tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32097649799349831242024-02-19T09:42:11.716-05:00Now I'm A Three-Legged CatOur cat Bella was attacked by a dog and had one of her legs amputated in November of 2009. Now we're learning how to live with and rehabilitate the world's cutest tripod.
If you have questions, or want to talk about your own tripod, feel free to e-mail Bella and me at tripodbella [at] gmail.com.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-29998853220460701382010-02-15T20:39:00.002-05:002010-02-15T20:57:24.268-05:00Catfight!I've been trying for a while to get a good video of Bella in action so that everyone can see how far she's come. Any time she sees a camera pointed at her, however, she stops what she's doing to check it out. I finally managed to get this clip of Bella and her sister Clementine play-fighting, although they do get a little distracted by the camera in the middle. Notice which cat is the aggressor and which one is running out of the room to escape! <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PLYAWAOLeGg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PLYAWAOLeGg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Apologies for the clumps of cat fur on the carpet...the daily vacuuming of the rug had not occurred yet at the time of the video!<br /><br />In other good news, our tax refund was just enough to finish paying off Bella's vet bill! I still can't believe that so many complete strangers helped Bella out with her surgery expenses. Their kindness and generosity has meant so much to us, and I thank everyone who helped from the bottom of my heart!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-82480944991274232652010-01-25T20:07:00.003-05:002010-01-25T20:31:19.518-05:00It's my cat in a box<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VkmrsVxgVMlgIaMAgVFFdrTdE8LZiU26_Juktol7dXUgs4ILNPtbvZGpSxLpcweEHUtoWpGH8efxGlBMCyyJtait3_lwguyyAmcjMaewNF_JgDalPSlffT36gN4VgVmKsRkjjEu3CYxA/s1600-h/bella_box.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VkmrsVxgVMlgIaMAgVFFdrTdE8LZiU26_Juktol7dXUgs4ILNPtbvZGpSxLpcweEHUtoWpGH8efxGlBMCyyJtait3_lwguyyAmcjMaewNF_JgDalPSlffT36gN4VgVmKsRkjjEu3CYxA/s400/bella_box.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430849763360041714" /></a><br />This box is Bella's new favorite hangout. Unfortunately, 4:00am seems to be her favorite time to play in it and she's been waking us up every night. I don't have the heart to take it away from her, though...I'm just so happy to see her able to jump in and out of it! <br /><br />You can tell her remaining back leg is getting a lot stronger now. A couple of weeks ago, you couldn't pet her while she was standing up without toppling her over. Now you can give her a good solid head-to-tail pet with no problems at all. It's so nice to see her making progress after she was having such a difficult time last month. <br /><br />It was almost 70 degrees here yesterday, so we opened up the windows and let the cats enjoy some fresh air. Bella loved it, and there was much neck stretching and sniffing going on. I'm thinking about getting her a <a href="http://www.kritterkommunity.com/">Kritter Kondo</a> when the weather gets warmer so that she can hang out in the yard with her brother and sister while I'm working in the garden. She isn't currently showing any interest in going back outside, though, and I'd like to keep it that way. I'm afraid if I give her a taste of the outdoors, she'll be constantly scratching on the door and begging to go out. Maybe I'll start her off slowly with a few trips to the screened-in porch and see how that goes first!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-91617616658961195472010-01-20T20:02:00.005-05:002010-01-20T21:04:43.223-05:00Stressing outI suppose it should be expected for a cat to experience some level of anxiety after a traumatic experience like having her leg snapped in two by a dog. Since her accident, Bella has been exhibiting a number of stress-related behaviors that weren't present pre-amputation.<br /><br />1. <strong>Constant licking</strong> Luckily Bella isn't licking herself all the time - she can't afford to lose any more fur than she already has. Instead, she licks Jason and me whenever we are within tongue's reach. If we're petting her, we're getting our hands licked. If we're lying on the bed with her, it's our faces. If we let her, she would probably lick us for hours. This new trait is highly adorable and relatively harmless, so we just let her lick away.<br /><br />2. <strong>Sudden fear/hatred of random objects</strong> Objects that Bella has never been afraid of before are suddenly her worst enemies. She went from playing happily with her toy mousies one day to hissing at them and running away from them the next. For a while, she was furious at her brother Neko for no reason. She hissed at a blanket he had been sleeping on long after he had left to go outside. This one is a little more troubling, but we just try to help her avoid the object that is distressing her until she gets over it. Luckily, she seems to like her brother again now. The jury is still out on the mousies.<br /><br />3. <strong>Shoe anxiety</strong> Bella pays special attention to our shoes now. If we're wearing shoes in the house, she won't take her eyes off them when we're walking. She really freaks out if one of us changes into a different pair of shoes during the course of the day. She'll keep looking back and forth between shoes and face until she's established that we're the same person who was wearing other shoes earlier. We've been trying to wear shoes as little as possible while we're inside.<br /><br />4. <strong>Loud noises</strong> Big trucks, noisy kids walking down the street, and of course dogs barking. Not only does she jump when she hears them, her pupils dilate to the size of saucers. We just give her lots of extra pets and tell her she's safe. <br /><br />We're getting off relatively easy - other symptoms of anxiety in cats include refusal to use the litter box, aggression and depression. As a former feral kitten, Bella has always been pretty wary of any people besides Jason and me. We haven't had any company over to the house since Bella's accident so that we could keep her stress to a minimum. We can't keep that up forever, though, so I think it's about time to start having some of our quieter friends over to hang out with us. I hope she can adapt to some other people so that we aren't the only ones who get to see what a sweet, loving cat she is!<br /><br />Bella during a stress-free moment...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOu2HrngQAF-zlT-u58LW7OA7S9tFtjfNfTh_6241efGYaeLh1CQ5BVaKPbill8iLW50MUoJ7liUFcDB6zhgc6MdIDymeHT7tfFrb0uAOvWduVvw6UiEd-tN378ejK1T2NKn66RyoHRRP/s1600-h/sleeping.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOu2HrngQAF-zlT-u58LW7OA7S9tFtjfNfTh_6241efGYaeLh1CQ5BVaKPbill8iLW50MUoJ7liUFcDB6zhgc6MdIDymeHT7tfFrb0uAOvWduVvw6UiEd-tN378ejK1T2NKn66RyoHRRP/s400/sleeping.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429004317725652674" /></a>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-10818138966053238082010-01-17T20:00:00.005-05:002010-01-17T20:46:28.443-05:00It's Oh So QuietThings have been blissfully quiet on the cat front lately. Everyone is getting along, and Bella has been doing much better with her walking. She still walks backwards sometimes and has to do the "stop, drop and roll" routine, but she doesn't get frustrated and upset about it. <br /><br />I was so excited this week when I saw Bella and her big brother Fluffy cuddling together on the back of the sofa. Then yesterday I was taking a nap and woke to find the two of them curled up together in a recliner.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Tl4eXPUej-dma5xpryNCGsTE6oJQivDEkw-bwh9-z7HlcB2YhdZK1oTrdiMClEOojtrHw1JME4144ABl18llK6ZjZHve5csAM27k95-yleI301a33lEfKxPDQJu1hNpIC88h2A815DBP/s1600-h/bella_fluffs.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Tl4eXPUej-dma5xpryNCGsTE6oJQivDEkw-bwh9-z7HlcB2YhdZK1oTrdiMClEOojtrHw1JME4144ABl18llK6ZjZHve5csAM27k95-yleI301a33lEfKxPDQJu1hNpIC88h2A815DBP/s400/bella_fluffs.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427885274216136306" /></a><br />It looks like Bella is being completely crushed here, but her back half is really a lot smaller with only one leg! She also looks incredibly tiny here, and she actually is a rather small cat. When they weighed her right before her surgery she was at nine pounds, but you would never know it from looking at her. I suppose that would make about 8 pounds post-amputation! Her brother, on the other hand, is a rather large cat. He was a shelter rescue so I don't know his history, but I think he is a least part Maine Coon.<br /><br />Here she is chilling with her (much) bigger sister Ivy. You get a good look at how well her scar has healed in this one. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3Ss-Mcj-IuV252-PtxoWWM_1cciPW6de8ufyZvPIPUUQdpO4Ktawns9hw0KrfHqdSTYVCaU2VJNRqnJEGcGFhE8Xtic2UF7Yk5HigWJcEa00P9Ezi84yYa6l6h3ICKXx2y-IZcgS561D/s1600-h/bella_ivy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3Ss-Mcj-IuV252-PtxoWWM_1cciPW6de8ufyZvPIPUUQdpO4Ktawns9hw0KrfHqdSTYVCaU2VJNRqnJEGcGFhE8Xtic2UF7Yk5HigWJcEa00P9Ezi84yYa6l6h3ICKXx2y-IZcgS561D/s400/bella_ivy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427887331141958162" /></a><br />Finally, Bella and I would like to welcome Diesel at <a href="http://lifeonthreelegs.wordpress.com">Life on Three Legs</a> to the league of three-legged cats. Hang in there Diesel - you're going to be just fine.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-24771282598631596892010-01-11T20:46:00.005-05:002010-01-11T21:04:56.150-05:00Shredding<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyareHwtpIBDe4yRbtf3WtZrL8gYbE5E0q38CbrJ71NmtjLq04II4UMQ4gQ7PuZO7HHSOJlqti3sEAtgsY8GH3VrIYG1KF-C48HSINdllgw3lA2OHYWp7fjD0SG2uTm1G19QipjKouzTi2/s1600-h/shredder.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyareHwtpIBDe4yRbtf3WtZrL8gYbE5E0q38CbrJ71NmtjLq04II4UMQ4gQ7PuZO7HHSOJlqti3sEAtgsY8GH3VrIYG1KF-C48HSINdllgw3lA2OHYWp7fjD0SG2uTm1G19QipjKouzTi2/s400/shredder.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425666065563911970" /></a><br />It is so nice to see Bella happy and playing again. Here, she is shredding her Dad's dentist bill and treatment plan all over the living room floor. He didn't want to get those cavities filled anyways! Her adopted brother Fluffy (who is 17, blind in one eye, and completely deaf) tried to get in on the fun, but he was given numerous paw thwacks to the head for his trouble.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkBvK6hkj_tw0_3nai-tdjvuO-vZmGGQMhZOxIcIBdaBI9VTQ68LuYetK3b1WSVVjLCHBurJtfKtkbYyYG5dvEQYKoAYYX4gNWx5jV9rEDAFL8nci-tvT5MSnTBDB7Cvj4n5FN_LXkLcW1/s1600-h/fluffs.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkBvK6hkj_tw0_3nai-tdjvuO-vZmGGQMhZOxIcIBdaBI9VTQ68LuYetK3b1WSVVjLCHBurJtfKtkbYyYG5dvEQYKoAYYX4gNWx5jV9rEDAFL8nci-tvT5MSnTBDB7Cvj4n5FN_LXkLcW1/s400/fluffs.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425666957178654610" /></a><br />He was <strong>not</strong> amused.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-26412495602073004422010-01-10T20:14:00.002-05:002010-01-10T20:25:00.040-05:00ImprovementBella is finally making some real progress with her mobility. She's back to her old self now - roaming the house, jumping in her Dad's lap, and playing with her toys. She still walks backwards some of the time, but it doesn't frustrate her like it used to. When she starts going in reverse she stops, drops to the floor, and rolls over. That seems to reboot her and send her off in the right direction.<br /><br />I can't pinpoint anything specific we did that helped her improve. Like other people online suggested, we just had to wait until she adjusted and figured things out. <br /><br />This picture was taken today after she jumped in Jason's lap while he was eating a reuben, bullied him into giving her a bite of pastrami, and curled up for a nap in a sunbeam.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47nmHQicoPU-ouvPITaLuHmDIMoqfXQjHK6NSj6pnYVkYBZCZKUZuyfXp4tl2Cw15PxpOCbzU5SwXcSSvsNZM-kJITbbfsu_5VF5Dn0ae54ZtqGnj0UGrsPuUkE2PhUd4g4Ly3py3qFjS/s1600-h/sunbeam.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47nmHQicoPU-ouvPITaLuHmDIMoqfXQjHK6NSj6pnYVkYBZCZKUZuyfXp4tl2Cw15PxpOCbzU5SwXcSSvsNZM-kJITbbfsu_5VF5Dn0ae54ZtqGnj0UGrsPuUkE2PhUd4g4Ly3py3qFjS/s400/sunbeam.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425284784247648882" /></a>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-42153082468889816572010-01-04T18:48:00.003-05:002010-01-04T20:12:18.135-05:00The very large vet bill<a title="View Bella's vet bill on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/24782857/Bella-s-vet-bill" style="margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block; text-decoration: underline;">Bella's vet bill</a> <object codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" id="doc_138876446227287" name="doc_138876446227287" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" align="middle" height="500" width="100%" > <param name="movie" value="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=24782857&access_key=key-hl9fvmlcrnbdjxc45d6&page=1&version=1&viewMode=list"> <param name="quality" value="high"> <param name="play" value="true"> <param name="loop" value="true"> <param name="scale" value="showall"> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"> <param name="devicefont" value="false"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"> <param name="menu" value="true"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="salign" value=""> <param name="mode" value="list"> <embed src="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=24782857&access_key=key-hl9fvmlcrnbdjxc45d6&page=1&version=1&viewMode=list" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" play="true" loop="true" scale="showall" wmode="opaque" devicefont="false" bgcolor="#ffffff" name="doc_138876446227287_object" menu="true" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" salign="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" mode="list" height="500" width="100%"></embed> </object> <br /><br />Ever wanted to know what a vet bill for $2200 looks like? This covered Bella's x-rays, amputation surgery, plus stitches and care for the bite wounds she received on her abdomen and back. She spent four days in the hospital after her surgery, and received IV fluids, antibiotics, and pain meds during that time. The bill also includes a second round of bloodwork when her fever wouldn't go down, and the meds she took after she came home. Amazing how quickly things can add up, isn't it? Granted, we did take her to the expensive (but very, very good) vet that we can't normally afford to go to. We knew when we found Bella that day that it was a life-or-death situation, so we didn't want to take her to the somewhat low-rent vet in our neighborhood that we use for vaccinations and less serious problems. <br /><br />I wanted to post Bella's bill online for two reasons. The first is to give other people an idea of what to expect when their pet is facing an amputation. The second is because some extremely generous people who I don't know in real life have donated to Bella's vet expenses through this blog. I want to make sure that people have proof that the amount I am collecting for Bella's bills is accurate, and that I'm not just a scam artist with a lot of photos of an adorable tripod in her possession! <br /><br />Bella has been doing a little bit better with her walking today. She still isn't too eager to get up and move around, but when she does she's going forward about half the time now. We're remaining cautiously optimistic that she'll be back to her old self soon.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-37408956574311875042010-01-03T20:40:00.002-05:002010-01-03T20:57:16.662-05:00Happy 2010!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1wN4Ho-Z76az2hz0c2aiedQWmARf-SfMvcK3eSw76AlsX31ICq6TmlsV13fTZQNe2V_ulierVPczwe3Uv6LNy6pTvmIg4fji3m7i8Zt2z1AJsAgmU9awE04SenlMGPxBB_SbK6UW3SHg/s1600-h/bella_door.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1wN4Ho-Z76az2hz0c2aiedQWmARf-SfMvcK3eSw76AlsX31ICq6TmlsV13fTZQNe2V_ulierVPczwe3Uv6LNy6pTvmIg4fji3m7i8Zt2z1AJsAgmU9awE04SenlMGPxBB_SbK6UW3SHg/s400/bella_door.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422693624825388562" /></a><br />Happy new year to all of Bella's online friends! All the encouraging comments and sweet thoughts continue to amaze me. There aren't a lot of resources out there for the owners of feline amputees, so the support of other pet lovers online has been a huge comfort to us.<br /><br />I don't have much news about Bella's mobility to post. She is still having a lot of difficulty walking, and now she's starting to get irked when we try to move her from one location to another for feeding time. I know she's always liked to be autonomous, but it makes things a lot easier if she eats when the other cats eat. Now she lets out an annoyed mew whenever we pick her up to move her. She's always plenty happy once she's placed in front of a plate of food, though!<br /><br />I posted on the forums at <a href="http://handicappedpets.com/www/index.php">HandicappedPets.com</a> to see if anyone had any advice for our situation, and several people suggested massaging her stump to help stimulate the nerve endings there. She doesn't seem to mind it, so I figure it can't hurt anything. Here's hoping that 2010 improves rapidly for our girl and she starts walking and running again soon!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-62682759689385527192009-12-29T20:15:00.003-05:002009-12-29T20:19:37.798-05:00Backwards walk caught on videoHere's a video to illustrate Bella's new backwards walk. This was actually a pretty tame incident...usually the back leg drags her around the room like it's possessed.<br /><br /><center><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IGHFCm6rMTU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IGHFCm6rMTU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-57952852002162857772009-12-28T12:37:00.002-05:002009-12-28T12:49:50.912-05:00SetbackThings sure have changed since my last blog post about Bella's attempts at walking backwards. I'm not sure what happened, but that incident seemed to cross some wires so that now she has a difficult time walking forwards. Every time she tries to walk now, her remaining back leg starts dragging her backwards and she has no control over it. If she hits a wall or a piece of furniture, the back leg will even climb up the vertical surface. Sometimes the whole process scares her so much that she panics and starts violently rolling and somersaulting about. At this point, I would say she is only able to walk forwards normally about 15-20% of the time!<br /><br />Bella adjusted so well after her surgery that we were completely unprepared for this kind of setback. My best guess is that her amputation has healed enough now that she is experiencing some kind of phantom limb sensation as the nerves are growing back. She doesn't seem to be in any pain, but from the way her stump moves during these incidents it looks like she expects the missing leg to still be there. <br /><br />We're trying not to baby her too much during this difficult time, but we do carry her to her food bowl when it's time to eat. I've found a few accounts online from others who have experienced the same backwards walking problem with their recent amputee pets. The consensus seems to be that there isn't anything to do but wait for Bella to figure it out and start walking normally again. If there are any other three-legged cat owners out there, any advice would be greatly appreciated!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-78911406932345869032009-12-21T18:10:00.004-05:002009-12-28T12:51:34.510-05:00Back that thing upOh dear, I've finally discovered something Bella <strong>can't</strong> do with only three legs. After cooking dinner tonight, I left the oven open a crack to let the heat out into the house. Bella went up to the oven to investigate, and must have been surprised by the warm air rushing out. She tried to back up, but she doesn't know how to anymore. Her poor little stump was flailing like it does when she forgets that there's no leg there anymore, and she toppled over on her side.<br /><br />She's such a smart girl that she started practicing going backwards a little while later. It was still a little clumsy, but at least she didn't fall down. I'm sure she'll add going in reverse to her list of accomplishments soon!<br /><br />Here's another picture of four-legged Bella. This is how she likes to watch TV with her Dad.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGF-rVAgqU9oMTtU-604Q4xGzPCTt7R4tVJRTRha9WS7Yl5dnZggVsU77VOvH9iK609Bb0LKkei6svn6VUQL6qydGs8rvBulrCVLusU8oZHal3W0YIDg4FTIqH-KmhRZn62_h030UrnB3/s1600-h/bella_jase.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGF-rVAgqU9oMTtU-604Q4xGzPCTt7R4tVJRTRha9WS7Yl5dnZggVsU77VOvH9iK609Bb0LKkei6svn6VUQL6qydGs8rvBulrCVLusU8oZHal3W0YIDg4FTIqH-KmhRZn62_h030UrnB3/s400/bella_jase.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417832306728252802" /></a>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-45199507390907476792009-12-18T18:59:00.003-05:002009-12-18T19:04:11.124-05:00Fall<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiIfn8POQapXbnBKx7kO5hAfNih3TPXTB6yxjcXxszKgaqe1hlmeX6frmiFu99mfMn71mACfFETDKYI2CcD5e-LRLX1BLQmNugz47VMfMwsEgwfuIsFSQKbXPLU-fSSNs2tPEF4dlmEhZs/s1600-h/fall.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiIfn8POQapXbnBKx7kO5hAfNih3TPXTB6yxjcXxszKgaqe1hlmeX6frmiFu99mfMn71mACfFETDKYI2CcD5e-LRLX1BLQmNugz47VMfMwsEgwfuIsFSQKbXPLU-fSSNs2tPEF4dlmEhZs/s400/fall.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416730360166950674" /></a><br />I found another great picture of Bella back in her four-legged days. Here she is last fall enjoying some sunshine. It makes me sad to think that I won't get to photograph her outside anymore.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-79355553888003877702009-12-17T18:52:00.004-05:002009-12-17T19:01:51.718-05:00Don't sweat the techniqueI finally got a picture of Bella trying her best to figure out how to climb up to Chico's cage. She tries this from every side of the bookcase, and I can see her thinking about how she might incorporate objects like the candlestick into her strategy. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB50xuccqkVs_-uRayOe6ezofIE91XCiibJPz6gyWmlBvs4rbaCi4h9CPyT0iWCi6Xq_fUsyfb5NZh7QdrknT0s-vIRFgIsqLSr-w5urXNwL0KYNkEQnbj3vDRvW9q2oDIRyd4C6iwM5HU/s1600-h/hunting.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB50xuccqkVs_-uRayOe6ezofIE91XCiibJPz6gyWmlBvs4rbaCi4h9CPyT0iWCi6Xq_fUsyfb5NZh7QdrknT0s-vIRFgIsqLSr-w5urXNwL0KYNkEQnbj3vDRvW9q2oDIRyd4C6iwM5HU/s400/hunting.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416358317880711410" /></a><br />Don't ask me how she makes herself look six feet tall like that. She looks like a normal cat until she stretches herself out to her full length!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-9196430916304382582009-12-16T18:46:00.009-05:002009-12-16T19:01:53.181-05:00Chico and the cat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-HbLJPRrjvRQxNorBgGAMCvurtNGIp8BK_JpepcFd32rSLM3X7qm9nwD3dGDcCpaD-Ba_fzdNP2wyC5pyq8ZI4izL0rkGqDuJQNGw3MqSc-WJNU7uVbWflEEVEEKLIsTgKT3bpVgOuWg/s1600-h/chico.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 301px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-HbLJPRrjvRQxNorBgGAMCvurtNGIp8BK_JpepcFd32rSLM3X7qm9nwD3dGDcCpaD-Ba_fzdNP2wyC5pyq8ZI4izL0rkGqDuJQNGw3MqSc-WJNU7uVbWflEEVEEKLIsTgKT3bpVgOuWg/s320/chico.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415988198663281650" /></a><br />In addition to our six cats, we also have a parrotlet named Chico. When Bella was an inside/outside cat, she rather miraculously did not realize that Chico was an actual bird. I think she thought his cage was something akin to a television set - one that was tuned all day to a fairly boring program about a green bird. Now that she's had more time inside to process the situation, she has figured out that Chico is an actual bird, and a tasty-looking one at that. Luckily, she can't jump or climb high enough to get to him without that fourth leg. She spends a lot of time standing on one leg against the bookshelves he lives on, gazing longingly at him. Keep on dreaming, Bella!<br /><br />The highlights of Bella's week thus far:<br /><ol><br /><li>A cricket made its way into the house, and she got to hunt, maim, and kill it. Sorry, little cricket!</l1><li>Sleeping in a sunbeam all afternoon on a relatively warm day.</li><li>Learning how to properly play with her toy mousies again (see below).</li><br /></ol><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBaOBhhRy3dJU-fYTme6xlVp6ykIIDogxFg1ldfuVdHzcqn87vTAn00GpL6EH3uS_yJoiI7LB26YhaUhpUsb_eks4genwiqDFswUV3yaBbL4SKyJXCTsqjH1mgNVjE3Tu5ws1ePuvgc4g/s1600-h/bells.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBaOBhhRy3dJU-fYTme6xlVp6ykIIDogxFg1ldfuVdHzcqn87vTAn00GpL6EH3uS_yJoiI7LB26YhaUhpUsb_eks4genwiqDFswUV3yaBbL4SKyJXCTsqjH1mgNVjE3Tu5ws1ePuvgc4g/s400/bells.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415986611356809282" /></a>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-67093838469135902952009-12-13T19:54:00.004-05:002009-12-13T20:07:04.638-05:00Cat scratch feverI thought Bella might need something to sharpen her claws on now that she's not climbing trees anymore. I picked up a <a href="http://www.worldwise.com/catscratcher.html">SmartyKat SuperScratcher</a> at Target, but she has no interest in it beyond huffing the catnip off of it. Her big brother and sister did their best to demonstrate how to use it, to no avail. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG9fJvZR7VPpnYu0Zk011niLxFZ9tGW33pXVPa9iUlwpY1rl7SY52Pq-yLjq52cE6P8er1E_ryoMxJkU4RBukX5LHbeTqR2zdulBAEmcLfN9ag1mbeJ5HqiwAw8-IFpK_t4fiAxAA4GXuS/s1600-h/bella.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG9fJvZR7VPpnYu0Zk011niLxFZ9tGW33pXVPa9iUlwpY1rl7SY52Pq-yLjq52cE6P8er1E_ryoMxJkU4RBukX5LHbeTqR2zdulBAEmcLfN9ag1mbeJ5HqiwAw8-IFpK_t4fiAxAA4GXuS/s400/bella.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414890464859084066" /></a><br />She did pose next to the scratcher for everyone, and this picture gives you a pretty good look at the extent of her amputation. She still has her right hip and tiny bit of her femur (I guess it's still called a femur in cats?). Today she mastered the art of the three-legged pounce, which is pretty much the most adorable thing ever. She's been busy trying to keep her hunting skills sharp by practicing it on her fur mousies. <br /><br />Thanks again to everyone who has made a donation towards Bella's vet bills! I have been so moved by people's generosity and concern towards a cat they've never even met before. The internet is a strange and wonderful place indeed.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-38228554640019961512009-12-10T19:46:00.006-05:002009-12-10T20:07:46.653-05:00LocomotionOne of the most surprising things since Bella's amputation is what a good runner she is with three legs. When you see her walk, it's obvious that she's missing a leg. She takes a step with each front paw, then does a big hop with her back leg. If you just saw her run, though, you would never notice her handicap. I swear she is every bit as fast as she was before, but I won't be letting her outside to test that theory! <br /><br />We finally seem to be settling into a good feeding routine now. Before we added Bella to the mix, our two inside-only cats were on an all canned food diet with strict feeding times to help keep their weight under control. I want to make sure Bella is getting enough to eat, especially while she's healing, so that diet isn't going to work anymore. Right now we're keeping <a href="http://www.iams.com/iams/premium-pet-food/diet-cat-food.jsp">Iams Indoor Weight & Hairball Care</a> available to everyone all the time, supplemented with canned food a couple of times a day. So far, so good, although we'll be keeping an eye on everyones' weight. You have to watch out for weight gain in tripods since they only have three legs to support themselves! <br /><br />I've been trying to get a good picture of Bella standing up so that I'll have a shot of the tiny bit that is left of her leg from that angle. I haven't been able to accomplish it yet because as soon as she sees the camera, she starts posing. Instead, here's another picture of her back when she had four legs. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWVABKWVx9Z2PkwdbgTKKJGTacAO5gsjrPCMOVdccZo9yaSpA-SoCNyDoREkrKqnkfF9crZw90jHPfrUVMv8Q1Imx-HQY1K5bFyQ5-I6W6ZsAGDZ0odmKFnewFiOrxc_yrqepqOTGqKF6/s1600-h/3518047521_3412a4b0d8_b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWVABKWVx9Z2PkwdbgTKKJGTacAO5gsjrPCMOVdccZo9yaSpA-SoCNyDoREkrKqnkfF9crZw90jHPfrUVMv8Q1Imx-HQY1K5bFyQ5-I6W6ZsAGDZ0odmKFnewFiOrxc_yrqepqOTGqKF6/s400/3518047521_3412a4b0d8_b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413777526951771634" /></a>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-57720391009068239792009-12-08T19:49:00.005-05:002009-12-09T19:47:54.426-05:00Baby steps<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6jiHsY5WSbzFdnKipZKwo6IgLgkwkUhh9J4twiB6wguzHN-W4dpiFihw1In6NbOJfoP0B9knmAaeyItcKVmxFgMUM2VgDP1dG_SifgM4a6gtn0K2-cL0unXgOmptyiebC1d2iwcWritC/s1600-h/bella_clem.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6jiHsY5WSbzFdnKipZKwo6IgLgkwkUhh9J4twiB6wguzHN-W4dpiFihw1In6NbOJfoP0B9knmAaeyItcKVmxFgMUM2VgDP1dG_SifgM4a6gtn0K2-cL0unXgOmptyiebC1d2iwcWritC/s400/bella_clem.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413033509443530898" /></a><br />Last night Bella and Clementine slept almost-but-not-quite touching each other on the couch. More progress! Clementine got a little hissy a couple of times yesterday, but their relationship is slowly improving. I love the kitty ears in this shot.<br /><br />I know most of my recent cat pics have been taken with that fake fur blanket in the background, but it is nearly impossible to keep the cats off of it. <br /><br />In other tripod news, Bella chewed off one of the scabs where her incision had been last night. Now it's looking a little raw and icky, for lack of a better descriptor. I'm not sure if I should put some peroxide or antibiotic ointment on it, or just leave it alone. I really, REALLY want to avoid any further vet bills, so I want to make sure it doesn't get infected. <br /><br />I was excited to learn that Google Chrome Beta was finally released for the Mac today. I've only been using it for a few hours, but so far it seems to be lightning fast. Once they start releasing some Mac extensions for it, it might even be a Firefox contender for me.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-85820936293867616582009-12-06T19:47:00.002-05:002009-12-06T20:00:33.878-05:00Troll catWhile she still had her stitches in, we were keeping Bella isolated from the other cats when we were away or asleep. Ivy, our 20-pound calico bully, has been a bit aggressive with her and we didn't want anything to happen that would cause Bella's stitches to come out. Last night was Bella's first night having complete freedom, and Ivy sat by the bedroom door like a troll all night to keep her from sleeping with us. I beg to differ with anyone who says cats don't have emotions - that's jealousy if I've ever seen it!<br /><br />Here's a nice article about pets with disabilities: <a href="http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/24258707/?GT1=43001">Dealing with devastating pet injuries: Spared euthanasia, animals can overcome adversity surprisingly well</a>. I'm so glad every day that the doctors were able to save Bella. Her leg was already so infected when we found her that I was afraid she wouldn't make it. Even after the amputation, she was in the hospital for four days because her fever kept coming and going. She is one lucky cat, and quite a fighter too. Jason and I are so lucky to have her in our lives. <br /><br />I don't have any new pictures of Bella today, but here's one of my all-time favorite shots of her.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpVNZ0-wcTidXJ1NZB22nw9jW8Anas3dNBb0TGqELA2TFIrPPJi-RDrpO8Z1IBmSWWSrGaa_JS61UZyXOTWbHLpN9MNJOCofkoRCiQX-O1wkCUq-Jmm9XiKOlamNSGdPpr1DfW09Z8Ihg/s1600-h/bella_closeup.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpVNZ0-wcTidXJ1NZB22nw9jW8Anas3dNBb0TGqELA2TFIrPPJi-RDrpO8Z1IBmSWWSrGaa_JS61UZyXOTWbHLpN9MNJOCofkoRCiQX-O1wkCUq-Jmm9XiKOlamNSGdPpr1DfW09Z8Ihg/s400/bella_closeup.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412292672552799650" /></a>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-54431222251668821282009-12-05T17:18:00.005-05:002009-12-05T18:09:31.048-05:00No more stitches!Bella finally got her stitches out yesterday. She was so scared when she realized we were back at the vet's office. There was much clawing at the front of her cat carrier when we got out of the car. She was very brave during the actual removal, though, and the vet said her incision and her bite wounds looked great. Hopefully it will be a while before she has to go back to the doctor now. <br /><br />To celebrate, I threw a catnip party for all the kitties. Here is Bella high on catnip and playing with her mousies. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKZA8tMcOpT14R04MaABbroXRSdVQPgIaNyb1Bd0oJXMPYAdGjLsh5aDVz4C4wWGIfup9_yMCbYx2mBHtJyA0jCoqz0nAC_IryoXPfXrEVzXKVY711bRhoIUGGrwZT_mvaH6oGHZQWnuJ/s1600-h/bella_catnip.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKZA8tMcOpT14R04MaABbroXRSdVQPgIaNyb1Bd0oJXMPYAdGjLsh5aDVz4C4wWGIfup9_yMCbYx2mBHtJyA0jCoqz0nAC_IryoXPfXrEVzXKVY711bRhoIUGGrwZT_mvaH6oGHZQWnuJ/s400/bella_catnip.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411880239016408578" /></a><br />And here she is doing some post-catnip chilling with her adopted big brother.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhYyGkaY4PDQ8ex2m2e5CNTM9usl6T2f2xNJLNyMD6FXBTxN6Xn0hKrcfYtJZZGNj0PQUjK8KPCJLX7KoAcx9DfX5ZXfqrpm2nojiv2hHM8KmITps8ZPOqS0Ohvt3j5YY6oJUCfRzZqa-/s1600-h/bella_fluffy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhYyGkaY4PDQ8ex2m2e5CNTM9usl6T2f2xNJLNyMD6FXBTxN6Xn0hKrcfYtJZZGNj0PQUjK8KPCJLX7KoAcx9DfX5ZXfqrpm2nojiv2hHM8KmITps8ZPOqS0Ohvt3j5YY6oJUCfRzZqa-/s400/bella_fluffy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411881641856079378" /></a><br /><br />Bella and her sister Clementine slept on the same bed together last night for a few hours, and there was no drama at all. They were on opposite sides of the bed from each other, but I'm glad they're making some progress. I think we'll be one big happy family again before too long.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-77306851365640708232009-12-02T20:12:00.004-05:002009-12-02T20:20:44.454-05:00Sisters<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrdFTAkewYqY8SQ0xQ0beGm5YiSyqU-_fg_KgxDw6WAt6g5bmdd9l3UzPVRjF0imGEc4ru0bkPANo5uIu0TN6d_Bi0fx_ptFMvPp61hll5brYznZNVFVIApCeSg-i7WLRMTmRh0dHXvow/s1600-h/bella_clems.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrdFTAkewYqY8SQ0xQ0beGm5YiSyqU-_fg_KgxDw6WAt6g5bmdd9l3UzPVRjF0imGEc4ru0bkPANo5uIu0TN6d_Bi0fx_ptFMvPp61hll5brYznZNVFVIApCeSg-i7WLRMTmRh0dHXvow/s400/bella_clems.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410813695116057682" /></a><br />I realized that I've neglected to post a picture of Bella with her sister Clementine. Here they are hanging out together on top of a mountain of laundry (pre-amputation for Bella). Clementine still hasn't accepted her sister after her surgery. Every time we get them together, there is much hissing and growling on Clem's part. I hope she gets over it soon because they've always been such good friends. I think Clementine might be mad because Bella can't go outside to play and hunt with her anymore. I wish you could explain to a cat that their anger is misplaced. <br /><br />Bella is continuing to do well. Only two more days until her stitches come out!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-90709571241405159152009-12-01T19:40:00.006-05:002009-12-01T20:51:41.752-05:00Inside Cat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0ONszaTcDol8Y73iJgGAV0ZXWUTUvtyJQ_AYklG790J3FgV7lX2ZG2hZX5MAsH4gqusN_KK8ec8SS73vNss1-vD1Tr3aIP_CnmFbmZbgSNbAn3o0toh8sstqn4auPJPyouAbObVW9FGM/s1600/tinybella.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0ONszaTcDol8Y73iJgGAV0ZXWUTUvtyJQ_AYklG790J3FgV7lX2ZG2hZX5MAsH4gqusN_KK8ec8SS73vNss1-vD1Tr3aIP_CnmFbmZbgSNbAn3o0toh8sstqn4auPJPyouAbObVW9FGM/s320/tinybella.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410433207617895554" border="0" /></a><br />Bella was one of three feral kittens that were living under our house when we bought it. At first both their parents lived with them and kept us away from the babies, but once the kittens were old enough to be weaned mom and dad abandoned them to us. They were completely wild, but with a lot of patience and a lot of tuna we managed to tame and adopt all three. Note the insanely cute picture of baby Bella at right - can you blame us for keeping her? Bella never wanted to give up <em>too</em> much of her independence, and was never comfortable spending more than 4 or 5 hours at a time inside the house with us before her accident. Now that she's an inside cat for the rest of her life, Bella wanted to reflect on some of the things about the outside world that she will miss the most...<br /><br />1. Sleeping in my vegetable garden. Nothing keeps a cat cool on a hot South Carolina summer day like sleeping in the middle of a thick tomato patch! <br /><br />2. Chasing her sister Clementine around the yard, doing all manner of flips and crazy kung-fu cat fight moves.<br /><br />3. Hunting, maiming, and killing! Our husband and I are practically on a first name basis with the staff at our local wildlife rescue organization. They officially dubbed Bella and her siblings "a menace to wildlife" this summer after we brought in an adolescent dove we rescued from them. <br /><br />4. Taking dirt baths in the driveway.<br /><br />5. Sitting on the roof of our gardening shed, and also the roof of the house next door.<br /><br />6. Drinking out of mud puddles.<br /><br />7. Taunting Coney, the dachshund who lives next door to us. Wait a minute...a dachshund couldn't snap a cat's leg in two, could it???<br /><br />8. Lying under a tree, hoping a squirrel might fall out of it and into her clutches.<br /><br /><center><strong>Bella and her brother Neko, doing some late summer gardening</strong></center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5INeh392QgpofOkyNqQX7IGzE0Mn-rLq9CfNgmvjP9eINra2awEjsEYPu_yoG72cSpyOoY5Vd0xAkH3bAefcbQYjyTfeavH093zf0M-C0kgdDnkgBCJaiiJcPJ3N0k_AY-h9Gy03OGZv/s1600/garden.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5INeh392QgpofOkyNqQX7IGzE0Mn-rLq9CfNgmvjP9eINra2awEjsEYPu_yoG72cSpyOoY5Vd0xAkH3bAefcbQYjyTfeavH093zf0M-C0kgdDnkgBCJaiiJcPJ3N0k_AY-h9Gy03OGZv/s400/garden.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410436464188717554" /></a>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-61411432577748115452009-11-30T20:07:00.004-05:002009-11-30T20:15:18.655-05:00Tweets<center><strong>Enjoying a sunbeam. Her fur is (slowly) starting to grow back.</strong></center><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDBwfiM7HRfxeAb8zfbz8xP1XEeQBoUsQeg65y3zczr3GKVZWdEnbg5b62pI16ZvdspLjwYGh71exdqPvjJxBjk3-VBOwP26Pl4fjXqGLbqEwzwzWp7uEdpE9ovKo9mpf1q0a-wfzmJqU/s1600/sunbeam.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDBwfiM7HRfxeAb8zfbz8xP1XEeQBoUsQeg65y3zczr3GKVZWdEnbg5b62pI16ZvdspLjwYGh71exdqPvjJxBjk3-VBOwP26Pl4fjXqGLbqEwzwzWp7uEdpE9ovKo9mpf1q0a-wfzmJqU/s320/sunbeam.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410068574183908002" /></a><br /><br /><br />The vet who did Bella's surgery called to check in on her today, and she was very happy to hear how well she was doing. She said Bella can go in on Friday to get her stitches out! I'm glad she doesn't have to wait until next week; I think they're getting pretty itchy because she keeps plucking at them with her teeth. Now we just have to wait for her fur to grow back in so that she can stay warm.<br /><br />Bella's been making a lot of new animal (and human) friends on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/tripodbella">Twitter</a>. We've been so touched by all the sympathy and concern expressed by complete strangers. I've never been able to figure out the appeal of tweeting myself, but it seems to be working out really well for Bella! She has already attracted twice as many followers in a few days as I have managed to accumulate in over a year.<br /><br />We're going to try to have friends come over and visit periodically for the next few weeks so that she can start getting used to people other than me and Jason. As a former feral kitten, she has always been scared of everyone except us. My seven-year-old nephew was our first guest after her injury, and she was absolutely terrified even though she was hiding in the bedroom with the door closed while he was here. We need to warm her up with some visitors who are quieter and calmer than a Wii-playing second grader!<br /><br /><center><strong>Even when she was in the hospital, she always managed to roll over for tummy rubs!</strong></center><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfnPf4IPqsTf9BEQZd5rcY2u2sLMHgH7U2mc8EbEbsvnMMRPQ5rFu9rsFn9fF3vXiCHilQeNRVi-CXQvTPWoXZ4oPopp-QHBiCncYMsJ-88fwLnrNwIKXFdM9QBci6oQjCSDmUuBjJw0P/s1600/bella_pets.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfnPf4IPqsTf9BEQZd5rcY2u2sLMHgH7U2mc8EbEbsvnMMRPQ5rFu9rsFn9fF3vXiCHilQeNRVi-CXQvTPWoXZ4oPopp-QHBiCncYMsJ-88fwLnrNwIKXFdM9QBci6oQjCSDmUuBjJw0P/s320/bella_pets.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410069029486814834" /></a>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-69851756375081545062009-11-29T10:02:00.004-05:002009-11-29T10:10:34.645-05:00Birdwatching and staying warmYesterday 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.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ucYN2DI5oIHOBmc43CXZ8YGbyyTn3J9yzhxw6DZKmqGchMpbaYevdpkOtyzJ0jjtXybPwl0-5f37g1C-Fip2lvkrfvMkc1AKf_jkhujtyrbIoru5_pvcdzA5FuSeETMu8HWccjlfHnKM/s1600/birdwarching.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ucYN2DI5oIHOBmc43CXZ8YGbyyTn3J9yzhxw6DZKmqGchMpbaYevdpkOtyzJ0jjtXybPwl0-5f37g1C-Fip2lvkrfvMkc1AKf_jkhujtyrbIoru5_pvcdzA5FuSeETMu8HWccjlfHnKM/s320/birdwarching.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409542599552350690" /></a><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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 <a href="http://www.target.com/Faux-Fur-Throws-Pillows-Home/b/ref=sc_fe_l_2/187-3796143-1464213?ie=UTF8&node=13359241"> faux fur throws</a> 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!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDM1oH_CL1AfZVJMcnzIoT_yJvQNwAYp0wez2wGGqy1VEWWKzup2qJRGXbMCzUhR4-AD4n5kTYmESG4-4jRA_DMMzn8ZGaUqzzqP7A593-iQomhex5-xtX6eBCb5So3dxx1NUfeEzktSgZ/s1600/blanket.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDM1oH_CL1AfZVJMcnzIoT_yJvQNwAYp0wez2wGGqy1VEWWKzup2qJRGXbMCzUhR4-AD4n5kTYmESG4-4jRA_DMMzn8ZGaUqzzqP7A593-iQomhex5-xtX6eBCb5So3dxx1NUfeEzktSgZ/s320/blanket.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409542761318557346" /></a>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-67657800940773513262009-11-28T09:05:00.003-05:002009-11-28T09:10:06.744-05:00HomecomingWhen Bella came home from the hospital, I was expecting that we might have to teach her to walk all over again. Apparently I was underestimating her - she came out of her cat carrier walking (hopping might be more accurate), and within five minutes she had jumped on and off of a chair and the bed. She had many more emotional problems than physical ones. First was the separation anxiety. For the first couple of days, she needed constant attention. There was lots of crying if she wasn't on a lap or at least being petted constantly. Completely understandable for a little girl who had suffered such a major trauma. She's a little more independent now after five days home, but she still likes to have a lot of lap time with us. We're lucky that she came home during a holiday week so that we have plenty of time to baby her!<br /><br />Then there was the problem of the other cats. We have six cats altogether, including Bella's brother and sister. The only one who didn't completely freak out at the sight of her was my seventeen-year-old male cat. Perhaps it's all those years of experience, but he seemed to be the only one who recognized her. It was especially painful to watch Bella's sister Clementine hissing and spitting at her. That situation hasn't improved too much, but I'm hoping it will get better with time.<br /><br />Bella's main complaint right now is that she is missing half the fur on her body, and winter has finally decided to come to South Carolina. She shivers a lot of the time, so I bought some soft hand towels that we can put over her as blankets. She loves it, and it's highly adorable to see her all bundled up like that.<br /><br />Overall, our girl is doing great. I can't wait to take her back to Shandon-Wood to get her stitches out so they can see how well she has recovered!<br /><br /><center><strong>Bad haircut! You can see how much fur she is missing, and also one of the bite wounds on her back.</strong></center><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkFCHad9TQOrUTWAw-KEatuzPEh3K0pzy5QZM7iwlZbUhit8YlfFLuDww60dK6w7fCTGsAE_XmMFzohZTNRfiM6xyaWSphJl_7F8XCwULfTjdJAoqR_6Z9S3T9vsNYCEPW48LQMbnc_1c/s1600/4131958133_84c2cb4008_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkFCHad9TQOrUTWAw-KEatuzPEh3K0pzy5QZM7iwlZbUhit8YlfFLuDww60dK6w7fCTGsAE_XmMFzohZTNRfiM6xyaWSphJl_7F8XCwULfTjdJAoqR_6Z9S3T9vsNYCEPW48LQMbnc_1c/s320/4131958133_84c2cb4008_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409155794187719170" border="0" /></a>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-28067236950285962722009-11-27T08:51:00.007-05:002009-12-02T20:08:46.670-05:00What happened to Bella?<p align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ToK0OZHn__0Ekul-6CTXEGxKwGuntKiTboApdnPjcBeqGaB7nQbcDTCw9rofu-eMLIjjvMGapa-Pc_m2WvyOlArvVaKjtybAG8KskTNy69Z8m61W1UvCo08tRBirXN8Lx-Zx1ieOuSU0/s1600/bella3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ToK0OZHn__0Ekul-6CTXEGxKwGuntKiTboApdnPjcBeqGaB7nQbcDTCw9rofu-eMLIjjvMGapa-Pc_m2WvyOlArvVaKjtybAG8KskTNy69Z8m61W1UvCo08tRBirXN8Lx-Zx1ieOuSU0/s320/bella3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408780787065855666" border="0" /></a><br /><strong>Bella, pre-amputation</strong></p><p>After a 36-hour absence, our cat Bella showed back up in our yard last week with a severely broken leg and several bite wounds. Luckily, my husband works from home and found her right away. After an emergency amputation and four touch-and-go days in the hospital, our sweet girl got to come back home with us.</p><p>The title of this blog is inspired by the Red House Painters song "Three-Legged Cat."</p><p><em>she was asleep when i hobbled to the bed<br />with a broken foot bleeding<br />i clawed at her head<br />"the mirror tumbled on me," i cried<br />"but it wasn't my fault," i lied<br />spend my whole life neurotic and fat<br />now i'm just a three-legged cat<br />doctor said, "we'll have to amputate that"<br />so now i'm just a three-legged cat<br />a three-legged cat<br /></em></p><p align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmZKqI6AxbHBVCncD0g2YDh1nurposJMboADdM3k342a3wMQD9phAvwaKfdfE50A-Dx9DynrEjtIGYnfOb92KM_XtcVXQ4xeueWxJbtkL_xagn71vY67a84hsN9Yil37PDd7jQ_wpgOIAz/s1600/4132719338_1c58c611c5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmZKqI6AxbHBVCncD0g2YDh1nurposJMboADdM3k342a3wMQD9phAvwaKfdfE50A-Dx9DynrEjtIGYnfOb92KM_XtcVXQ4xeueWxJbtkL_xagn71vY67a84hsN9Yil37PDd7jQ_wpgOIAz/s320/4132719338_1c58c611c5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408784670771844642" border="0" /></a><br /><strong>Bella's first day home post-amputation</strong></p>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.com3