It Wasn’t 20 New Claws For Four Frozen Paws But It Was Close

Ajays | June 10, 2019 | Articles

For some reason, this Tom Cat was out in -40 temperatures in Siberia, Russia. When found he was almost a popsicle, worse still gangrene had set in on all four paws.

He was due to be put to sleep, but his owners were having none of it. Ryzihik had all four paws removed, his new owners took him to a clinic in Novosibirsk, Russia to have new man-made limbs fitted to where his paws used to be.

Frostbite can be a killer for cats, like this cat who was found almost frozen solid on the roadside by a passing motorist. Luckily he managed to keep all his limbs. But for Ryzihik four new paws were made using 3D modeling and advanced computer tomography, something for cats that is reputed to be a world first.

Vet Sergey Gorshkov told the Siberian Times: “He is definitely the first cat in the world who experienced such surgeries. The limbs have fully connected with the skin and bone.

“The part of the limb that goes inside the body is spongy, the bone tissue grows inside it.”

Ryzhik looks more than a little unsteady on his new feet, however, once he gets used to them he will adapt and be as good as new. The good news is that he hasn’t tried to take them off, which means he has accepted them.

The clinic where all this advanced surgery was carried out is attempting to patent this unique technique.

Not only for cats but limbs for birds, including beaks for parrots. They are also looking into creating hooves for cattle.

You can watch Rhyzik breaking in his new paws here:

Earlier this year, a US cat managed to survive a brush with extreme weather conditions after she was found buried in the snow.

Poor Fluffy was found by her owners ‘essentially frozen and unresponsive’ in Montana in February this year, where the weather dropped to -1C (30F) and -8C (17F).

A close up of one of the new paws. Credit: East2West — *Credit: East2West*

Thankfully, she was rushed to a local animal clinic where they were able to save her life.

A shocking photo shared on Facebook shows huge clumps of ice matted into Fluffy’s fur.

Fluffy when she arrived at the animal clinic. Credit: Animal Clinic of Kalispell — *Credit: Animal Clinic of Kalispell*

Dr. Jevon Clark told ABC News that when Fluffy had been brought in to the clinic, her temperature was so low it didn’t even register on the thermometer.

Dedicated vets spent hours trying to warm up the kitty with warm water and blankets until eventually, she was back up and about.

In a post, the Animal Clinic of Kalispell wrote: “Amazing success and survival story from this week. Some clients found their injured cat buried in snow.

“They brought her to us essentially frozen and unresponsive. Her temperature was very low but after many hours she recovered and is now completely normal. Fluffy is amazing!”