how is the care different for a 3 legged cat than that of a 4 legged cat?

Answers:
You have to be open to her needs since she or he most likely went through a tramatic experience. Also you might want to consider creative furniture to aid him/her in their climb onto the bed and couch. and lastly be sure to remember her feelings when you go to make fun of her penguin butt or her cute limp. Don't name them tripod, this will hurt their feelings and scare them for life.

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there really shouldn't be any difference. you might have to help the 3-legged cat jump or get around alittle, but the care should be the same

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There isn't really much of a difference other than you really want to make sure that your cat stays slim and trim. Of course you shold always make sure your animals stay nice and thin and healthy, but especially on a 3 legged cat so it's not so hard on him carrying too many extra pounds.

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The only way it si different is if the amputation is new. Then you have to watch the incision for redness and swelling. Which could indicate infection or other problems.

Your cat will be just as rambuctious as a 4 legged cat.

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i wouldn't attempt to teach the cat to "shake".

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The care itself shouldn't be any different. Animals are remarkable at adapting to these things. They carry on with their lives and learn to go without whatever it is they've lost.

If the cat has always had just 3 legs, it should be accustomed to getting around that way. If one has just been amputated, it may take a little while for it to get used to balancing, jumping, etc. But, eventually it will get used to it, and aside from it looking different, it will function as any other 4 legged animal does.

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There is a huge difference, keep it indoors or in an enclosed, supervised large cage/kennel outdoors. In the "wild", your cat will be seen as weak and will prone to be attacked than one with all 4 legs.

If he has lost a hind leg, he may not be able to jump as high. If he has lost a foreleg, he may find landing more difficult, especially when jumping down from a high place.

It is important that a three-legged cat is not allowed to become obese because he has fewer limbs on which to distribute his weight. It is also important that he get exercise. The loss of a limb sounds catastrophic but 3 legged cats adapt well and are usually as agile and active as 4 legged cats. The loss of a limb would be catastrophic to humans, but our limbs are more specialized (2 for walking, 2 for manipulating things) while a cat's limbs are all used for walking. Three-legged cats need help grooming areas that would normally be groomed by the now-missing leg.

A three-legged cat (especially if it鈥檚 a front leg that they鈥檙e missing) would have difficulty burying any waste that he leaves behind in the litter box. There are a few things you can do. They sell litter boxes that have a charcoal filter that fits the lid of the box. This helps control odor to a degree. There are also many new scented cat litters on the market; litters that are designed to keep odors down to a minimum. You have to be careful, however, in that some cats find the added perfumes and deodorizers irritating, and may be repelled from the box. Some cats get into a regular habit when using the box.

For example, my cat Silkie (w/-legs) goes to her litter box right after she eats breakfast. I make sure that I scoop out what she leaves behind as soon as she goes, so it doesn鈥檛 stick around all day. If your cat鈥檚 litter box habits are fairly regular, you might be able to time things so that you can scoop out any waste relatively soon after it鈥檚 deposited. As for the tracking of the wet litter, there are mats that can be put under the box (a towel works well, too) that catch the litter that cats drag out of the box for those first few steps, reducing the amount that gets tracked.

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Your cat won't think that he is any different so you shouldn't either.

I've had several 3 legged cats. One we adopted that way, she was fully healed and you would NEVER know the difference watching her run, jump, etc. She was missing a back leg.

Another got stepped on by one of our horses and was too feral to catch. His injured back leg eventually dried up and fell off and he lived for many more years.

I also fostered a 3 legged cat who was named Trike. His front leg got caught in a recliner and his irresponsible owners brought him into the shelter on the verge of death. We were able to get him prompt medical attention and nurse him back to health. He was adopted by a family whose daughter had one of her legs amputated. They are the best of friends now as Trike has taught her that a disability is NO BIG DEAL!

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It's no different, there is a three legged cat at my vets off and you would never know he is missing a leg, he acts just like a normal cat, he learned to adjust to having three legs instead of four, it's cool! He's is friendly, outgoing and jumps onto things just as if he had four legs.

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My three legged cat did really well (left hind), the only thing that I had to do differently for her, was have her groomed on a regular basis (she loved it), the reason for that was, she always rested on the hind quarters where her leg was amputated and her long hair would get very matted, so we would just have that area shaved a few times a year.

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Is the cat bipolar?