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This is Dymka, a four year old cat. She was found on the side of a road in Russia, with her four limbs, ears and tail frozen to the point of frostbite. When she was brought to the vet, there was nothing they could do except amputate her frostbitten extremities.
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The vets wanted to do everything they could for Dymka, so they teamed with researchers from Tomsk Polytechnic University to create prosthetic legs for Dymka. This isn't as easy as making prosthetic limbs for humans, because cats are likely to pull off anything that is attached to their body. But the experts had a plan.
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The scientists developed titanium implants coated with calcium phosphate to fuse the implants into Dymka's leg bones. This helps minimize the risk of infection and rejection from the body.
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To do this, the researchers used CT X-ray scans of Dymka's legs to model the titanium rods, which were then 3D printed. The rods were implanted into her legs, and after several months of healing, Dymka began to walk again.
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Seven months after the operation, Dymka can be seen walking around, stretching and playing - just like a normal cat. The sturdy rubber 'feet' on the end of the titanium rods provide an easy way for her to walk around and balance.
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Dymka is the second cat in the world to have received four metal prosthetic legs, and she looks pretty happy about it!
This Cat Lost Her Feet to Frostbite and Got Four Prosthetic Legs (GIFs)
Dymka is a Russian cat on the cutting edge of modern science. After losing all four feet to frostbite, scientists fitted her with four prosthetic limbs, and she couldn't be happier. Check out her progress in the GIFs below. Thanks to Live Science for the original story.
After more science articles? Check out these GIFs showing how plastic is made.
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