CHENNAI: If survival means walking like a human, this cat is up for the challenge. After a double amputation of her two front legs, this three-year-old who has inspired several 30-year-olds since her recovery, doesn’t just walk. She leaps. And the veterinary team at the Blue Cross of India say they are glad they didn’t listen to the naysayers who suggested euthanasia.
“A lot of people said it would be cruel to do a double amputation and that too of the forelegs,” recalls chief veterinarian R Siva. Survival outside her cage (post-recovery) was a big question mark, and many assumed that the sheer balancing act would lead to a second injury, volunteers tell us.
However, this brown and white feline, who has a real survivor’s story, has managed to land on her feet, each time. “When she first arrived at the Blue Cross, her bones were jutting out of her front legs, and she had already suffered 40% bone loss,” recalls Siva. But the miracle according to the vet, is that the injury was not a new one. “It probably happened a month back, it’s astounding she survived throughout it with no medical attention whatsoever,” he explains, still in awe.
The veterinary team attributes this cat’s 30-day post-accident healing with no medical aid, to the antiseptic properties of cat saliva. “Constant licking of the wounds would have at least kept them clean, so despite the pain, no infection set in,” says a junior vet on duty.
A month after her surgery, the cat who ironically doesn’t have a name yet now has an amputee mate for company. “A male cat who also suffered crush injuries due to a collision had to get a second amputation recently, but this time we knew there was hope,” smiles Siva.
The two are still a tad antisocial, finding their feet in the world again. But now that they’ve found each in the same hospital room — you know what they say: ‘A lot can happen over coffee, or in this case...milk!’ To adopt, contact 9176025265