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Oscar the Cat Gets Bionic Paws, We Cower in Fear

by Matt Evans on June 27, 2010 at 11:00 AM

Oscar the Cat
Oscar the cat may have nine lives, but, until recently, he only had two feet. Earlier this year, during one of his ritualized field naps, Oscar had a run-in with a foot-swiping crop harvester, which left him bound to the litter box, unable to roll around with his favorite ball of yarn. After being taken to a local Jersey vet, Oscar was referred to Noel Fitzpatrick, a Surrey-based veterinary surgeon, who decided to outfit the crippled feline with a new set of bionic paws.

Converting Oscar into a bionic kitty was no simple task, and required the prototype of University College London's Professor Gordon Blunn (video after the break). Blunn's prosthetic pegs actually bond with surrounding skin and bone, once implanted, and effectively protrude outward from "stump sockets," making it easy to attach prosthetic limbs. Fitzpatrick told the BBC, "We have managed to get the bone and skin to grow into the implant and we have developed an 'exoprosthesis' that allows this implant to work as a see-saw on the bottom of an animal's limbs to give him effectively normal gait." This implant technology may soon find its way into humans. Thanks to the working prototype of a London scientist and surgeon, Oscar can now return home to continue napping and playing in fields. [From: BBC News, via: Engadget]

Tags: Amputee, Bionic, Bionic Feet, BionicFeet, Cat, Gordon Blunn, GordonBlunn, Itaps, noel fitzpatrick, NoelFitzpatrick, Oscar, prosthetics, top, university college london, UniversityCollegeLondon

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