Amputation Victory for Susiecat!

[DawnHolt]

Hi there Carol, Critters and all;

Well, I haven't had the chance to post an update until today....but I promise it's worth the wait!

on Friday morning, I put Susiecat in the kitchen for her breakfast. Our kitchen has 2 entrances with 2 doors, so I closed both of them which effectively 'locked' both of us in the kitchen together. The kitchen is L shaped, so I put Susie's litter box in the hidden part of the L and sat down with a book while she had her breakfast. She hoovered up the food and then lay there looking at me for a while....she moewed very emphatically, but I told her she just had to use her box before we could leave the room. About 30 minutes later, she snorted at me and hobbled over behind the wall. THEN...that magical sound of scritch, scratch, scritch filled the room. She did it! She got in, did her thing (both of them) and then got out, all on her own!! Yay Susiecat. I cried and gave her far too many treats as a reward.

Yesterday morning, we did the same thing but this time it only took about 20 minutes for her to go to the box. The rest of the day was spent in front of the fire, where she had several very thorough baths.

I decided to keep her box beside her as usual for the day, but nothing happened. Last night, we all went to bed, with Susie on her blanket beside my side of the bed. Sure enough, after we had turned the lights out...scritch scratch scritch. She went in her box without prompting and just like Carol hunched, she went when we couldn't see her...

When I woke up this morning, she wasn't in her spot and after searching our room, I eventually found her curled up under the desk in the den. This means that at some point in the night, she moved herself to a preferred spot - another first since the surgery.

She seems to have turned the corner and now that she has proven to herself that she can indeed get into and out of her box, she seems to be in much better spirits. Now entering the room, I'm greeted by her pre-surgical routine of reaching out the paw towards me and breeeping at me...it's a wonderful thing and my heart has healed just a little bit because of it.

Tonight was the true sign that she is on the road to recovery. My hubby and I had some takeout Chinese food for dinner and were eating on the couch watching a movie. Susie was in front of the fireplace. Suddenly, Scott stopped eating and told me to be very still. I sat like a stone, and a few seconds later, there was my beautiful girl's face peeking around the coffee table....she had come to beg. This is a dog-like behaviour that Susie has always shown, she is actually known for snatching food right out of unsuspecting guests hands...as well as out of my husband's!

When I saw her face with all her whiskers pushed forward and realized that she had not only hopped/crawled/hobbled over to us, but that she had done so in complete silence in order to maximize her begging time, I burst into tears. It's the first time we have seen her true self since the surgery and it made me unbelievably happy.

When her new box gets here, I think she will really take to it, as she does catch her remaining rear leg on the side as she gets in/out.

Thank you all for your support this past week, and for sharing your stories, ideas and opinions. I am going to post her picture in the gallery later tonight, so I hope you all go and see this gorgeous norwegian forest girl!

[DawnHolt]

This is Susiecat, at age 15. In this photo, she is helping me write a graduate study paper...

[critters]

Yay Susie!!! Congrats! GREAT pic! Susie is almost twin to my Cookie, and I'm glad she's doing SO well! If you want her pic in the permanent Gallery, send it and what you want to say to markr @ handicappedpets. com (remove spaces). I'm so glad to hear Susir's OK; I was concerned about her.

[CarolC]

Ohhhhhh, what a relief! You really had a time of it. Yes, that story was worth waiting for! ))))))

I'm glad to hear about the thorough baths. You know everything's all right when you see that. When the box arrives, it sounds like she will not need the cushion that goes with it, just the box. The cushion part is definitely helpful for a paralyzed kitty. I thought it might be good for Susie if she was losing her balance (soft landing) but if she can get into a 6" box, then she can probably do a 2" entry with no problem.

I can really see her personality in your description. She sounds *wonderful*. Good for her!

You never said (I don't think) why she needed the amputation. I assumed it was a vaccine sarcoma? Both of my vets are quite agreeable about not vaccinating senior indoor cats. It doesn't seem to be a problem with the health officials if the vet recommends not vaccinating due to age. Hopefully your vet will agree.

Wishing you many golden years with Susie!

[CarolC]

What a beautiful cat! Wow!

[Casey]

Hello Dawn,
I had been reading your heart breaking stories of your darling, Susie. I was THRILLED to read the update and read that she is using her box and returning to her "normal" self. Sometimes, we humans, want things to happen so quickly and if we just get out of the way, sometimes, the healing and renewal return in the animal's time line. I am so happy for all of you. I have a 3 legged Siamese, who lost her front leg after being hit by a car and left for dead. She has no trouble living and leading a normal life and for her, having her leg amputated was a relief from the pain. Kudos to you and your husband for the love, patience, and willingness to go the distance with your furchild. Good for you. Hope to continue to read your updates and kitty hugs to Susie for being such a brave kitty. Casey and cats]=