OT: Need help - Page 1

 I need some input please. My daughter has a 5 yr old Bengal cat with a tumor on its paw. It has been surgically excised twice already. Last time, the vet informed us that if it returned, he recommends amputation.

I guess I am seeking input from others with a similar experience and even those who possibly have a dog with 3 legs. This cat is so active and loves to climb, jump, chase dogs, etc. What will it be like for him as far as adjustment? What do I need to be prepared to do in helping him make this adjustment. It is going to be an emotional journey for my daughter as well. 

Anyone have any advice or words of encouragement? 

Thanks,
Renee

They dropped off a dying cat at my vets practice that had a crushed leg among other things.  He took the cat in and amputated the leg.  At first she got the stub infected so it had to be cut higher, very high in fact.  Once he was done and she healed she was GREAT!  She was social and happy and bounced around the barn all day.  I named her Tripod.  The name stuck.  It was a front let.  If it is to save its life, I've seen it done with GREAT success.
Good luck!
W

Poor thing.I love Bengals...one of the few cat breeds I do like.
What foot is it?(front or back) Is the tumor big as in it annoys or stops him from being able to do things.(like jump run etc)
It is going to be difficult for it to jump I am imagining.I think if it is on the front paw it won't be so bad if it has atleast one good paw.It is going to have to be kept away from any place that it can jump. My old landlord had a cat that had the front leg but it couldn't use  it.(broke and rehealed wrong) That cat was faster then any of the other 4 legged cats out there.It will just take some time to get use to it.
~L~

I had a semi-feral barn cat that needed a back leg amputated.  The vet said amuptations done higher up end up with less problems as the animal doesn't try to use it then.   Pugsly lived another 4-years or so, she was about 6 or 7-years when she had it done.   She was healthy to the very end.

Good luck with your daughters cat. 

 Thank you so very much for all the kind words and encouragement. The tumor is on his front foot. It does not get big, nor interfere with his walking; at least not at the point when we have taken him to the vet in the past. It does however, develop a necrotic area which he chews until it bleeds and sometimes the bleeding is profuse. Ostensibly, it is not malignant or life threatening. This is the third time it has developed. 

Here are some pics of him. He is such a character and does not know he is a cat at all. Of course, the F-1 Bengal cats tend to behave differently than other cats. He loves water! He loves the dogs and seems to be a bit more wild acting. I am not truly a "cat" person, but he has such an endearing personality. Our other cat, on the other hand, is a rescue from Cancun; we stayed at a resort that had feral cats everywhere. Most would run from people. Marble did not understand that to survive she needed to be wild and stay away from people. They were going to euthanize her because some folks did not like the cats coming near them. So, we brought her home five years ago. Now she just lays around and wants to be prissy! The Bengal loves to go outside. Marble turns and runs from an open door
! 

I tried cats once and it just doesn't work for me, living with them, that is.  But I do like them, when I visit them at somebody else's house.  My daughter had a cat that I just loved.  Yours looks like a real character.  Make sure you give us some updates.   

 Do you know the name of the type of tumor this is? There may be some sort of other treatment to try before another operation. However, if the leg were to be amputated, barring some complication, the cat will do just fine, especially because he is relatively young.

Let me know the tumor type.

 Hodie,

Thank you so much. I will see what I can find out. My son-in-law took Ricco to the vet each time; I was not there. I could probably take a picture of the actual tumor if that would help at all. 

I would love to discover a treatment that does not include amputation even though everyone here has be very reassuring about his prognosis following loss of a limb. 

Thanks again,
Renee

For the record, I agree with Hodie on this in the hope that an alternative to amputation can be worked out, I want to be clear on that.

If, however, all else fails and amputation is the way you have to go, do him the favor the take the limb as far up as possible so it doesn't risk becoming a hinderance.  That said, animals are amazingly adaptive and if he still has his claws I am willing to bet that he'll be just as active, climbing and everything as he is now with 4 limbs within months of the operation.

Don't openly treat him as an invalid and he'll adapt.  That doesn't mean don't be cautious and attentive to what he's doing, just don't assume he 'can't' because of the lost limb.

As for your daughter, it really will be harder on her than on him.  I don't intend to make any assumptions here, you might have already taken these steps but depending on her age, consider (just consider, you KNOW your child, we just speculate here) letting her be very involved in every step of the process.  If you trust your vet, have him/her explain what is going to happen and how she can best help her friend after the surgery and let her take the lead as much as possible with you there to support her.

It really is harder on us than it is on them.

I was told by my parents, what an animal fears more than death is disability because that means predation for the prey animals (in my case horses) and starvation for the predators.  It's a hard concept, I know, especially with a youngster and a beloved animal but a good lesson in the long run.

Good luck and again, I agree with Hodie and I hope, hope, hope you have other alternatives available to you and your feline friend.