TAIWAN – This is very inspiring story about the impact additive manufacturing can really have on an animal’s life. An ill-fated cat who was found in Pingtung, Taiwan has been given a brand new lease on life thanks to the devotion of a team of veterinarians and new modern 3D printing technologies.
The cat, who is a stray, was noticed a few months ago by a passerby, in an extreme, near-death condition. The cat had been sleeping on a grinder machine to keep warm and unfortunately lost three of its legs when the machine was turned on. As can be clearly seen in the pictures, the machine severed one of its front legs and both the cat’s back legs. Luckily for the misfortune cat, the person who spotted her brought her immediately to the vets to see if she could be treated.
After an examination of the kitten, the doctors at the veterinary station decided that amputation was the only way of action for saving her life. The medical procedure was performed by veterinary surgeon Chen Yong, who is known as Hulk Black Jack and proved to be a success. Just 10 hours after the medical procedure, the cat began eating once again and was slowly recovering.
Little by little, the doctors realized that the cat was eating more and more every day and beginning to grow in size. Everyone was thinking about cat’s physical appearance. The doctors soon conducted an ultrasound test and discovered that the cat was actually pregnant! The cat’s strong will to live, regardless of pain from the injury and surgery, as well as being disabled from having lost of three limbs, was without doubt all for her unborn kitties.
The doctors healing the cat were so moved and touched by her incredible story and her mother’s devotion that they decided to create a set of 3D printed prosthetic legs for the cat to normalize her life as much as possible. Only a few months later, the cat gave birth to a total of four tiny kitties, but unluckily every kitten died to an inborn heart disease caused by poor nutrition. The loss was such a shock for the cat and for the doctors, who having tolerated so much pain and suffering for the kitties had lost them.
This cat’s story, luckily, will not end so horribly, but, as the animal hospital was also taking care of three little kitties who had lost their own mother. When the one-legged-cat saw the three small kitties, she immediately took to them and accepted every one of them as her own babies. With the kitties to care for, the cat’s morale seemed higher and now Chen Yong is fully dedicated to making a set of forever and custom fitted 3D printed prosthetics for her so that she can move easily again. The feline, which has since been named Yi Yi, now has a new permanent home and a second chance at life.
source: The Best Cat Page , 3ders.org
