Would you like to sponsor Sebastian? Sebastian showed up one Thanksgiving, cold, hungry, wet from the rain, curled up against a window, begging to be let into the house. Of course, we’d never leave the poor fellow to his fate. It’s freezing and wet in late November, and he’s obviously a thoroughly domesticated, people-dependent kitty. We got him a good meal immediately and a vet appointment for an injured paw.
This cutie is an adult, neutered male with an ear-tip. He’s super friendly and loves to cuddle while he talks in little meows as he’s being petted and held. He started out really small and grew quickly after regular meals came his way. Yes, they can grow, or continue growing, until they are about three years old. We think he was about 3 years old when we rescued him. The ear-tip is from being neutered at a TNR clinic. Our best guess is that he was abandoned or lost originally. Very tame cats usually end up getting ear-tipped when they have been feeding with feral colony cats.
We eventually found out this poor fellow was the victim of an SCRP program. He’d been dumped out twice before we got custody. There are program guidelines intended to protect cats. One of the guidelines is the cats are supposed to be returned to exactly the same place they were trapped or picked up. That’s not good enough by my standards, but it gives a few a chance to get home. Clearly, Sebastian slipped through the cracks. He was released in two completely different zip codes. Zipcodes are very large areas. I’m absolutely not a fan of these programs for many reasons.
He is good with other cats. The dog received a few hisses at first, but that’s okay. Trusting dogs when a cat lives outside is dangerous. He was malnourished, full of fleas, and injured. Clearly, he’d been outside for some time. The resident dog and Sebastian get along fine now. Sebastian clearly likes to run the show, but he gets along with other cats and is smart enough to train. So why is he now a resident with seniors and special needs kitties?
First, he needed kitty physical therapy for the injured paw. Sebastian’s nails don’t retract fully, which contributes to injuring and re-injuring his paw and wrist. He needs regular nail trims to try to prevent more paw/arm injuries. Shorter nails also make him easier to cuddle and keep him from catching claws on things around the house. Without close monitoring, he continues to re-injure his wrist and leg over and over. Repetitive injuries eventually cause permanent damage. He’s also a huge escape risk!
This fellow is the ultimate in the world of curious cats. He’s been shut in closets and cupboards. He’s gotten stuck in the little vent cap above the microwave. He goes in or out any opening, quickly–including doors. Unfortunately, he likes to make a game of running out the door.
We have a scat mat at one door and a squirt bottle at the other. He learned to jump over a baby gate and land wherever the scat mat didn’t cover a spot on the floor. This fellow is only upset when he can’t find a way around them. Since we know he can’t get along out there, this is a dangerous habit that we are trying to break.
He is smart. Other cats chase the laser light. Sebastian reaches up and takes it out of a person’s hand to play with it himself by knocking it around the floor. If he learns to push the button for the light, we’ll retire and let him run the place. LOL
It seems his teenage behavior is going to continue throughout his adult life, and he’ll keep everyone very busy laughing and bailing him out of trouble. He’s also foody with no discretion. Weight is an issue for him. He LOVES food! Your food, his food, the dog’s food (the dog does not see the humor in this habit)!
Sebastian is a medium-to-large (11 pounds +/- a bit) black short-haired cat with gorgeous two-tone gold eyes. He’s extremely smart and has a great personality. The toy he’s playing with, in the video below, is one of the toys we use for paw therapy. He has to use his paw and wrist to try to catch the ball.