Baby Angelin went off to have her lady operation just after we celebrated the New Year. Unlike me and Millie she didn’t have the operation before she left Cyprus as she was just a bit too young and not fully fit and healthy. Mummy and daddy decided that they would wait a bit after she arrived so she could settle in and get to know us first. She’s now 7 months old and fully fit so off she went for her operation, she went up with mummy in the morning and then mummy and daddy went to pick her up in the afternoon when she had woken up.
When she came home mummy opened the carrier in the living room as usual and we all gathered round. Cats are strange creatures in that even though we miss whoever has been away we don’t always give them a loving welcome home. I waited for mummy to open the carrier and out poddled Angelin but wait, there was something very strange about her…i took a deep breath and she didn’t really smell like Angelin but it wasn’t just the usual vet smell which Peppar smelt of when he had been in there before, it was something more than that. I put my paw out to give her a bit of a feel and she felt odd too, she didn’t feel of fur, I gave her another pat and she felt kind of fuzzy. It was strange and Millie and I didn’t liked it at all so we made sure that she knew she needed to stay away from us until she smelt and felt like she did before.
Mummy and daddy were not happy with us and told us off for being mean to Angelin. I felt a bit bad for her but she’s confused me as she just doesn’t smell as she should. I thought mummy and daddy might have tried to sneak another new cat in which I was not happy about. Mummy told me that it was Angelin but they had put her in some kind of clothing to stop her scratching or washing her operation scar whilst it healed.
Mummy reminded me that when I had to have my eye operation after I arrived I had a cone round my neck like Peppar had recently and I had completely freaked out about it. I remembered that as it was the only time I’ve been really scared after I arrived with them. The cone was awful, as a blind cat I rely on my other senses such as hearing, smell, touch and taste to get around and understand where I’m going. The cone meant that all of these senses were all muddled up as I couldn’t hear properly because the cone distorted the sound and the direction it came from. All I could smell was the plastic cone and rubber edging so I couldn’t smell my own scent to see where I’d been. I couldn’t feel with my whiskers so I didn’t know where anything was including the furniture and walls. I completely freaked out and they had to remove it before I hurt myself. Since then someone has developed cat clothing that stops cats from being able to get to a sound site but means they can still run around, hear, smell, feel and wash some bits such as legs which always makes us feel a bit better if we can wash some bit of ourselves!
Mummy described Angelin as a belated Christmas Elf, apparently she looks very cute in her ‘pyjamas’ but Peppar, Millie and I are just glad that it’s not us that have been put in a onesie. I know that a lot of people like to dress their cats and other pets in clothes as they think it’s cute but it’s really not. I’m so glad my mummy and daddy don’t dress me up as I’m not sure I could handle the shame and embarrassment of being made to wear human clothes. I’m a cat and I have a purrfect wardrobe for any occasion – my fur. It keeps me cool in the summer, warm in the winter, it is wind and waterproof and has stylish markings on it that distinguish me from anyone else. It is unique just like me.
I do let mummy do one thing which is I have a selection of bandanas that I wear on my harness. The first one I got was a pink one with little skull and crossbones on it, when I wear it I pretend I’m a fearsome, swashbuckling pirate cat out adventuring on the high seas somewhere. I got some Christmas ones as a present from Santa Paws and so when we go out for walkies I get to choose which one I wear. If I wear the robin one then maybe it will camouflage me when I’m climbing the trees and hunting the birdies.
Angelin has now been given the all clear to remove her onesie as her scar is healing nicely and so she’s well on the mend. The trouble is now is that I’m so confused what’s happening she keeps coming and going and smelling different each time. I had just got used to her being here and then everything changed. I just got used to her in her onesie and then it’s gone, I’m having to get used to her all over again and as you know I’m not very good with new introductions. Mummy says though that this is the last time she needs to go away and that I now need to get to know her again and carry on teaching her how to be a good blind kitty.
If mummy says that it is Angelin and that nothing else is going to change then I’ll try really hard to make friends with her again, I did enjoy playing with her before and I’m sure I will again soon once I’ve got used to her again. When her onesie came off Angelin played and played and played all day, she must have been happy to be free of her clothes but the noises of her running around playing with everything does keep me on edge as I’m still getting used to having the new youngsters around and all the noise can be unnerving and hard to ignore or relax.
My big top tip for this blog entry and anyone who has or is thinking of getting a blind cat is that if you can in any way use an alternative method of protecting wounds and scars scars than a cone of shame then please do and request this from your vet. Mummy says they have all kinds of things now, soft floppy collars and inflatable ones as well as the onesie that Angelin had. She was very lucky that mummy and daddy learned from what happened to me and found something different for her. Hopefully sharing this will mean that another kitty can benefit from my horrible experience and I can help another cat avoid being as scared as I was.
Jenny’s Story 