Muppy's accident

Muppy BEFORE the accident

We have had our cat Muppy for a year. We received her from a friend who was returning to Germany and it has been a long adjustment for all of us. In a year we have seen Muppy grow from a "cool" stray into a warm house cat. And despite the incredibly loud night-time crying (when she gets lonely), she has become part of our family.

We also discovered that Muppy is a 'fraidy cat! When we first brought her home, she would get so afraid of other cats that if she saw one she would immediately "lose her bowels" -- thankfully she has outgrown that! But she is still not a cat that enjoys the company of other cats or dogs.

Last Thursday night the neighbour's dog got loose from its gated yard. He chased Muppy under the neighbour's Porsche and we heard some awful wailing. We quickly discovered that Muppy had tried to get away from the dog by crawling up inside the car -- and one of her paws got stuck there. It was a very stressful 30 minutes as we tried to free her.

Hard to tell that she only has three legs

Once rescued, we took Muppy to the Vet where she spent some time in the Animal Hospital. After 24 hours the surgeon asked to see us to discuss Muppy's case. Muppy had broken her leg but also dislocated the joint in her "ankle". The damage was so severe that the surgeon was doubtful that it could be repaired to any satisfaction or quality of life for Muppy. We had to decide if we wanted to try surgery anyway, amputate the leg, or put her down. For all of our threats over the past year about getting rid of the cat, we could not see her die when there was another way. So we agreed to the amputation.

Easier to see that a part is missing

Muppy is home now and is growing stronger every day. She is already able to limp around on three legs and is starting to purr again. We are anxious for her to adjust to her three legs and grow back the fur on her backside.