Although he is not yet able to walk, doctors say Ryzhik will soon get used to his new legs and walk normally.
A cute cat who unfortunately had to have all four paws amputated due to frostbite can now run, jump, and walk normally thanks to a new pair of titanium legs.
Wild cat Ryzhik wandered in extremely cold weather, down to -40 degrees Celsius, in Siberia, causing his paws to become necrotic. Normally, for such a serious injury, the only solution is water, humane injection of drugs, and euthanasia.
However, the new owner who adopted Ryzhik was determined to save this cat’s life and brought him to a veterinary center in Novosibirsk, Russia – where he was given a new “nail” made of titanium. They are created using tomography technology and very complex 3D modeling.
Doctor Sergey Gorshkov told the Siberian Times: “Ryzhik is definitely the first cat in the world to undergo surgery like this. His new leg is completely connected to his skin and bones. “
Ryzhik the cat is still not used to his four titanium prosthetic legs
Although little Ryzhik is still not steady on his new legs, veterinarians believe that after a while he will get used to them and be able to walk normally. And yet, this cat did not try to remove the prosthetic leg, which means it did not feel uncomfortable.
The hospital is in the process of registering a patent for a technique to attach prosthetics such as legs and wings to birds, and is currently looking to make beaks for parrots and claws for livestock.
Earlier this year, an American cat was also lucky to survive after being buried under snow. The innocent Fluffly cat was found by its owner “completely frozen and showing no signs of life” in February this year in Montana – where the average temperature is about -1 degrees Celsius to -8 degrees Celsius.
Fluffly was quickly taken to a nearby animal care station and saved. The photo posted to Facebook shows this extremely poor cat almost frozen to death lying in the middle of a pile of snow stuck tightly to her fur.
Dr. Jevon Clark told ABC News that when Fluffly was brought to the hospital, his body temperature was so low that the thermometer could not measure it. Doctors here spent hours warming it with warm water and towels until it gradually recovered and regained consciousness.