Life for Levon

It has now been one week since I brought Levon home and he is doing very well. Eating, drinking,  and going to the bathroom regularly. The gabapentin is really helping with the pain and he has only growled a little twice since starting it Friday night. We spend a lot of time snuggling on the couch and he often falls asleep on my chest as I rub his belly. Cliff is getting a little better and can even tolerate getting his attention with Levon nearby. lol I think now I need to start preparing for when he gets more energy and off his isolation in few weeks. Any suggestions? He was never one to get in the highest perches because of his weight, but I know there are certain areas I can add a few steps to make life easier. I’ll also have to modify the opening to my little cat door in the door leading to the basement and I plan on making a platform on the top step to eliminate going through the opening and down one step at the same time. Should I add carpeting to the steps? Pretty sure I know answer but thought I would ask anyway. And I do plan on buying plenty of runners as there is only 1 room in my house that currently has carpet in it. I’m sure there are plenty of other modifications that I haven’t even considered yet. Looking forward to hearing from all of you.

Thanks

Levon and Jeff

So day 3 since Leven has been home since his amputation. He seems to be coping quite well physically Getting around fairly well, though unsteady and a little unsure of himself at times. Not a great appetite yet and definitely not drinking as much, but I am told this is normal. It seems his biggest problem is dealing with with the changes to his routine. I’m keeping him isolated in a spare bedroom when i’m at work(I have 3 other cats) and he is not a happy camper. lol Every day I have come home I find him burrowed underneath the covers on the air mattress I set up to sleep with him every night. He also doesn’t seem to care for the Yesterday’s News in the litter box that was recommended. Took him into the basement to regular boxes with clay litter and he hopped right in. I carried him down the stairs to the boxes. Am I being too cautious? Or am I right to be concerned about him navigating steps at this point? ( they are not carpeted) Overall he doesn’the appear to be in any pain, and often lays on the affected side.

Along with Levoon being stressed and trying to deal with these new changes, my other cats are having to try to adjust as well. One (Molly 12yr old female) is pretty indifferent to the whole situation and seems totally unaffected. My other female cat (Sabbath, 7yrs old and Levons favorite playmate) is a bit apprehensive and will growl for a second occasionally, but then just wanders away and goes about her business. The real problem is Cliff, my 3yr old male, who is by far the smallest of the four at 8lbs but is the undeniable ruler of the roost. He starts growling and hissing and will carry on once he starts even when he’s no longer in the same room with Levon. And anyone who comes near him may be subject to a couple swats (including me). I know part of it is jealousy because he is not getting quite as much attention since this happened. But he is a bully when the mood strikes him and everyone has been subjected to to being antagonized, even Levons who is over twice his size at 19lbs. I know it has been a very short amount of time since this all happened,  but I can’t help but think how things are going to play out when Levon no longer needs to be isolated and has to deal with Cliff again.

So my name is Jeff and due to an accident i had to have the right front leg of one my cats amputated. His name is Levon and he’s a 3 yr old wide-eyed, chubby black cat who LOVES to have his belly rubbed and drink from any running faucet any chance he gets. We are 2 days into our journey and to be honest, he appears to be handling this much better than I am. I stumbled across this site when I googled ‘how to care for 3 legged cats’. We are looking forward to sharing our experience moving forward and hearing from others who have also traveled this path. I know I will definitely need help in making this adjustment (emotionally) and in learning how to help Levon live a long, happy life.

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