It has been 3 months! Can you believe it!? I can’t. It’s crazy. Sebastian is…Sebastian!! Still the same ol kitty cat. Only, that’s not true. He’s BETTER!
When I wrote about his 1 and 2 month ampuversaries I talked about how well Sebastian was doing with getting around the house and playing. What I didn’t mention is how he is doing psychologically. I know what you’re thinking…seriously, Jenn? Cat psychology? Is this necessary? Yes, yes it is!
So here’s the breakdown of how he has changed. You’ll notice that Sebastian is a little all over the place when it comes to kitty cat psychology…this is why he’s so great. Sanity is boring, right?
He’s more sociable
Before: Sebastian always hung out with me while I worked, and he always joined us for dinner when we had people over. Most of the time he even got his own chair!
Now: I now have to meet a Sebastian-love-time quota daily. If I don’t, he will sit in front of my computer monitor until I do (and moving him just makes it worse). When we have people over for dinner, he actually STAYS in the room after the food is gone! Plus he expects guests to also meet the Sebastian-love-time quota. I think this is because we spoiled him rotten with attention while he was recovering.
He’s less terrified of the world
Before: Sebastian was pretty jumpy. Any loud noise and he was gone. He didn’t like the dog barking, didn’t like children running around, didn’t like it if you dropped something…you get the point. He usually cried in fear/anger and then ran away.
Now: Sebastian has manned up! Now he just yells/growls and glares at the offending person/dog. I think once he realized he couldn’t run away as fast, he made a choice…and he made the RIGHT choice! Go Sebastian!
He’s still playful, but a little different
Before: Sebastian could entertain himself for hours on end. He spent most afternoons chasing a toy back and forth across the kitchen. He loves catnip and feather toys. And he spent a lot of time wrestling with his brothers, sometimes against his will.
Now: No more chasing toys back and forth across the kitchen. His (somewhat) new hobby is stealing things from me. He’s also still thrilled with catnip and feather toys, and still on the fence about wrestling. I think the change in his play habits is also why he is more sociable now (Hey you. You chopped off MY ARM to keep me here, and 3 legged cats aren’t as good at kitchen soccer, so you must entertain me. Now.).
He’s still super chatty
Isn’t there some thing about black cats being talkative? Well all of my cats are pretty talkative, but you can practically carry on a conversation with Sebastian (in that crazy cat lady kind of way). This is really about the same, but it’s one of my favorite things about him.
He’s less violent
Before: Sebastian has always been a little moody. I think it goes hand and hand with his anxiety. People (and dogs) can’t walk into his “personal space” without getting a dirty look and yelled at. You’re also not allowed to touch his back feet or tail unless you want to face some very sharp claws. And if you tell him to get down from somewhere, he will do it but make sure to complain the whole way down.
After: Personal space is still an issue. That’s fine. But he puts up with us touching him more now. I was really worried that after his amputation his entire left side would be “off limits” too…but nope. He does still grumble about being touched, but it’s less than before. Part of me wonders if he puts up with it because he can’t get away as easily now…maybe we’re cruel, cruel people? Whatever, it’s good for him to develop some tolerance!
He’s still awesome
Sebastian still gives me high fives. With one arm. Whenever asked. Yes, you read that right! I was really worried he wouldn’t be able to anymore…selfish, I know. He can also speak on command, probably because he likes talking so much.
He didn’t kill the vet
Before: Taking Sebastian to the vet required careful planning, lots of Feliway spray, super quick reflexes, warnings to the vet techs, and a very patient vet. At one point we were afraid we would have to have home visits, because he practically went feral cat on the doctor. Part of my emotion over this whole amputation was fear for him being in a vet’s office for multiple days.
Now: Well, we know the vet stay went as expected (horribly) because he got to come home really early! But here’s the thing…we had to take him in for a follow up 4 weeks later. The surgeon had put in dissolvable stitches because he’s a smart guy and doesn’t have a death wish. I honestly thought that the follow up would consist of forcing him out of the carrier, a 30 second once over by the doctor, and getting him back into the carrier before anyone got hurt. Instead…he did so incredibly well that the doctor was able to pull the remaining undissolved stitches out and clean up the scabby spots. Sebastian let us hold him down while it happened. All 3 of us (me, my fiance, and the doc) were in shock. Fluke? I hope not!!
Tripawds Rule!
So all in all there have been some significant improvements in Sebastian’s life. I’m not saying all cats should have 3 legs, but it worked out pretty well for this one!
