East2West
A Siberian feline is back on his feet after receiving 4 new paws.
The cat, now named Ryzhik, was originally left out in the cold in Siberia, where temperatures dropped to -40C. After severe frostbite and gangrene developing rapidly, the only choice was to amputate all four paws.
While this is, unfortunately, a common cause of pets being put to sleep, Ryzhik found himself with new owners who refused to let that happen.
Ryzhik was taken to a clinic that specializes in artificial limbs for animals. The clinic, located in Novosibirsk, Russia, is trying to patent its technique for attaching artificial limbs to birds. They’re also working on new methods of helping animals in distress, such as rebuilding beaks for parrots and hooves for cattle.
Thanks to the clinic, that used computer tomography and 3D modeling to create suitable artificial limbs, Ryzhik is finally mobile again. According to Surgeon Sergey Gorshkov, Ryzhik is believed to be the first cat in the world to receive such a procedure.
Even though he’s a little unsteady with his new paws, he should eventually find walking on them easier after having a little more practice.
