Birdwatching and staying warm

Yesterday Bella discovered looking out the window...the next best thing to being outside. She sat on the back of the couch for much of the day watching the birds fly by, but she was so cold sitting next to the glass. We live in an old house, and haven't been able to replace our ancient, inefficient windows yet. I tried to keep a blanket over her, but every time she saw something exciting she would jump out from under it to get a better look.



Today is day six of being back home, and she's doing pretty well so far about staying inside. She'll cry at the back door for a few minutes at a time, but she always abandons the effort pretty quickly. I'm afraid the lack of trying is only due to her not feeling 100% just yet.

Either because of muscle memory or because she keeps forgetting she's missing a leg, she has also started trying to use the nub where her leg used to be for more and more things. I don't think I can call it a stump - she's just too cute for such an ugly word! Yesterday was the first time she tried to use her imaginary back leg to scratch the right side of her head. After the giggles subsided, I helped her out and got the job done for her. I've also noticed her moving the nub as though her leg is still there when she is climbing on laps or furniture. I'm curious to see if she keeps that up for the rest of her life, or if it will eventually subside once she gets used to the leg being gone.

One last note: if you are taking care of a sick or injured cat, or just want to spoil your cats rotten, I highly recommend these faux fur throws from Target. They immediately put your cat into a chilled out, purring, paw-kneading trance. Here's Bella wrapped up in hers with a towel "blanket" on top to keep her extra warm. With half her fur shaved off, she's been doing a lot of shivering!