V.E.T.S Club Exclusive
WARNING: The following contains graphic depictions of a surgical procedure.
It’s just past midday in the surgery at the Ten Lives Cat Centre. As you enter you can see the small space is divided in two by a glass screen. Behind the screen sits the operating table with a surgical light hovering above it, an anaesthetic ventilator, and the autoclave machine used for sterilising equipment. Closer to you is another table used for surgery prep and minor procedures. Another anaesthetic ventilator stands at the end of this table with the walls above lined with all manner of containers housing medical supplies.
The room is quiet compared to the commotion found in the rest of the Centre, except for the occasional low grumble of an uncertain kitty.
The grumble is coming from the bank of cages to the left of the door.
There are three cats in the cages this afternoon. Toot, a white and ginger boy sits with his paws tucked gently nodding off, impervious to the Vet Nurse who has just entered the room to prepare for the next procedure. Zac, a tabby and white boy sits at the back of his cage pondering that something is missing but can’t quite figure out what. He’s recovering from his desexing.
In the top row you can see a beautiful ginger Maine Coon, his features striking and his white whiskers proud. His name is Gordon and he is the source of that low rumbling sound you heard earlier. It seems that whenever any attention is paid to another cat the growling starts!
Head Vet Dr Tess has now arrived and it’s time for Gordon’s procedure.
Gordon enjoys the attention as Vet Nurse Jen gives him some pats, rolling his head into her hand. She takes him out of his cage and places him on the prep table, his rear left leg sticking out in front of him. Also in the room now is Volunteer Vet Nurse Rhianna who is assisting today.
Gordon is 5 years old and his history is a mystery. He was discovered in the garage on a property in Cambridge, meowing for help. When he was found it was clear he was not in a good way. An open fracture of his femur was causing him great distress.
The kind woman that found him brought him to the Hobart Community Vet Hospital where vets examined him and found that the fracture likely occurred many days ago. Poor Gordon had been walking around for days in pain. He was brought to surgery where they did their best to save the leg. Pins were placed over the break and he was sewn back up.
This is where Gordon’s Ten Lives story starts, June 2021. Having no locatable owners he was brought to the Centre where he was looked after in the hospital. The lost pets register and local Facebook groups were unable to assist in finding Gordon’s owners. So in Ten Lives care he remains.
Having begun his recovery, Gordon was able to be taken into foster. But, there were complications.
After a few weeks it was clear that Gordon’s leg wasn’t improving – the pins were unable to aid in the bone growth required to support the limb. He was still in pain and hobbled around, even falling off the couch at one point!
At his most recent vet check up a week ago, Dr Tess determined that with the pins failing the only option to give Gordon a chance of a happy life was to remove the limb.
So that brings us to today. Gordon’s big day, and the start of the rest of his life.
For the past half an hour Gordon had been receiving an IV anaesthetic drip and fluids in his cage. He’s calmer now and seems to be a little spaced out. The extra fluids will protect his vital organs during surgery.
On the prep table he is given a larger dose of the IV anaesthetic before intubation. During the surgery the intubation will provide Gordon with oxygen and further anaesthetic gas which also acts as a muscle relaxant. Gordon is under now, unconscious, and unable to feel any pain.
Jen prepares the leg for the operation, trimming Gordon’s coat revealing the beautiful tabby markings on his skin. An iodine scrub is applied to the skin to sterilise the area. This is one of the most important steps in the procedure. Proper sterilisation will ensure that no bacteria enters the surgical site preventing infections. Jen carries Gordon in her arms to the operating table behind the glass division.
WARNING: The following contains graphic depictions of a surgical procedure.
Gordon has been wrapped in a bubble wrap cardigan crafted by Rhianna to maintain his body temperature. Surgical drapes are placed around the leg and the procedure begins.
Dr Tess delicately makes the first cuts. She uses a scalpel to score the skin around the leg above the fracture site, then cutting through the subcutaneous tissue, and then into the muscle.
The room feels tense. Dr Tess is focused intently on the work at hand and only breaks her silence to ask Jen for another pair of scissors. Any arteries that are encountered are sutured closed.
The muscle tissue has now been cut back to the bone. Dr Tess uses a serrated tooth bone saw to complete the next step, freeing the limb from the body.
The ventilator fan whirls and a low tone indicates when a breath is being given. A higher toned beep indicates Gordon’s heart rate. Jen continues to monitor Gordon’s vitals and maintains his anaesthetic depth.
Things are looking good. The team is past halfway now and the tension in the room has gone. Rhianna catches up on some paperwork while the operation continues.
After using a file to remove any sharp edges, muscle tissue is folded over the end of the bone before the site is sewn up. The muscle layer is sewn first before the subcutaneous layer both with dissolvable stitches. Then finally the skin layer stitched with nonabsorbable stitches which will have to be removed in 10 days.
After 1 hour and 38 minutes on the operating table, the operation is declared a success.
Jen removes the breathing tube and hence the anaesthetic gas is no longer being administered. Gordon slowly starts to awaken and gives some sharp coughs. He’s still not quite conscious but the anaesthetic state is slowly wearing off. This period between anaesthesia and consciousness is called the excitement phase and can result in uncontrolled movements and delirium.
Gordon squirms around as Jen carries him back to the cage for recovery. He is, as expected, quite delirious and Jen can’t get him into the cage. Jen kneels on the floor and holds him firmly, soothing him as she cradles him in her arms. You can see the change as Gordon becomes more aware of his surroundings.
Jen can now place him in the cage with a few reassuring pats. Gordon is still wriggling around as he becomes more conscious. When he’s fully awake he’ll get more pain relief and something to eat before being moved to the welfare section. As of now, Gordon’s ordeal is finally over and he can finally mend.
* * *
The next day Gordon is bright and alert, standing up proudly as if all his battles over the past month were nothing. You can see that the pain has gone now and so too the leg that was causing him so much grief – in its place, hope and determination. With the help of the Ten Lives vet team and support from people just like you this incredible cat has a bright future ahead of him.
When he has recovered from his surgery he will be placed in foster care before starting his adoption journey.
As a V.E.T.S. Club member it is your subscription that allows the Ten Lives vet team to provide the much needed care that Gordon received – and for cats just like him. So, Thank you.
Words and images by: Rich East, Ten Lives Creative Team
