In Siberia, Russia the winter can be incredibly harsh, the temperature can drop to severe lows (-60°c). Even summer in this country can be overshadowed by rain and some snow.
hat is why people have to prepare to help them through the extreme cold and dark months. However, not all animals are as resilient and can survive through the rough weather.
Ryzhik also known as Ginger or Redhead) was found in Tomsk, a city in Siberia when it was minus 40 degrees Celsius. His paws were so severely frostbitten and rapidly developing gangrene that the veterinarian had no choice but to amputate them all. Ryzhik’s new owner decided to take him to a clinic in Novosibirsk so they could provide him four prosthetic paws despite the fact that he had lost all of his limbs.
The clinic fitted the artificial paws using sophisticated computer tomography and 3D modelling. These limbs would be the most comfortable for the felines.
He is unquestionably the first cat in the world to have had such operations, said surgeon Sergey Gorshkov. The limbs have fully connected with the skin and bone. The bone tissue grows inside the spongy portion of the limb that enters the body.
We got a good outcome. Despite having had a portion of the limb amputated, we were able to preserve its functionality.
As the video show, he is not yet running or walking with confidence, but it is early days, he is getting used to walking with them in the future.
Watch the video about Ryzhik below:
