This month we meet Lucy. She’s a soft and loving two year-old kitty who has had more than her fair share of bad luck, and still has the friendliest of purrs. Don’t get me wrong, she’ll let you know when there’s something not right in her world, but she’ll use her voice to tell you, not her claws.
Lucy came to Ten Lives in May with a suspected fractured pelvis and injuries to her hind leg. She was in a pretty bad way. The local veterinary practice which surrendered her into our care was not able to return her to an owner.
At Ten Lives she was settled and given ‘heavy’ pain medication so we could assess her injuries and plan her care. Her blood and urine tests were good but the x-ray results showed that damage to her left hind leg was so severe that an amputation was needed. Lucy had suffered a displacement fracture and dislocation of her tarsus (ankle) and also had a fracture of her metatarsus (foot) – injuries that might have been caused by being hit by a car, but we don’t know for sure. The x-ray couldn’t confirm if her pelvis had been fractured as well.
On May 23, Lucy underwent a mid-femoral left hind limb amputation at our Ten Lives operating room. Amputations are delicate and long operations, usually taking between two and three hours.
“The day after the operation she was still smoochy and affectionate,” said volunteer Carer Elise, “she will growl and vocalise if she is in pain or needs something, but there are never any claws or teeth!”
Lucy’s recovery has been slow but steady and she is doing remarkably well. Two weeks after her surgery, she could stand up but was still quite unsteady and unable to walk. After another week of rest she was moved in to a double cage in Welfare C where she could move about at her own pace to eat and poop.
“We give her physio two or three times a day and she’s doing really well learning her new body. She hops a bit and wants to sit down a lot, but she loves a butt scratch and this helps her align her body and get her balance,” said Elise.
On the day I met Lucy she clearly enjoyed her physio session with Elise and had enough confidence to walk around the room inspecting her surroundings. She’s healing up well and the next phase of her treatment is to help her build up her muscles to improve her balance and mobility. For this, we’ll foster her to one of our foster carers who is skilled up to give her the ongoing treatment that she will need for a while.
When Lucy is independent and strong she’ll be ready for adoption and, given that three-legged cats are popular adoptees, we think she won’t have to wait too long before she can enjoy her furever home. We also think she deserves the very best life with dedicated, devoted humans after what she has been through.
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 these cats received. So, thank you.
Words and images by Sue Medlock, Ten Lives Creative Team