of Beatrix Potters lovely illustrations of kittens and cats that she would put in bonnets and hats and capes and such. So even when she is wearing such a ghastly contraption around her head, she really does look like such a lovely little cat.
Sweet Jezebel! I hope her healing time goes quickly; you'll be pleasantly surprised by how fast she adapts to being a tripod-kitty!
Tail wags,
Stormy (Dave's sister and quite the kitty-lover)
Oh poor kitty. I hate lamp shade too...at least on my head. An extra love for Jezebel.
My sister was just in a very similar situation with her dog...but she decided to go through with surgery to save her dog's leg. I dont know what is better in the end, but i am happy that people take such good care of their pets! We have three cats and love them so much! Your cats are lucky to have you.
My sister-in-laws cat had its back leg amputated and he's like a normal cat now! It's amazing how adaptable animals are! Good luck with the lampshade.
wow!
Aww! poor thing. She looks so embarrassed in that picture. I just want to pick her up and give her lovin's! I'm sure she needs it to heal her pride. :)
Like anything else, would you please decorate her lampshade, then we'll just call it a bonnet. That would make kitty smile and us as well.
Oh that is so sad. I don't like it when any animal gets hurt.
Poor thing. My dog had to wear one of those cone/lamp shade things..
They look so uncomfortable with it, but it's really for their own good. Give your kitty an extra hug from me.
Paola
Poor thing.... scratch her behind the ears for me please.
Hugs,
Nancy
Poor kitty! I'm glad she could be saved though, and didn't have to be put down. Any idea of how she could have broken her leg?
Actually, I think the pictures would have been kind of cool, but I understand your not showing them.
Not cool what happened to poor Jezebel, though. I'm so glad you're treating her gently 'indoors', lampshade aside and all. ;-)
oh sweet Jezelbel - we'll be thinking of you in your recovery and adjustment. and we hope the lamp shade can come off soon. you're a cutie pie.
Awwww, poor kitty...Our kitty had to have her back leg amputated a couple of years ago. So I understand exactly what your kitty has been doing to her staples. Ours had to wear the bonnet too. The poor things. They adjust remarkably and she will be an outside kitty again in no time.
Awww, poor sweet baby. Hope the healing is quick and she doesn't have to wear that nasty old lamp shade for long.
now, after she heals will she be ablel to go back outside? i have found that three legged creatures are actually faster than their four legged companions, wierd huh? good thing razor found her. at least the lamp shade is a clear plastic so you can see her scowl at you...what a bummer if it was opaque. good luck with kitty
Aww, Dana . . . poor lil' sweetie-pie (don't tell the others I said that . . . I'll deny it). I had to laugh though . . . not at sweetie-girl, but we just got back from Petco (you know, where the pets go). We're trying to figure out what to dress up as for a Halloween party and Erv walks up with one of these around his neck saying he found our Halloween costume.
Poor kitty - but you know she will heal so much quicker with the lampshade unable to get to the stitches ... our pup had a big blue lampshade after we had him ... well you know what - he would just stand there with his head hung not moving - come to think of it - I hope it was the lampshade and not the trauma of having his special bits removed! It was so sad and so comical at the same time. Poor pets with lampshades - if only there was a better solution - but I haven't found a more effective one yet ...
Oh no, poor kitty indeed.
The things a cat will do to become an indoor cat ;)
Get well fast Jezebel.
Hi Dana, Your Jezebel matches our little dog Monty, at the moment his is wearing a lampshade.Monty snapped his crouchit ligament in his hindleg.We call him chicken leg, because that is just what it looks like.Hope Jezebel, recovers quickly. Regards Lyn
oh Dana, lucky you found your puss puss.... but I have to tell you, I was smirking at your lampshade post and the look on puss puss's face.. we had a beagle lampshade a couple of years ago (darn dog got a plantar wart on her foot? I swear this pooch of ours finds obscure things to get and always very expensive things) to say Bailey the Wonderdog hated the lampshade was an understatement! nearly hated it as much as the dress up clothes the kids put her in..
Jezebel.. wishing you a speedy recovery and enjoy bein' an inside puss puss!!!
Man! The things a cat has to do to be allowed to live in the house!
No seriously, poor poor Jezebel! I hope she recovers asap, she is very lucky to live with you, who take such great care of her!
Poor kitty. Hubby's Aunt has a 3-leg dog, Sadie, that gets along fine. I'm sure Jezebel will too.
We just adopted three feral cats to live in the barn, along wth Pete the Cat who already lives there. Oreo Cookie, Ginger Snap, and Snicker Doodle are adjusting to their new home, still in a giant cage for a couple more weeks. Oreo purrs, Ginger loves a good neck scratching. Snicker snarls...
We send our best wishes to Jez as she recovers.-Stephanie from Redmond WA
Poor kitty! I hope she is feeling better soon. How is she adjusting to 3 legs? :o(
Oh Dana! That must have been something to go through (for you guys and for her)! Poor little lamby. She looks like she's doing ok though. Take care little kitty!
Ohhhh. Poor poor kitty. I feel for you.
Aw, poor baby! She looks completely pi$$ed about the hat, too. Glad you found her before it got worse. She'll adjust to indoor sunbeams and snuggles in bed soon enough (and will probably make faces at the boys outside.)
Wow, 43 posts, your friends came out of the woodwork for that very heart breaking story. Now you have a 3-legged cat, what a special addition to compliment your very picturesque life. A unique cat for an extraordinary person....sounds like a children's story in the making. You might not be able to hold Jezebel down to being an indoor cat, however.
Photos can follow once she is agile and her fur has grown back.
what a pretty kitty. poor thing. so sorry to hear this about the poor kitty. hope she gets along okay.
what a pretty kitty. poor thing. so sorry to hear this about the poor kitty. hope she gets along okay.
what a pretty kitty. poor thing. so sorry to hear this about the poor kitty. hope she gets along okay.
My cat had to wear a cone once and I couldn't figure out why she could not walk with it .... she just stumbled and sat down and refused to move, so pathetic. After a week I realized there was a translucent film over the plastic that I had to remove so the cone would be transparent. Who knew, why didn't the vet do that before giving me the cone?
Our neighbors have a 3-legged cat called Whiner (because he whines!). Actually he doesn't whine, he's quite sweet. Took a nap under a car hood and woke up tangled in belts. As our neighbor said, $800 later they had a three-legged cat. I really like my neighbor Whiner. He comes and visits me on my deck and is a real Purring Machine!
Awwww. Sweet kitty! I'm sure he will heal quickly. Stephanie, over at Little Birds has a kitty who recently went through the same thing, and he was doing great in no time!
Go kitty go!
Oh good grief! That lamp shade picture had me cracking up! So sorry about your cat, truly, so sad... but, the lamp shade!! Never seen one on a cat before...
Also, I am sooooo glad to hear that she is OK! I agree with an above commenter... you & your family saved her life!!! She is a beautiful cat!
So glad your kitty girl is ok. What a pretty, pretty girl and so lucky to have you. I'd be annoyed at the lampshade too. If she has to be in it for long I see decals in it's future...
Ah the plight of the 3 legged cat.
My darling Vadar (yes like "Darth") went missing much like your Jez, and I found him a few days later on the brink of death curled up on the roof of my RV.
The Vet said the leg was not only broken in several places but ripped clean out of the hip socket as well. Amputation was the only clear answer.
He was only 9 months old so he's lived his subsequent 7.5 years not really knowing any different. He still thinks 4 legged cats are weird though, can you blame him?!
Love your blog by the way, I'm sure you've found a new follower.
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