The thing about your kitty losing a leg, is that it often occurs with little to no warning. Be it an accident that causes it or a surgical procedure, there usually is just not very much time to prepare nor is there very much information on how to prepare. Below is a list of some of the things I found helpful in supporting Toasts recovery.

PREPARING

BEDDING:When your kitty comes home they will be groggy, confused, uncomfortable and maybe even frightened. Prepare a little safe haven for them where they can rest comfortably and feel safe. It likely will need to be a space that can be closed off (they are kittehs after all and will likely not consider your idea of a good resting place as theirs). If you have old bedding they have utilized in the past, it is better to offer them something with which the are familiar.

EATING: Now and in the future, it will be difficult for your kitty to crouch. Providing a raised eating area (I used an old foot stool) will make eating much easier for them. If you do not have a foot stool at hand, just set the dish on a couple of books or really anything that keeps them from bending down too far to eat.

DRINKING: Again, crouching is an issue. I solves the drinking problem with a simple pet fountain that spurts water up like a regular drinking fountain. SOme cats are out off by the water movement, but eventually three of my four kittehs became accustomed to the fountain and happy to use it. I would provide a few dishes of water about the house. Once your kitteh is exploring they will tire easily and having an ample supply of water about makes it easy for them to get a drink without having to hop across the house to get it.

SLEEPING: Often where a cat spends their day is different from where they sleep at night. My Toasty sleeps in my arms and he found it very distressing to be forced to sleep in his enclosure at night, so by the second night, I let him sleep with me and it worked out fine with some adjustments. I ut a step stool next to the bed to make it easy for him to get in and out and set up a water and kitty litter station in the corner of the bedroom. Having the litter in the bedroom is not ideal for long term but did work well for us during Toasts first week home.

THE CONE: Toast did not like the ” cone of shame” at all and in fact it really seemed to greatly hinder his ability to get around. So I took and old sweater, cut up the sleeve and made a loose collar with it for him ,that covered up the sutures but did not seem to hinder his ability to hop. When he ditched that and hid it, I got him with a bandana. He was not to pleased with the bandana, but it worked until I could get to the thrift store and purchase some baby shirts. Baby and toddler clothing seem to work well and look adorable. An average sized cat can wear size  0 – 3 month old baby clothes and you can find some great stuff for practically nothing at a thrift store.

JUMPING: Footstools and cheap cat houses were how I solved the climbing and jumping issues for Toast. I found these cheap cat beds that were basically squares with a whole in the front and a pad on the top for $20.oo at Big Lots and pout on in font of each window  perch, making it easy for him to jump onto them with little strain. You can use anything really. Thrift shops often have foot stools for less than $5.00 and they work great.