Conference misery::feline

    Greg...how much do you trust your vet??  If there is any
    doubt just get a second opinion before you make the decision.
    
    Good luck...I know cats that survived very happily with three
    legs...so I'm sure missing a toe won't be a problem.  Personally...
    I would just want a second opinion before I put the cat through
    that.
    
    Sandy

    I would first of all very promptly get a second opinion.  This
    seems like a strange situation, and I'd want to be sure I understood
    what was the root cause, keeping in mind that I'd avoid any delay that
    endangered the cat.  I would probably also call the Cornell Vet School
    hotline (I think they are at 1-800-KITTYDR) for advice.  If it does
    turn out that the toe has to be amputated, I'm sure the kitty
    will do well, based on the three legged cats I also know about.
    Please let us know what is happening,
    
    Karen
                 

    p.s.  Have you any idea of what might be harming his back
    paws?  Strange litter?  Chemically treated carpet or whatever
    the kitchen and bathroom floors are washed with? ...
    

    
    Greg,
    
    My experience with cats has proven to me their ability to rebound from
    trauma and adapt very well with a handicap.  My five-year-old Nicky has
    no teeth caused by a very serious case of gingervitis.  After several
    months of trying different antibiotics to no avail the doctor and I
    decided to ease his discomfort and take the rest of his teeth extracted. 
    Nicky is doing very well now.  I serve him soft food and add a little
    milk or water to it to help him swallow the food. His new nickname is
    *Gumby*.
    
    I have an eighteen-year-old cat named Norman with only one eye.  Two
    years ago the lens on one of his eyes detatched and fell half way down
    his pupil.  I worried about his ability to adjust (he is hard of
    hearing too) from an amputation of his eye.  But Norman,  as old as he
    is,  uses the other eye and has no problem jumping or finding his cat
    dish!  Occasionally I call him *Winky* as it looks like he is winking
    at you.
    
    Nancy
    
     

    I had a very long chat with the vet, asking if he would do an X-ray
    first, to ascertain wether the bone was infected or not.
    
    He assured me that the bone really was infected, but he was prepared to
    do an X-ray, however he said it was a waste of my money.
    
    Based on the fact we trust him, we went ahead and had the toe amputated
    on Friday. We had seen another vet around Xmas time, who also said, if
    the toe did not clear up, it would have to be amputated, so we decided
    we had a second opinion.
    
    Sam is now house-bound for the week, he's looking very sorry for
    himself, with a plastic collar to stop him licking the stiches. However
    he is walking fine, and still jumping onto things, so I guess he is ok!
    
    We are not sure what is causing the nails to be lost in the first
    place, the vets say they sometimes pull them off when scrabbling
    up/down a tree, or running away from something.
    
    He is not the most agile of cats, so we guess he's done it scrabbling
    up a tree (he can't jump to save his life!)
    
    Thanks for all the notes,
    
    Greg

         Cats often get their toenails damaged by carpet, which can lead to
    infection. I would recommend that you remove all carpeting from your 
    house or apartment. I was forced to do this when my cat Scratchy kept
    getting his claws stuck in the carpet and pulling them out. I also had
    to cover all my furniture with plastic and get rid of all electrical 
    outlets. 

    
    
    	Um..... How does one function without electrical outlets?
    

    ... the cynic in me suggests we are being *had*....
    
    Leslie

    Re: being had
    
    Yes, time for moderator delete on these multiple notes, in case
    bad advice is left in the file for unwary noters?
    

    
    On the internet it's called trolling...
    
    len.
    

    It's definitely a troll.  Best course of action...ignore it.
    
    Jan (with moderator hat nearby if necessary)

    How is Sam doing?
    

    Sam's fine, toe healed very nicely, he seems back to 100%, running
    around the house, play fighting with Toby, and generally happy!
    
    Greg

    
    
    ...and last night we noticed ANOTHER nail on his hind leg was pulled
    back slightly, and covered in dried blood. So he's off to the vet asap
    to try and prevent any infection and see if we can work out why this is
    happenning so often.
    
    Greg

    Please let us know how he's doing;  since this is so puzzling, it
    might be worth calling the Cornell Vet School hotline at 1-800-KITTYDR
    and see if they have any ideas?
    
    Karen
    

    We took him back to the vet, who cleaned the toe up, it seemed bruised.
    but basically ok, we got some antibiotics to prevent infection. As of
    now it seems ok, however the actual nail seems higher than his other
    nails.
    
    Cheers,
    
    Greg

    Sam update, the toe was fine, he was running around, and was let out
    again.
    
    Then the poor chaps unlucky life continues.
    
    Around September he didn't come home one night, we scoured the streets,
    shouting his name, but couldn't find him.
    
    Fortunately 2 days later a neighbour found him under a bush in her back
    garden.
    
    He had great difficulty walking, and we think he was either hit by a car,
    or kicked by something (a person, a horse...)
    
    We had him x-rayed, nothing wrong (according to the vet)
    
    At this stage (combined with other things) we decided to move vets. We
    took him back to the new vet recently, and he suggested another x-ray
    to check him top to toe, as he was still walking with a gait.
    
    He was very sick before the x-ray, so they decided he was too weak to
    x-ray, and carried out blood tests.
    
    The bad news is they found he has had cronic kidney failure, and is now
    on a low protein diet, and we are keeping our fingers crossed that we
    can prolong his life (as long as he isn't in pain & is happy) for as
    along as possible,
    
    The poor thing has had such a rotten life, and he's such a nice cat.
    
    Greg                                                 

    Poor Sam......hopefully with diet and alot of love and attention
    he can continue to live a happy life with kidney problems.
    
    Keep us posted...
    
    Sandy 

    I am sorry to hear that Sam has more difficulties.  I think other
    people with cats with kidney problems have said in here that learning
    to administer fluids from the vet improves the quality of life and
    (maybe?) the length of life to some extent in advanced stages.  I think
    there were also some suggestions about how to make the low protein
    food more palatable.  Please let us know how Sam is doing,
    
    Karen
    

    He's onto his low protein diet and has perked up a lot. Fingers
    crossed!
    
    Greg

Well good news at last for Sam,

He's been on his low-protein food now, and perked up loads, he 
stopped being ill, and looked better, his colour was better, he 
started running around after Toby, and generally having more fun.

We took him back for a 2nd blood test last week, and his condition is 
slightly better.

The vet thinks, therefore, that he doesn't have a kidney disease 
problem, and he must have sustained some kidney damage when (we 
think) he was hit by a car.

We know let him run around the back garden, and he's obviously 
feeling better as he's started climbing the rockery and jumping into 
the neighbours garden, then scrambling back up the fence when they 
shoo him away!

Greg

    What good news!  Hugs to Sam.