One lucky cat in Bulgaria has been given a second at a quality life after he was fitted with bionic hind legs.
Pooh (which means “fluff” in Bulgarian) is thought to have lost his original legs – and possibly one of his nine lives – last April in a car or train crash but is back hunting thanks to the work of veterinary surgeon Vladislav Zlatinov.
He fitted the kitty with two tiny polymer-and-rubber paws mounted on titanium stems, which is hoped will eventually grow over the bone preventing infection.
Pooh after surgery.
Zlatinov is the first European vet to have successfully applied the pioneering technique, which was first done by Irish neuro-orthopaedic surgeon Noel Fitzpatrick on another cat.
“Pooh’s condition is more than satisfactory. There might be some clumsiness but he can walk, jump and run,” Zlatinov told AFP.
Pooh isn’t the only one to receive the life-changing surgery. Zlatinov recently performed the same procedure on eight-month-old Steven, who also lost both hind legs last year.
“[The operations] give hope that even in a country like Bulgaria innovative things can be done,” Zlatinov said.
Both cats were brought to the clinic by Let’s Adopt Bulgaria which raised funds to pay for the operations.
“We went to Zlatinov looking for a solution because he had solved other hopeless cases of injured animals before,” Vyara Mladenova of Let’s Adopt said.
“But we didn’t expect him to offer this solution and for it to be successful.”
All images via: Let’s Adopt Bulgaria
