Cutting-edge prosthetics purr-fect for feral kitten
VANCOUVER— When a deformed feral kitten was discovered on a rural property in Langley, B.C., Cassidy’s rescuer says its was scooting around on its front legs with its bum in the air like a “reverse velociraptor.”
The eight-month-old tabby, which is missing both hind legs, will soon be fitted with artificial leg implants in a groundbreaking procedure that one expert predicts will be the future of pet medicine.
“Definitely this is cutting-edge technology,” said Dr. Mike Higgins, a neurologist with Canada West Veterinary Specialists. “We’re learning a lot from human medicine that is translating into animals.”
The black-and-white kitten received Botox injections at the Vancouver animal hospital Wednesday as preparation for attaching prosthetic blades to his back limbs. The procedure will be the first of its kind in the world on a cat, Higgins said.
Technology commonly used on humans, such as CAT and MRI scans, is now standard practice for veterinary care as well, Higgins said. And it’s the harbinger of more advanced engineering and biotechnology to be applied to animals.
Higgins predicts that in 10 to 15 years, prostheses for paralyzed or malformed animals will become much more available for pets.
“Doing these things is not at all experimental, it’s actually trying to improve their well-being,” he said.
Cassidy was rescued by Shelley Roche, who was contacted to take care of the kitten last September after he was found at nine weeks old, starving and suffering an E. coli in- fection in both his stumps.
“Obviously I took one look at him and I wanted to do everything I could to help him,” said Roche, who runs a non-profit called the Tiny Kitten Rescue Society.
Roche believes the kitten may have lost its legs as a result of its mother chewing to free its body from a knotted umbilical cord at birth.
The cost of his rehabilitation has been about $10,000, she said, though the Vancouver veterinarians offered their services pro bono.
Another specialist is already working with the animal to make a 3Dprinted model for the prostheses. The surgery will take place at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., in two to four months, when Cassidy is close to being fully grown.
The American surgeon has unique experience in remedying cats and dogs with congenital malformations, Higgins said.
The blade device is advanced because its design conforms more naturally to the limbs, allowing more normal movement, he said. Similar models are already in use by people, he added.
Roche has been broadcasting the kitten’s physio over the Internet.