Gentlemen we can rebuild him

A cat from Jersey has shot to fame as the ‘bionic cat’

Oscar’s surgery was performed by Noel Fitzpatrick, neuro-orthopaedic surgeon
“Without this surgery he wouldn’t be here, it’s as simple as that,” Kate Allan, whose cat Oscar is recovering from an operation at the vet, said.
But Oscar is making headlines as it was no routine operation – he is the first bionic cat.
While snoozing in a maize field in Jersey, Oscar had his back paws sliced off by a combine harvester.
Oscar’s other owner, Mike Nolan, was at home when a passer-by knocked on his door to ask if he owned a black cat.
Mr Nolan said it was horrible: “Complete panic at that point, [Oscar was] covered in blood, bits of flesh, it was very gruesome.”
“It was very traumatic, I was convinced we were going to have to put him down at this point.”.
Peter Haworth was the vet Mr Nolan saw at New Era Veterinary Hospital in Jersey, he was able to clean and dress Oscar’s wounds.
Mr Nolan said: “Peter was able to stabilise him, got painkillers going and he was comfortable within minutes of getting into the vets, on a strong painkiller I imagine.”
The vet then suggested Oscar’s owners approach Noel Fitzpatrick, a veterinary surgeon from Surrey, who had been doing pioneering work on prosthetics.
The next stage in Oscar’s road to fame then involved a lot of communication between England and Jersey with x-rays and pictures being sent back and forth.
Mr Nolan said: “Peter e-mailed Noel, they had a lot of communication, Noel then contacted us to let us know what his processes would be.
“It was very much a three way communication time, a lot of e-mails, pictures and x-rays flying around and Noel pretty quickly decided Oscar was a good patient.”

Oscar the Bionic Cat

Two weeks later he was flown to the UK where he was measured for the implants and finally to have surgery.
The new feet are custom-made implants that “peg” the ankle to the foot. They are bioengineered to mimic the way deer antler bone grows through the skin.
Ms Allan said the chances of her cat surviving without this operation would have been nil.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/jersey/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_8762000/8762217.stm