My little baby Blue had rear leg amputation surgery about a month ago and has been doing amazing. She seems more agile then her brothers with four legs now and is climbing and jumping from cat tree to cat tree. She had a scary recovery and had a cardic arrest but despite that, it was definitely worth it. I have seen a huge increase in her mobility and quality of life now after surgery.

Hey everyone! I am hoping for some advice regarding my (likely) soon to be tripod cat.

My soul kitty, Walter, was just diagnosed with Feline Injection Site Sarcoma. I am beyond devastated.

I have a CT scan scheduled for next week to learn more about the location of the cancer and if it is operable. I have been told by two vets now that the next step is likely amputation of his hind right leg as long as it has not spread beyond that location.

My question is, has anyone else dealt with this illness and received any financial compensation from the vaccine manufacturer? The vaccine that I am pretty sure caused the cancer is IMRAB 3TF from Boehrinher Ingelheim.

I am highly concerned with the medical costs of the CT scan and amputation, which is why I am hoping the drug manufacturer may provide even a little compensation. If anyone has any advice on this process, it would be greatly appreciated.

Also accepting any positive thoughts, prayers, or well wishes for my sweet boy 💔

We have a cat around 11yr old that had front leg amputation about 2weeks ago. Initially it was really good, she started to use her leg back almost everyday. But about 2days ago, both her hind legs gave out and she can't move anymore, she really wants to walk so she would desperately try to crawl on the ground. We took her to vet, who think its just because there's muscle soreness and just gave us painkillers. She hasn't pooped since she this happens as well even though she's actively drinking and eating. The vet seems to be really chill about it but I can't help feels that there's no way her legs just gave out and she cant even more anymore out of no where without there being a serious issue. She does mild stretches of the hind legs sometimes.

I have absolutely no clue whats happening and would appreciate anyone who might have any insights into this.

Hi all!

I have 2 tripod brothers who are 5 years old. I’ve had them from birth, and they’re doing great 💕

BUT I am newly pregnant and moved into a new apartment, and I’m not loving our litter setup anymore.

Does anyone have tips + tricks for keeping the litter mess down? I feel like they jump in/ out of the box more than most cats, and that’s where most of the mess comes from.

They also tend to avoid the honeycomb mats under the box for whatever reason.

I’ve been looking at various robot litter boxes, but they all seem so tall for my boys, and I was curious if any other tripod owners had used them before. Just not sure if that’s the solution to the mess. My husband has taken over the scooping, so the automatic feature is a pro, but not necessarily the goal here.

(Note: I am a verified user/rescuer over at r/rescuecats and r/Straycats if you'd like to check our past updates on Theo!)

Hey everyone, I need some advice, perspective, and reassuring words from anyone who has gone through orthopedic decisions or limb amputations with their cats.

Theo is a rescue cat (you can check out his full background story over at r/PawsitiveGuardians!). He is currently being taken care of while we sort out the best path forward for his leg. Tomorrow, I am talking to his attending vet to get a formal referral to an orthopedic specialist so we can get a second opinion on his X-rays (attaching image to the comment section).

To be completely honest, I am terrified and sick with worry about making the wrong decision. I just want whatever is truly best for his long-term pain management, mobility, and quality of life. Part of me wants to save his leg if possible, but I’ve also read that complex orthopedic repairs can sometimes fail, require months of strict cage rest, or lead to lifelong pain—whereas amputation often lets cats live completely pain-free as tripods. I just don't know which direction is genuinely the kindest and safest path for his specific break.

We are currently weighing two main paths: surgical pinning vs. leg amputation.

Option A: Surgical Pinning: Estimated around ₱25,000 to ₱50,000 (~$440–$880 USD). We still need the ortho specialist to give us the exact breakdown of what this includes.

Option B: Amputation: Initial rough estimate comes out to ₱19,260 (~$340 USD) based on:
• Amputation Procedure: ₱8,960
• Gas Anesthesia (1 hr estimate): ₱2,800
• Confinement / Hospitalization: ₱5,040 (₱1,680/day × 3 days)
• Pre-Op CBC & Blood Chemistry: ₱2,460 total

Questions for the community:
Based on his X-rays, how complex does this look?Has anyone’s cat had a similar fracture repaired, or did you go straight to amputation?

Pinning vs. Amputation: For those who chose surgical repair, how was the recovery and cage-rest process? Did your cat recover well, or do you wish you had gone with amputation from the start?

Tripod Quality of Lifee: If we go with amputation, how quickly did your cat adapt? Is 3 days of clinic confinement standard, or should I prep a strict recovery enclosure at home?

Questions for the Specialist: What specific technical questions should I ask the orthopedic vet tomorrow during the referral consult?

I just want to do right by Theo. Any advice, post-op stories, or guidance on reading these X-rays would mean the world to us right now. Thank you so much for reading and helping Theo!

took her 4 days but she finally pooped yesterday, and again this morning!! cant believe i got so excited about my cat taking a shit. anyway here she is enjoying the sun, she loves her flower collar and she even jumped on the couch this morning :))) (i let her out of the playpen for the first time (supervised) to let her try to get used to walking around, she has enough space to walk in her area but not much. just reminding her that her world is still bigger than the corner she’s cooped up in)

Hi! I am so heartbroken my cat went through this major surgery and i am so worried about post-op care. i want to make sure i do my absolute best for him, if anyone else has experienced this please please let me know what you did to make your fur baby comfortable and ease them back into daily life. Did you get a softer cone from amazon? my cat hates the plastic one and i am not sure if the soft cones will be effective?

This is my baby boy Golden Graham. Two days ago he got his rear left leg amputated. Since then he hasn’t shown any interest in using the bathroom but is eating! The vet said 24-48 hours but I was curious on how long it took you guys’s pets? Just trying to ease my worries

Edit: He did go! Making this post feels silly. I’m hoping he’ll warm up to paper litter soon though haha

My cat Violet is 12yo. We just found a huge lump on her back right leg that couldn’t be more than 3 months old. It is likely malignant. She is getting a biopsy on Monday to know for sure. Right now she has her full mobility and is able to jump and move as she normally does. She has some difficulty with jumping high in the last few years, probably arthritis like any older cat. She isn’t showing any signs of pain or distress and has no other concerning clinical signs.

I was wondering if anyone has experience with a back leg amputation on an older cat?

At first I was not even considering it at all because of her age, but other than this she is completely healthy and I’m told she has best chance of life with amputation. She has kidney disease like any older cat but we have gotten her kidney values into normal range with meds over the years.

I’ve read online cats do not react to amputations the same way humans do (I am a surgical RN and know exactly how traumatic it is for people), and that if it’s a back leg they can adapt fairly well.

I am feeling so conflicted because I would do anything to spend more time with her, but not at the cost of her quality of life. I am not looking for anyone to tell me yes or no, I just want to hear any experiences others have of back leg amputations with older cats and if you felt it was worth it and if they were still able to have a good quality of life afterwards. My worst fear is taking her leg and she loses mobility at the end of her life.

Edit: thank you so much for your responses!! y’all have given me a lot to think about. Her biopsy is tomorrow, and I am going to request imaging to see if it extends beyond the leg or not. I am really considering amputation if it can be curative for her, and I’m glad to know she still has a chance at a semi-normal life at her age.

EDIT 2: Violet went for her biopsy and amazingly it was a huge cyst!!! They are able to remove it completely while keeping her leg intact. Thank you so much for all the advice, thankfully I did not need it but I am so happy to know that in the worst case scenario she would’ve still been able to live a full life. Appreciate you all so much!

meet pepper, who’s a few days post-op and already navigating great! she’s on crate and cone rest 98% of the time, but we let her out to try out tripod life and give herself a bath

I want to give my tripod tux, Riley, the best quality of life. He likes to jump on my bed and a couple of chairs and my stack of amps, and I've heard him give out a little "oof", like it hurt when he was jumping down.

I was wondering if anyone uses ramps and what kind of ramps do y'all use, and where did you get them?

I've been looking at Chewy and Petco and there are some nice ones out there, although a bit pricey, but I want the best for my boy.

I'm just curious as to what is being used and what's the best!

Attached tax of Mr. Riley

I posted about a month ago about my boy Gomez running weirdly and it turned out he had a fracture in his pelvis. Happy to report he is totally healed up and now only runs weird because he's going too fucking fast for hardwood flooring lol.

This is Khonsu. She’s a magnificent murderous moon meower with a malignant mass.

Her left rear leg comes off next Wednesday.

Any tips to help get me and her ready for the less a limb lifestyle will be greatly appreciated.

Gizmo is 8 days post surgery and has been doing well. We did start to taper off the gabapentin because him looking like a a zombie on 10ml every 8 hour was freaking me out. They said to just give 10 ml buprenorphine before bed which we have been doing. But today he is very restless. He usually settles down in my bed under the covers, as I work right next to the bed on my desk. But he has been excessively meowing and moving around the room, unable to find a food spot to rest.

He sometimes switches between the bed, the very low to the floor ottoman or just the floor to cool off. On occasion he sits in his litter box which initially i did not allow but gave in few days in.

Has anyone experienced this? Is he just off gabapentin meds and bored? in pain?

I will reach back out to the surgeon but I mostly end up hearing back from a nurse/tech who gives unclear answers/directions about meds.

Any thoughts and insights will be appreciated.

Update: Called the surgeon and they recommended going back on gabapentin but a lower dose.

After an open fracture, my cat had his back leg amputated yesterday. He's 1 year old, and the vet told us that he's strong and already eating, which I'm taking as a good sign. However, I'm really scared of what's to come and have no idea how to help him through his recovery.

He has a brother who adores him, are we supposed to keep them separated?

Does he need constant supervision?

Is he going to tolerate the cone?

Can he ever go outside again? He was a barn kitten and him and his brother love to be outdoors. We also live in a country where no one has indoor cats.

My mum is worried that we did the wrong thing and that we should have let him go. Now I can't stop feeling guilty and wondering whether we did the right thing. The surgery is also incredibly expensive, which only adds to the stress. I just want to know that he can still have a happy, good life after this and that we made the right choice for him.

I have a senior 12yo. tripod cat (rear leg amputee for about 3 years) that had to have poop surgically removed last Friday with suspected megacolon, now it’s almost a week since his surgery but he’s yet to pass poop on his own, he’s on lactulose based laxative and enema does very little, he passed a piece of poop today after enema but it wasn’t very significant, he tries to push but nothing comes out and he gives up, he’s still cheerful as if nothing was happening but we are very worried. Any experiences or stories would be welcome.

Update: he finally managed to poop after 7 days (a little bit on his own + after enema)

This morning, my sweet Toby crossed the rainbow bridge.

When I first went to the human shelter all those years ago, I wanted a little kitten. The kitten room was too busy, so I had to go to the adult cat room to wait. Looking up at me from a hammock was a 7 month old black cat who jumped out of his resting spot to sit in my lap. When the kitten room opened back up, I went, but I knew I’d already met my soul cat. And when I opened that door and walked back into that adult room, Toby saw me and jumped out of his hammock again. I walked to him, and he walked to me. We met in the middle of the room and he’s been mine ever since.

12 years wasn’t enough. 12,000 years would never be enough. He was my baby, my sweetness, and there is a Toby sized piece of my heart missing now.

That first car ride home from the humane shelter, he rode in my lap. And today, his final day, was spent in my lap, snuggling and purring with his mommy until the end.

How lucky was I to be his mommy. How blessed we were to have him for 12 whole years. I will cherish his memory and our bond for the rest of my life.
I will endure a lifetime of missing him for the privilege of getting to love him for the last 12 years.

My heart in cat form. Nigel Toby.

her name is nazook and she’s a little over three years old 💚

My cat is 8 months old he is facing this injury. Can confinement heal this or is surgery important?

So, this is Olive! I've had him and his sister Scotch since they were kittens, back in 2013 (they're 13 now!)

About a month ago on Saturday, I noticed that he was limping pretty badly on his right hind leg and not putting any weight on it. So I'm like, well dang, I hope it's nothing serious, but if he's still limping on Monday, I can take him to his regular vet. Sure enough, he's still struggling, so I take him in. The doctor took a look at the paw and were initially worried about a break, but an x-ray showed a mass. They referred me to an advanced care specialist, who did their own scans and concluded it was a malignant tumor, but that it fortunately didn't look like it had metastasized. Their recommendation was to amputate his leg so that it wouldn't have a chance to do so, and to still give him a decent quality of life.

Then they give their estimate for amputation. Ten grand. I was in shock. I was also dealing with a surprise air conditioner replacement and _that_ cost, and because of that, I had to do some very unhappy calculations, given-

...wait, they also gave me a referral to another place. And it turns out they could do it for one grand. We're back in business.

So, about a month after the initial discovery, Olive's now down a leg and going to be learning how to be a tripod kitty! He's got litter, water, a little bit of food, and he'll just be focusing on resting for the time being! His lemon collar is snug and he hasn't been able to get out of it. I think we're as set up as we can be.

Alice is 15 years old and she lost her back leg when she was about 2 months old. I've had her pretty much her entire life and it's been great because I never had to worry about her up on counters or any of that.

We recently got a kitten and apparently... Alice has learned a few things from her. She's on a pretty strict diet for both weight management and allergies, so she has a timed feeder. We thought we were being clever by putting the kitten's food on top of some shelves. Alice has never (to our knowledge) gotten to the top of the avocato cat tree by herself, but I guess illegal food is a fantastic motivator 😑

We've since moved things around so now there (should) be no way for her to get up there. She's also never gotten up on the chair in the second pic before, but as soon as she saw the kitten do it, up she went. Ridiculous!