Smore the Trikitty

Today marks the three week point since Smore’s amputation. It seems hard to believe that it has been that long. She has progressed so much. When I walk in the room, she meows in greeting and keeps meowing until I sit down. Then, she crawls in my lap and purrs away as she rubs up against me.

Smore showing her superior hiding skills

She plays like any other kitten, or so I assume. I’ve never had a kitten before; I’m a dog person and have been my entire life. We’ve always had dogs, but I’ve only had one cat. He too was a stray that I found here when I was on vacation. He thought he was a dog though I think.

She stalks her toys, and you can really see her inner wildcat. Sometimes her face makes me think of a lynx because of the little tuffs at the top.

I haven’t discovered anything she can’t do. Sometimes she loses her balance while she plays, but even four legged critters do that.

As I think about that day 3 weeks ago, I remember how we were trying to come up with a name. She was almost named Lucky because she seemed to be such a lucky cat. When we took her to the teaching hospital for an orthopedic vet, they randomly decided to make her birthday St. Patrick’s Day. I took that and the fact that they thought she still had nerve function in her leg as a sign that it would get fixed.

When I found out that wasn’t true, I thought her luck had finally run out; however, I was wrong. Her quick recovery was no doubt due to her circumstances. The vets both agreed that the accident was at least a week old or more when I found her. The second vet I think believed it had been longer due to all the calcification inside the wound. It had started to heal itself.

Smore occassionally put her weight on the limb. She had discovered a way to cover her business in the litter box. She knew how to jump up and climb with only three working legs. She was a three legged cat before I took her in; she just had dead weight holding her back. Because of that, she was able to recover so much quicker I think. There wasn’t an adjustment phase. It was just another day when I brought her home, except with pink birds flying above her head due to her medicine.

I’ve noticed a definite increase in her playfullness since the surgery. I dont know if that’s because we now have several toys to choose from or if it’s because she feels better. It’s just really hard to believe that it’s 3 weeks already. She’s only been officially part of the family for 3 weeks too, but it feels like she’s been around forever. She makes me smile; she makes me feel loved, and she teaches me that despite terrible circumstances beyond our control, we can still strive to live a happy life. I’m grateful for that. I’m the lucky one because she chose our house. Despite a run in with my large husky, she decided to come back and lie on our welcome mat as if it was a message for her (even though it too had a dog on it).

For whatever reason, she showed up here, and I’d like to think she’s made my life better because of it.