Tipper was a member of a cat colony that lives near a creek. This cat community is made up of feral and abandoned cats surviving the best they can. Their food supply is supplemented by local residents.
The man who found Tipper was feeding this colony when he noticed a kitten with a paw missing. It was cleanly severed. Did Tipper get his foot caught in a wildlife trap, was it injured in a fight with an animal or was he snoozing under the hood of a car when the engine was turned on? The remaining part of the leg was inflamed and showing signs of infection.
A local rescue group was contacted, and they quickly trapped Tipper and took him to their veterinarian to have his injury assessed. His wound was cleaned. He was given antibiotics and pain medication. Tipper would hold his leg straight up in the air next to his ear or tucked up to his right flank. Because of his awkward stance, as time elapsed, the muscles to that leg atrophied and its bones became malformed. The veterinarian made the decision that it would be best to remove the leg. Tipper was eight weeks old and weighed less than two pounds. It was decided to wait until the kitten reached four pounds to make surgery safer for him.
Adding those extra pounds did not take Tipper long – this little boy loves to eat! He had his surgery on a Thursday morning. The operation was uneventful. He was purring and eating soon after he woke up. He stayed at the clinic through that weekend so he could be monitored and given pain medication intravenously.
The rescue organization reported that Tipper is learning to balance again now that his weight distribution is different since his surgery. He is healing well and is always ready for a snack or some petting. His favorite past-times are purring, helping with office work and lying on top of the smaller kittens in the office. He can be quite chatty. He is always happy and would make a great pet for any household. Now all he needs is a forever family!
Had it not been for the kindness of strangers, little Tipper would not have survived this horrible ordeal. After much suffering, his injury would eventually have killed him. Please show the kindness in your heart for little Tipper by making a donation to help pay his surgical expenses at Animals Abused & Abandoned here.