New Breed: The 3-footed cat

Several weeks ago, The Phenom went outside to feed the freeloaders. The usual crew showed up, minus one who had been missing a couple of days. Then, The Phenom noticed the little kitten on the other side of our porch. But, the normally friendly cat wouldn't come towards the food. This is why:
This was attached to one of her back paws . . . and half her tail was missing. I managed to figure out the trick to releasing the trap and we took her to the vet.

At first, the infection and swelling was so bad, the vet couldn't even assess the damage. After a week or so, she was able to get x-rays and was happy to report that there were no broken bones. There was, however, dead soft tissue that would have to be removed. The tail was going to have to be cut down further as well.

Another week went by before the infection was cleared up enough that it was safe to perform surgery. Once the vet started the surgery, she was dismayed to see that the infection was deep in the foot, and that she was going to have to amputate the foot. She hoped that amputating the foot would allow her to save the leg, but she was worried. (We had her spayed at the same time.)

At first, the healing seemed to go well, but then another infection set in. The vet believes it was a reaction to stress.

Now, nearly a month (and nearly $1,000) later, we have brought her home. I'm not sure how she is going to avoid the name "Hop-along."