Putting the pounce back in Pooh

It took three or four months for everything to fall into place: finding the implants and having the prostheses for the feet fabricated locally. In the precise surgery, Zlatinov drilled into what remained of Pooh’s back limbs and implanted in each a titanium peg to which a blade-like prosthetic foot was later attached. After a six-week bone integration period, the patient could officially test his new limbs—and before long, he was grooming them with his tongue just as he would have groomed his natural legs and feet.

“Animals always surprise me with how adaptive they are. They start to walk very quickly if you give them the ability. In fact, they can be too eager to get up and walking,” Zlatinov explained.

The next challenge was finding a “forever home” for Pooh. The rescue organization launched a search with two important caveats: Pooh would require continued medical care and that he should be an indoors-only cat for the rest of his life. The rescue organization’s plea went viral and an overwhelming number of people applied to adopt Pooh, and—bringing a touch of symmetry to Pooh’s story—the woman who had been his caregiver and advocate from the beginning was selected.

‘Really like a normal cat’

“I occasionally visit Pooh to check on him. He has adapted to this prosthesis 100 percent: He is really like a normal cat. Definitely, he has no pain. In fact, the woman who adopted him has complained that his playful behavior—like jumping from some heights—worries her,” Zlatinov said, laughing. “I have to say, though, that Pooh has gained some weight and today is a little bit fat and not very athletic. He’s a normal cat.”

Zlatinov emphasized that Pooh’s treatment was by no means experimental.

“This is evidence-based veterinary medicine, and at the same time it pushes the limits of our ‘daily routine’ approach to the problem. It’s innovation to ultimately improve many more patients’ lives in the future,” he said. “I am happy to have had a role in Pooh’s recovery, and I’m grateful to the AO VET community for inspiring me, for the trust placed in me, and to the rescue organization for its commitment to giving Pooh another chance.”