Such a brave Puss - only has two legs but doesn't seem to mind.
Daily Mail

Not sure what to think about this. Ok the cat seems to get around ok, but how much strain is that putting on the rest of the cats body and organs? it must be pretty tiring, certainly when it gets older.

I don't think I could bear to see my cat like that.

It's cruel. I feel sorry for it actually

I don't think its cruel at all. The cat seems to get about fine and does not appear to be in any discomfort whatsoever. The owner feels she is fine and she should know.

I had a three legged cat who lost a back leg after being hit by a car aged one year old. After a period of recovery following his surgery he returned to the agile cat he once was. He could run up an 8 foot fence and run like the wind, albeit a bit dodgy looking.

His walking always appeared a strain...but it was not. He was a healthy happy cat and lived until he was 12 years old when sadly he died of cancer.

Mmmmm - I really was in two minds when I first read this, but having seen the delightful Caffrey in action, I think for now he's doing just fine.

Personally I wouldn't allow an animal of mine to do this, sometimes we keep alive animals for us and forget their quality of life and dignity. And I am not sure that isn't what is happening here.

I suppose if the cat is happy enough then it's OK.

It's a bit hard to tell what real quality of life it has from that snippet of video.

Many animals though, IME are the masters of adaptation

Its not like its dragging its body around, it looks like its learnt to walk on two legs. It doesn't look in pain. Not cruel at all.

Animals don't think of themselves as disabled, but humans see them as disabled.

As long as they're otherwise healthy animals who can eat, pee and poop, get around ok and seem happy, then why on earth is it cruel?

If someone loses their legs, would you have them put to sleep?

Problem is we don't really know what the cat thinks or how this will affect it later in it's life, this could be putting all sorts of strains on the body and many animals will go on long after they are in great pain just to please us or to survive. We make decisions everyday about our animals, they get no say in it. I am not saying the owner is cruel but I wonder why they didn't PTS when they realised the extent of the injuries and indeed why the vet didn't advise it strongly.

Maybe the vet has more knowledge and experience than you.

If the cat has cancer then this procedure (amputation) may only have bought a little extra time anyway, probably up to two years, so I don't suppose it matters too much about the effects on the cat 'later in life'. The article says that the owner was offered chemo as the first option and I know from my own experience of chemo with my late cat that chemo given to cats is rarely curative, it just buys a little extra time.

I personally believe it is up to the owner and her vet to decide what is right for her cat. I don't believe a vet would perform a procedure that was not in the cat's interests. The cat obviously can't decide for itself but I strongly believe that any animal would choose life over death if it still had the capability to enjoy its life - as this cat seems to from the bit we have seen on the recording. I don't think the owner would have allowed the story to go public if there was any doubt about the cat's well being and enjoyment of life. Sometimes, reading posts here, I think that owners can be too quick to euthanise pets, I see it referred to as the last great kindness we confer on our pets, I'm someone who will always fight to keep my pets alive for as long as possible, as long as I feel they have a reasonable quality of life, and take advantage of whatever medical technology is available - in the same way that we fight to keep humans with cancer or other illnesses alive and well for as long as possible.

Its got such a cute face

I think the owner has made the right choice.

That's a silly post of course a vet would be more qualified and possibly have more experience but we often hear cases of vets not always suggests best for pet but rather for their pockets.

You were questioning, and actually disagreeing with the decision of the vet as if you knew better. You now admit that you don't, so maybe yours was infact the 'silly post'.

I was wondering why the vet didn't suggest PTS how many vets would encourage an owner to keep a 2 legged cat ? I don't think mine would ! Asking questions isn't stating I know better than a vet it is questioning the motives of said vet. And I think that is a valid point.

Actually thinking about it if my vet agreed with this I would change vets instantly.

Hang on, we don't get rid of disabled people, so why shouldn't disabled cats be given a chance?

That cat looks perfectly happy to me.

I think it's easier to read dogs (possibly because I'm a dog man) but this two legged dog looks utterly unconcerned about this disability also:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f1ovurzU2s

That's one beautiful, well cared for, obviously very happy dog.

Because we can't know what they are suffering and some people when they have a catastrophic injury do want to die but can't. We have seen cases in court pleading for assisted suicide. Not everyone want to live on.

And I'm sure he's being monitored and if he was suffering they would know.

What I was actually querying was the initial decision most vets would not consider a two legged cat/dog etc as viable and would advise PTS. I am not sure why that point is not being ignored.

In the article it says that 4 vets advised the cat be pts, but the owner begged her vet to try - so he did.

I'm with mollie on this one. It's a simple case of the wonder putting her wants and needs before the cats. As pet owners we have a responsibility to ensure the highest standards of welfare for our pets, sometimes that means euthanasia. The cat is unbalanced, he falls or wobbles several times in the video, he will be completely unable to complete natural behaviours such as play, hunting, climbing, and will have to put a massive physical strain on his body. When a body is stressed, it releases cortisol which has massive negative affects on various systems, the immune system is dampend, chronic pain is more likely, phantom limb pain is common for amputees (and there is suggestion that animals get it too), the liver is in overdrive trying to produce glucose for energy, which means digestion is affected. The list goes on.
One limb missing witll put stress on a felines body, but not unmanageable stress. Two limbs however, cannot be ethically sound, it compremises his welfare, and that's not acceptable.

No, we don't, but we have developed a society where we can cater for them, they have physical and mental support, the best we can offer an animal is some physical adaptions, such as dog wheel chairs, there is no way to explain what is happening, there is no way to understand thier feelings about it. If a soldier lost a leg in war, he'd receive psychological guidance, and it would not be surprising if he suffered PTSD, yet the cat is out through a painful operation, with a long, difficult recovery period, and faces a future of pain, mental and physical, for the sake of his owners selfishness,

Handsome little thing.

Love reading things like this, that owners never give up on their fluffly little family members.

I'm sure the owner will do the right thing if things don't work out. It was a tough choice, but I'm sure the cat is happy.