New feet for kitty!

[PepperElf]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010...eering-surgery

Oscar the cat lost his back paws (harvester accident).


but now kitty has new feet!


Custom-made implants that basically attach to his legs on the inside, specially made to let the bone fuse onto the metal.


The article also pointed out that this could have serious uses for humans


he was trying to walk within a day of the operation
tho it was a month before he could really use his new paws.

[Exaspera]

Awwww! That's very cool!

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Just saw that article in the local newspaper this morning.

Awesomesauce.

[AdminAssistant]

Just saw that article in the local newspaper this morning.

Awesomesauce.

Completely unrelated to the post - OMG you have The Man from UNCLE-era David McCallum as your avatar. THAT is awesomesauce.

ETA: Okay, I just read your other post.

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

That's amazing! And it's going to do wonders once they get to human leg bones.

The best kind of science imitates nature.

I so don't understand how bone can grow onto the implant, but that's why I'm not involved in this kinda stuff. Sounds sci-fish, and that makes it all the cooler.

[Solumina]

The Bionic Cat!

A friend showed this to me and I felt like it needed sharing.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_a...t/10404251.stm
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSMxWAdBtUE

There is not enough weird, cool, and heartwarming stuff in the world these days so it deserves all the attention it can get.

Also kudos to whoever brought Oscar to the vet for treatment in the first place, far too many people would have already given up and just had him put down.

[Fire_on_High]

I loved watching the video of him running around and getting into things as soon as he realized he could really walk again. Very cute, and the vet was obviously just delighted to see it.

[Cat]

Sorry to drag up this thread, but I finally saw the videos.

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW


There is one where Oscar is running about, looking annoyed he is being filmed

[lordlundar]

Been thinking about this and I'm a little mixed.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all happy the kitty got new legs and is happy and mobile again. It's just I think back to my cat, who would leap on me at the most inopportune times and those new legs look like they could hurt someone if if he tried it.

[Magpie]

I'm confused. I thought they normally used ceramics as matrices when they wanted bones to grow back?

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

I'm confused. I thought they normally used ceramics as matrices when they wanted bones to grow back?

I guess this stuff is supposed to work better.

[PepperElf]

Completely unrelated to the post - OMG you have The Man from UNCLE-era David McCallum as your avatar. THAT is awesomesauce.

i thought that name was familiar!
DUCKY! =)


as for the stuff in kitty's legs, they may have the ability to grow bones
but i don't think it's at the level of actually replacing missing limbs. and kitty is missing a LOT from his back paws - half of each leg

[Binky]

YAY kitty gets to live AND gets to walk again! YAY YAY! I love these stories

[fireheart]

I watched the video and it reminded me of a baby who's just discovered that he can crawl/walk. In the sense that he'll want to go EVERYWHERE.

[lordlundar]

I watched the video and it reminded me of a baby who's just discovered that he can crawl/walk. In the sense that he'll want to go EVERYWHERE.

Yeah, I just watched the video as well. So much for the barricades.