Abby's Kitten on the Deck
After a few visits, the little tan tabby started appearing without mom, sometimes with a sibling, and sometimes alone. Without too much encouragement, the kitten pranced into the cage one day, and was collected. This little guy (yes, he was a little boy) was so very sweet and easy to domesticate. We decided to name him Sunny, not only because of his light tan coloring, but because of his sunny disposition. Since Darwin had just recently been released into the “big house”, and was the only youngster, we hustled Sunny through the vet visits, to be sure he was healthy, then started letting him exercise in the stairwell, where he could climb and romp. Darwin was overjoyed to find his little friend (or cousin?) again. They became great playmates, chasing each other and tussling. Sometimes their play resulted in one of them yelping, but no serious injuries were sustained though their battles.
After about a week of freedom, I came home Friday evening to find Sunny favoring his left front paw. It was painful to watch the little boy hobble around, but it did not seem to slow him down much. I had been through a similar experience with Waldo and Pepper-Ann. The emergency vet had told me then that kittens often injure themselves by jumping down from heights. Typically it is an overextension, not a broken bone. We decided to just keep an eye on how he progressed for a bit, but by Saturday, Sunny was still limping badly. So we packed him off the Emergency Veterinary Clinic. There he was examined and x-rays confirmed that there were no broken bones. He had simply jumped down from some high surface and landed hard. The vet did put him in a splint to take the pressure off the leg until it could heal a little. We were to leave it on for 3 days. Poor Sunny had almost as much problem walking with the splint on as he did with the untreated injury. If it were not so sad, it would have been funny. To keep him quite during the nights, I took him into my room with me, shutting the others out. After just two days, I took pity on him and removed the splint. I think that was the moment that Sunny and I bonded. He was so grateful to have that cumbrance removed and regain his freedom.
Sunny and His Splint
Sunny loves to play rough and tumble. Even at a year old now, he still ambushes the other cats, and loves to play with little mice toys. One of his favorites, a dirty sisal wrapped mouse with a little bell at the end of its tail, can keep him occupied for hours. As he bats it around on the stairway landing, he talks to it, chirping and cooing little meows. Sunny trusts us completely, so when he sleeps he is out. No cat naps for Sunny. It’s light out! Several times during the evenings, Sunny comes to my chair and climbs up on my shoulder. He just stands there and lets me pet him for a little bit. Sometimes, he will sit in my arms, but usually will get down after a short time. But he comes back up several times before we turn in for the night. I usually call him my “Sunny Bunny” since he is so incredibly sweet tempered. See more pictures of our photogenic Sunny at Sunny’s Picture Gallery.