A cat in London is about to become only the second known feline in the world to receive a prosthetic foot.
Marco the Cat accidently had one of his hind feet cut off by a weed whacker when he was only five weeks old. That caused him to become obese and immobile, but soon he’ll be the first cat in North America to have a titanium foot transplant.
Dr. Kyla Dillard and her team at Dillard Animal Hospital preformed a life-saving colon surgery on Marco and over the months have helped him lose weight, all in preparation for the operation.
“Our goal now is to actually get him a titanium foot, created, engineered for him and implanted. He will be the only cat outside the country of England to ever have this done,” Dillard says.
“This is not a prosthetic leg that goes on and off. This will actually grow right into his bone. His skin and fur will grow around it and it will be a permanent part of his body.”
In 2010, a British cat named Oscar was the first feline to receive titanium feet.
Marco still has to lose four pounds before he is eligible for his surgery, but staff at the animal hospital are confident he can do it.
“He is definitely going to be able to run around and play with Theo, another clinic cat here. They will have a great time and he will probably blossom into a totally different cat,” says staff member Katie Van Luttihuizen.
The titanium foot is expected to cost about $12,000 and the clinic is hoping to raise enough money to offset the cost so that the surgery can go ahead in the next couple of months.
