By: Terry Lackmeyer, My Pet’s Brace Customer Service Representative
Sometimes, dogs and cats are as different as night and day. Call a dog and it will come running. Call a cat and it will take a message and get back to you. That same attitude tends to follow through with braces as well. Dogs readily accept braces with few questions asked. Felines, on the other hand, can take longer to accept a cat leg brace and are typically more difficult to fit. Cats may try to shake off a brace or freeze and not move at all. While we have made carpal, knee, and hock leg braces for cats, each one is on a case-by-case basis.
Determining factors include:
- Type of injury
- Slickness of fur
- Personality traits
- Ability to create Suspension
- Current mobility
- Home environment
Starting With a Temporary Cat Leg Brace
When an owner contacts us regarding a leg brace for their cat, we do an initial evaluation to determine whether the cat would be a good candidate for a cat knee, hock, or carpal leg brace. If we believe we can make a leg brace for the cat, we may start by making a temporary brace. A temporary brace enables us to see how the cat adjusts to wearing a brace and how we can provide the proper suspension for the permanent device.
Switching to a Permanent Brace
If the temporary cat leg brace is successful and the owner feels the cat is comfortable and happy wearing the brace, we make the permanent version. The permanent brace is the same type of custom leg brace we would make for a dog — the same quality and precision fit. Learn more about our casting and fabricating process.
Problems With ACL Leg Braces and Cats
Cats and stifle leg braces—the braces used for cruciate ligament injuries—are not characteristically a good fit. The fur is so soft and silky, almost rabbit-like in texture, that the ACL brace tends to slip down and not stay in place. Additionally, the suspension sleeve which wraps around the hock and attaches to the inside of the brace to help suspend the brace on the leg adds just another “foreign object” to which the kitty may object.
We Strive for Better Mobility for All Pets
While dogs constitute 99% of our clientele, we love animals—including your cat—and want to do our part to help with custom leg braces when we can. From goats to sheep to llamas, cows, and sometimes ducks, our main objective is doing what is best for the pet to help it live a happier life!
If you want to help your pet with a leg issue, we encourage you to contact us today to discuss conservative management alternatives to invasive surgery. Our experts can help steer you in the right direction to give your pet a better quality of life.
Junior — A cat with a carpal brace! Junior has a brachial plexus injury.
Zeke — This little cat wears a carpal brace for radial agenesis.