A KITTEN has undergone life-changing surgery in Herefordshire after he was born with a badly deformed paw.

Tabby cat Jay arrived at Cats Protection’s Hereford Adoption Centre in Allensmore with his three siblings when he was nine weeks old.

It was noticed at his initial health check that he had an abnormality with his front left leg, and further investigation showed that his leg, paw and toes had not formed correctly before he was born, giving it the appearance of a genie's slipper.

Jay’s affected leg was shorter than his others and rather than having four digits and a dew claw, Jay seemed to have two fused digits. His claws pointed upwards rather than down and he had no pad on the bottom of his paw which made it painful and sore to get around.

Amputation was found to be the most appropriate treatment and the centre has raised an appeal to help it cover the costs: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cats-protection-hereford-adoption-centre6

OTHER NEWS:

Claire Underwood, deputy manager at the centre, said: “Jay’s paw was extremely unusual, none of us had seen anything quite like it before. He dealt with it very well and tried to keep up with his siblings but ultimately he didn’t have the same agility or stability.

"To give Jay better quality of life, our vet decided that his leg needed to be amputated, which would enable him to fully use his three good legs but would also prevent the bottom of his misshapen leg from being injured or sore, as there was no pad for cushioning.”

As Jay was too young for surgery when he arrived in care, he went to his new home with his siblings to give him time to grow before the surgery could take place. Now five months old, Jay has been able to have the surgery which has been a great success and after recuperating at the centre he will be able to return home and live life with no restrictions alongside his sisters.

Claire adds: “It’s lovely to see Jay recovering and getting used to walking with three legs. He hardly used his shorter leg previously owing to the pain and the way it affected his walk and so he is adjusting extremely well.

“As you can imagine, an operation like this can cost a significant amount, in this case around £600. Cats Protection receives no government funding and we rely solely on the donations of kind supporters to ensure cats like Jay get the best chance in life. We have therefore set up an appeal to help us cover the costs of the operation and we are extremely grateful to those who have already so generously donated.”

Any funds raised above and beyond the target will be used to help other cats and kittens in the care of Hereford Adoption Centre.

To find out more about the work of the centre and cats currently in need of homes visit www.cats.org.uk/hereford or call 01432 277 543