Catty is home! Well, actually you knew that already. But I guess this is the official "Catty Update" post :-)
We brought her home on Thursday. All they told us at the vet was that she'd taken a few slow steps, so when we toted her home we expected we'd have to help her out of her top-loading carrier, we'd have to watch to make sure she didn't hurt herself trying to get around, etc. Well, she was so cranked up from her hatred of the cat carrier that when we opened it up she leapt out the top, ran across the room, and tried to climb into her hiding place inside our box spring (yes, she hides in the box spring... totally low class, I know). The only reason she didn't make it in there is because I grabbed her butt and pulled her (gently) out just in time! This is all to say she's getting around great on three legs. The only thing that's going to take a little getting used to is turning corners. It's like, when you ride a bike and learn to put the pedal down on the side you're turning toward... she hasn't quite figured out how to do that with only one pedal, so to speak. Oh, and the scratching on furniture? She tried yesterday to scratch on our wicker trunk. She put her one paw up there and sort of hung there, looking at me, like, how do I scratch with this? Without the leverage provided by two paws, the scratching is not so effective. Oh well (she said, awfully disappointed).
So everything went swimmingly on Thursday. The thing is, Catty is obsessively clean, and given all the shaved fur, the odor of the vet, the remnants of some blue crap they must have used on her during the surgery, her first order of business, once she got settled, was a full-body cleaning. Problem is, she has this 6-inch incision where her leg used to be, and licking could cause an infection. For some reason the vet thought (I trust him completely, but has he ever met a cat before?) she would not be able to reach the incision, but, you know, without that leg she can now reach lots of different parts of her. So of all the indiginites, we had to get her an e-collar, otherwise known in our apartment as "The Cone" that automatically transforms its wearer, whatever her prior name, "Coney." (We call it like it is around here). The Cone has been a MUCH bigger problem than the missing leg. Catty / Coney is totally despondent when she's wearing it, Moses is 10x more afraid of The Cone than Catty herself, and lets face it, three legs is challenge enough for getting around - but three legs and The Cone? It's a little much for anybody, don't you think? So anyway, Catty is somewhat depressed avec Cone. (Moses was equally depressed when she had one after getting spayed). But she perks right up when we give her a little Cone-vacation at times when we can monitor closely to make sure she's not licking her incision. She even went after the leftovers of my Jaywalker yarn last night. Seeing her start to play did my heart a lot of good.
She honestly doesn't seem to care about the missing paw. She is much more frustrated by not being able to groom herself and by the dastardly Cone.
The bottom line is that she's home, she's eating and drinking and using the litter box, the incision looks good (to me, anyway), and when The Cone is off she seems perfectly content and capable of getting around. The stitches will come out in about a week. Chris and I have decided not to post photos of her until her fur grows back - because leg or no leg, furless is just strange in a cat! (Sorry furless cat owners!). It's funny - when you see photos of cats without a front paw, it looks like it's just vanished like a magician waved a wand. I think that's partly because the fur that grows back creates such a seamless surface. Anyway, Catty is naturally dignified, and especially since she seems to have at least one romantic admirer out there tracking her progress, we will wait for her to have more fur before she shows herself. But take my word for it - she is as beautiful as ever. She is home, and healthy, and that's all we really want.
ps - all of us Chez Fig and Plum owe a big thank you to Ms. Julia and her feline brood for the very thoughtful care package we received yesterday. She makes a mean catnip mouse, with some, might I say on behalf of Moses at least, medicinal-strength nip inside! And she also knows a lot about how to make Catty's human feel really special :-)
Here's Mo playing with a new mousey - she's a perpetual motion machine, so it was difficult to get a shot that was anything but a blur! But you get the idea:
We're all delighted over here at Casa de Inky to hear of Catty's good outcome. Boo Kitty has also been wearing his Cone of Doom for a week due to some hotspot licking on a patch of pulled out hair. Dare I say he's a bit, uh, neurotic. anyway, he too becomes a 20 lb slab of depressed white cat when wearing the (pink) Cone of Doom. But it came off last night and he's happy too.
Catty's a real trooper, and so are you!!
Posted by: Inky at April 22, 2006 12:11 PMShane and I (as well as the cats Philip and Gwyndylyn) are very happy to hear that Catty/Coney is doing well. Cats are surprisingly resilient.
Posted by: beth at April 22, 2006 12:14 PMSo glad to hear she's doing so well. Thanks for the update!
Posted by: Vicki in Michigan at April 22, 2006 12:24 PMwelcome back, Coney, er, Catty! YAY! :D
Posted by: Sandra at April 22, 2006 12:31 PMIt's good to hear that Catty/Coney is doing so well! Sjimmie also had to wear a cone, after he got surgery to remove a gross-looking pimple-thingie from the top of his head. Not only was he still dazed from the narcotics, he also found it very hard to take turns and crawl under things with the cone of doom.
Posted by: Judith at April 22, 2006 12:35 PMMy sister calls them "Party Hats" her pooch had one after getting neutered. It's gonna be a catnip mouse massacre over there! there'll be nothing left for Catty by the time Mo gets done! Too Funny!
Posted by: Julia at April 22, 2006 12:52 PMOh, good. I'm glad she seems okay.
Posted by: naomi at April 22, 2006 12:56 PMYay! Glad to hear that Catty's doing so well! Chaos sends his regards and some non-incision licks.
Posted by: Chris at April 22, 2006 1:03 PMYes! I grinned through this whole post - the boxspring, Coney - and I'm so glad that she's adjusting well. Everything will be back to normal soon, just minus one furry limb. Much love to all of you!
Posted by: Jenna at April 22, 2006 1:16 PMOne of the best news I've ever read on a Saturday morning! Yay!
Posted by: Agnes at April 22, 2006 2:34 PMGreat news that Catty's home! I've been following the saga, and glad to hear she's feeling ok. The cone is an unfortunate part of being a pet owner. I have some pics in my blog with my Niblet wearing a homemade cone...it's rather cute, actually if you care to take a gander...
Such cute cat toys, from Miss Vesper (are they made from her self-striping goodness??)
And, since I didn't get a chance earlier, your jaywalkers are FAB! Is that your hand dyed from Marie's or another time? Self striping...hmmm, she didn't teach us that!
**Sending happy kitty vibes Catty's way (and Moses too!)**
-julia
Posted by: Julsey at April 22, 2006 2:46 PMGlad to hear Catty is doing so well!
Posted by: Dorothy B at April 22, 2006 2:53 PMGood for Catty! In addition to being beautiful, she is resilient as well! Thanks for the update.
Posted by: Gina at April 22, 2006 3:09 PMYay Catty! I just caught up on your blog...my computer died a while ago so I can't visit as often as I'd like until I get a new one. What an adventure with Catty! She's a hero, I can't wait until she's permanently free from the cone.
Posted by: Julia at April 22, 2006 3:28 PMGlad to hear she's adjusting well! Ah, the boxspring hiding spot--we finally had to put a fitted sheet on the underside of the boxspring after it took a 1/2 an hour to shake out a cat who was rather reluctant to visit the vet.
Posted by: Meredith at April 22, 2006 3:32 PMThat's awesome news! I'm glad she's out and about!
Posted by: Angela at April 22, 2006 3:49 PMAm I a bad person for giggling just a little bit while envisioning Catty sans paw, plus Cone? I'm so happy to hear that she's doing well, and I know everything will be back to normal as soon as the incision heals.
Posted by: grumperina at April 22, 2006 4:07 PMI'm so happy that she's doing so well--I hate cones too (okay, I've never had to wear one, but they just knock the stuffing right out our dogs when they've had to wear one). You could try a little t-shirt--cats in clothes are also silly, but it doesn't demoralise them like a cone. It's what we did for a greyound that had a huge tear across her chest and wouldn't stop licking it. You can probably find one of the right size in the preemie/newborn section of baby wear for $6-12 or in a pet boutique for $40. ;)
We just lost our greyhound to osteosarcoma, so oddly enough, Catty doing well really makes me feel a bit better.
Posted by: spaazlicious at April 22, 2006 5:17 PMGlad to hear that Catty is adjusting well to her missing leg (sorry about that cone though!). She is a real trooper!
Posted by: Robin at April 22, 2006 6:06 PMSo glad Catty is home and doing so well. Bummer for the cone, beware too that cones have a magnetic attraction for furniture. If it's close by, the cone is sure to hit it. But she'll be ok, which is what matters. We'll wait to see her at her dignified best.
Posted by: Marsha at April 22, 2006 9:33 PMGlad to hear Catty's doing so well. I was amazed how quickly Simon bounced (literally) back from the same surgery. We tell him that he lost the leg in a poker game, but I don't think he believes us :)
Posted by: Marcie at April 22, 2006 10:43 PMOh I am so relieved to hear that everything is going well for Catty (Coney) and you. Pets hold such special places in our hearts and it is so sad when they are not well. I am glad to hear what a trooper she is!
I love that you are respecting her dignity and not posting til she is fully recovered. What a lovely person you are!
Take care.
Oh I am so relieved to hear that everything is going well for Catty (Coney) and you. Pets hold such special places in our hearts and it is so sad when they are not well. I am glad to hear what a trooper she is!
I love that you are respecting her dignity and not posting til she is fully recovered. What a lovely person you are!
Take care.
i'm so happy to see catty is okay:) i was thinking about her whole day yesterday, and i was hoping she will be able to get around normally soon, but she surprised me how soon she adjusted:) my kitty and i are sending hugs and kisses, get well soon, catty:) and Lina says: meaow meaow meaoooow, she says that catty knows what is that:)
Posted by: crna_ofca at April 23, 2006 6:48 AMBeautiful Catty! I am so glad to hear she is doing well. It sucks about the cone, I had having to do things that I know are good for the pets but there is no possible way they can understand.
I can't wait to see more pictures of her when's she's ready to receive her public.
When I was a young teen I read the book Uncle Whiskers about a cat who had both front legs amputated. I remember it being very sweet and inspiring. It's out of print now, but I bet it's something you could easily find at a library.
Yay! Welcome home, Catty!
Posted by: Fanny at April 23, 2006 12:22 PMI'm happy to hear that Catty is doing well. I'm sure she'll be back to herself soon.
Posted by: Suzanne at April 23, 2006 2:15 PMI'm glad to see that you cat is doing well. I don't know what I would do if something happened to my Dior.
Wishing the best.
BTW, I love you entrelac scarf. It came out great.
Posted by: Altaviese at April 23, 2006 3:22 PMYay! So glad to hear the good news! Go Catty, go!
Posted by: Margot at April 23, 2006 6:36 PMI am thrilled to hear Catty is doing well. And this hairless cat owner takes no offense. Hairless cats are a little hard to get used to.
Posted by: Skylar at April 23, 2006 11:04 PMOh, the dreaded cone! I'm sooo glad to hear Catty is doing good. What a relief.
Posted by: Stephanie at April 24, 2006 12:10 PMI'm so glad to read that things are going well, thus far. May she heal quickly and be rid of the cone asap.
Animal endurance amazes me.
Posted by: Heels at April 25, 2006 9:03 AMSo happy to hear that Catty is recovering well from her surgery and is back home. Here's to her continued speedy recovery!
Posted by: Prim at April 26, 2006 2:27 AMYay for Catty, and for you!
Posted by: Kat at April 26, 2006 1:31 PMI've been especially sympathetic to Catty as our fur child Eliot had his eye removed on the very same day that Catty lost her leg. Glad to hear she's doing well! Eliot is too - aren't they so strong our little felines?!
Posted by: Leigh Bailey at April 27, 2006 2:57 PMGreat to read of Catty's excellent progress. We had a bit of a scare here a few months ago when Pitch had to have a lump removed from his back. He had a large swath shaved down his back and some nasty looking stitches. I feel a little guilty for having called him Frankenkitty for a few weeks, but he has forgiven me.
Posted by: Angela at April 29, 2006 9:47 AMSome time ago, I did need to buy a car for my corporation but I didn't earn enough money and couldn't order something. Thank God my fellow proposed to take the lowest-rate-loans.com from reliable creditors. Therefore, I did so and was happy with my short term loan.
Posted by: DudleyBernadette at May 16, 2010 1:15 AM