A bad one -- **graphic post**

A few nights ago, we received a memorable call from a concerned pet-owner.  The caller stated that they had just arrived home, and found their cat (who was reported to be 100% normal when they left only an hour ago) to be suddenly "missing a leg and his tail."  The caller stated that he wasn't bleeding, at all.

We urged them to come in ASAP and we'd take a look.  We were all extremely skeptical as to what the truth would end up being, as the story was bizzare, to say the least.  It's impossible to have a severed limb, with no bleeding -- right?

The cat arrived, and to our amazement, the clients were right (at least in part).  The beautiful cat had a completely macerated hind limb, and a severed tail.  This was one of the most gruesome injuries I've seen so far; second only to the dog who had been hit by a train.  He immediately received pain medications, and I further inspected the wounds.  Remarkably, the kitty seemed quite stable, especially given the extent of his injuries. (Stop reading now if you're not interested in the details of the injury).

The cat's leg was unbelievable.  Distal to the stifle (knee), there was nothing..... except a foot, hanging by a single tendon. With each step, the cat would drag the nearly severed foot behind him. The leg was cold, dirty, and dry.  The remaining thigh muscles were severely damaged, and shards of bone were hanging from the remaining stump.  The family WAS right that the cat was missing a leg and a tail, however one part of their story didn't fit: this injury wasn't new. 

It appeared that a lawn mower was the cause of the injury, although I couldn't rule out attack by a large wildlife animal.  It had probably happened the night before, and the owners hadn't noticed until they arrived home that afternoon. 

I really wanted the opportunity to fix this kitty; all he needed was an amputation, antibiotics, fluids, and a little TLC, and he would have been back to a perfect family feline in a few days.  Unfortunately, while discussing treatment options, the family became very angry and combative.  It was realized that they had less than $5 to contribute to care, which was clearly not sufficient to provide intensive care and surgery.  The poor kitty was euthanized, and at least we could take comfort in knowing that we finally relieved many hours of pain and suffering that this cute kitty had to endure before his injuries had been realized.