Amputee cat gets bionic feet

Amputee cat gets bionic feet

news.yahoo.com

A cat whose back legs were chopped off in a farming accident has been given a new bionic pair, in a ground-breaking feline first in the country.

Two-and-a-half year old Oscar lost at least one of his nine lives when he was run over by a combine harvester last October -- but eight months later he has regained a spring in his step.

The prosthetic paws were fitted by neuro-orthopaedic surgeon Noel Fitzpatrick, in a three-hour operation involving grafting the replacement legs onto the stumps

(visit the link for the full news article)

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/a30302e0ed5d.jpg[/atsimg]

This is excellent news for the cat, though I wonder how much the procedure costs. It seems a little odd with a cat, especially since the furry felines are so tuned-in to their bodies and light on their feet. I wonder how the little critter is going to handle these bionic feet and how it will affect him psychologically, if at all. This has got to screw with his head.

Also, how cool would that be, to have a cat with "bionic" feet? They should take this little guy around to hospitals to inspire children with prosthetic limbs.

--airspoon


news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 25-6-2010 by airspoon]

Originally posted by airspoon
It seems a little odd with a cat, especially since the furry felines are so tuned-in to their bodies and light on their feet. I wonder how the little critter is going to handle these bionic feet and how it will affect his psychologically, if at all. This has got to screw with his head.

Also, how cool would that be, to have a cat with bionic feet? They should take this little guy around to hospitals to inspire children with prosthetic limbs.

Id say he'll adapt to them and learn to work with em just fine thats one of the things about animals, they dont sit around and mope like a human they just take it and run with it (if they didnt they wouldnt survive).

One of my cats 3 weeks ago jumped on top of the fire place when I was in the kitchen (Why I have NO idea) and burned his pads quite badly... even so he kept on doing everything he usually did regardless... now apart from some visible patchs on his pads still being a little red he's perfectly fine.

That same week on an Australian Vet show they had a story of a cat that lost one of his back legs after some human gave him a beating and shattered his pelvis... even on 3 legs he was running around as if he still had 4.

Thing is I wouldnt really call it a bionic foot, its more or less just a prosthetic fused to the bone. Its good though that they are getting into prosthetics for animals its been something thats lagged behind compared to other veterinary practices.

Whats funny is that cat looks almost exactly like my own black cat (Then again most black cats look the same ).

[edit on 25-6-2010 by BigfootNZ]

reply to post by airspoon


I totally agree with you, they should take Oscar around to childrens hospitals, He's totally inspiring. From the posture he has in the picture it seems like he's really fitting the "bionic" legs well.

Nice thread. I wanted to add a link to this article as well. It has a video about the procedure for those curious nerds like me who want a bit more detail.

io9.com...

How wonderful for this kitty! The vid indicated that it was amazing that he did not get an infection from the metal as most humans would - perhaps something can be learned from this. Also a good idea on taking him to a Children's Hospital where children with prothestics can relate to this little fellow. Thank you so much for this heartwarming story.

They need to perfect the measurements, but other than that it is amazing how well the cat appears despite it's bizarre adjustment.

Also, how cool would that be, to have a cat with bionic feet? They should take this little guy around to hospitals to inspire children with prosthetic limbs.

--airspoon


I have to agree spoon, another star and flag from me.
thanks for the post.

~meathead

That's hardly "bionic"

That's more like..peg leg..

Joking about the cats faux paws may be a faux pas, but the first thing that pops in my head when i see that cat is:





But being an animal lover, i am very happy to see this. Roscoe, my families first dog, had to be put to sleep. He was a weenie dog, and his back went out. He was in agony for a few days, and then started to recover (medication helped the pain). But he was paralyzed in the back legs. We eventually had im put to sleep because of another episode of uncontrollable pain that went on for a several days. The vet would not do surgery, as he said it would only make it worse at a very high cost.

I would sure like to see ways to prevent this. I loved him so much, and it hurt so bad to see him go. My oldest son was completely crushed. That was his puppy, a birthday gift (my oldest son is 18 now, was 16 at the time).

Feel good news. Yay! How great when people care so much.

reply to post by airspoon


This is AWESOME! I am so happy for that cat!



Seriously, Saving that cats life is important to him, right?

Good job world! Another life saved!

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


That's funny, my cousin who lives in Texas had to put his Doxen down for problems with his back too. They had that dog for years and were very upset. I couldn't imagine how expensive it would have been to give him corrective surgery and then you don't know if the dog would be in pain so I'm not so sure it's worth it to get your pets operated on, for all circumstances. Unlike humas who can communicate their pain and treat it accordingly, animals can't.

--airspoon