Bionic Cat Bounces Back After Two Falls

LONDON. Nov. 27, 2007— -- Legend has it that cats always land safely on their legs -- well, not always.

Baby, a 6-year-old cat from South London, has become a celebrity pet in England after she fell twice off a three-story building.

Blue Cross Hospital has dubbed her the bionic cat, because her four legs are so full of pins.

"She is lucky to be alive," Caroline Powley, nurse manager at Blue Cross hospital, told ABC News.

"She was brought to us in September after multiple fractures in her back legs," said Powley. "We checked for other injuries. The X-ray showed that she had had previous metal implants in the front legs."

Baby fell first when she was about 2 months old, her owner Sue, who does not want her last name used, told ABC News.

"The first time, I thought it happened because she was a kitten," said Sue. "I never thought it would happen again."

Sue said Baby was never a nervous kitty.

"She's lovely, very friendly," said Sue. "She never goes out, except for when she fell off the window. She is always on the window."

Sue recalls vividly the moment when she found Baby on the concrete pavement in front of her house.

"She was really bad," said Sue. "Baby was lying on the floor, crying. one of her legs was bleeding. She was still breathing, but she was in shock."

Sue brought her Baby to the hospital. The broken-legged cat spent an entire week at the hospital. "I would visit her every day," said Sue.

The surgery Baby went through is very complex, said Powley, two hours for each leg. The vets had to fit the cat with metal plates and screws.

"Their bones are so small," said Powley. "We have to use small equipment."

The operation is also expensive. Sue was lucky that Blue Cross is a charity hospital and performs advanced surgery at a subsidized price, said Powley.

Sue paid about $1,000, according to Powley, but she would have paid five to ten times as much for a private vet.

Two months after the incident, the bionic cat has started to recover the use of her legs.

"She is walking well on both her back legs," said Powley.

"She is absolutely fine," said Sue. "I also have a big dog, and she walks on him."

To recover fully, Baby will have to undergo further surgery to take out the metal implants in her legs.

To prevent her cat from falling again, Sue intends to fix a net on her window.

There are only so many times a cat can fall off a three-story building and live, said Powley.

"She would probably not survive another fall. Her four legs are pinned. We might not be able to fix her legs if she breaks them again," Powley said.

In Britain, as in the U.S., some people believe cats have nine lives. In Italy and France, cats are thought to have seven, and in Japan, only one.

It looks like Baby still has seven to spare.