Cat recovery and activity after femoral head and neck removal surgery

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess the medium- to long-term functional outcome of cats after femoral head and neck excision (FHNE) using an owner-completed questionnaire. METHODS: Cats that had FHNE and were free of other orthopaedic or medical conditions that could affect their mobility, other than the studied coxofemoral joint(s), were included. A specific owner-completed questionnaire was used at a minimum of 4 months postoperatively. The questionnaire assessed the ability of the cats to perform normal feline activities, change of demeanour or behaviour, the necessity for long-term analgesia and the time taken to resume normal activities. RESULTS: Eighteen cats had undergone uni- or bilateral FHNE and met the inclusion criteria. All but one cat could perform normal feline activities without or with slight difficulty at follow-up. The aforementioned cat had notable, persistent difficulty in climbing. The majority of the cats took between 1 and 2 months to resume normal activity. No change in demeanour or behaviour was noted in any of the cats and none of the cats required long-term analgesia. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Based on the owner-completed questionnaire, cats have good-to-excellent medium- to long-term functional outcome after adequately performed FHNE.