PCAWL Rescue Stories: Sebastian
Sebastian was a sad looking little fellow the first time the PCAWL
volunteer saw him in the Shelter. His coat was matted, filthy and
flea-ridden. He just sat quietly in the cage, waiting patiently. The
volunteer tried to find a spot for him in a Purebreed 
rescue, but he was
adopted out before a spot could be found.
About a month later, the little cat was back in the Shelter, looking
worse than ever. Besides still being matted and filthy, he had been
injured severely, probably by being kicked in the head. His right eye
was horribly swollen and he was lethargic, perhaps concussed in the
injury. He had been returned for not using the litterbox.
Poor Sebastian had struck out twice and was within hours of being
euthanize
d.
For some reason the PCAWL volunteer couldn't let that happen. He was pulled from the Shelter and taken to the vet where he was shaved, defleaed, neutered and treated for his eye injury. Then he went to a PCAWL foster home to begin his long, slow recovery.
Sebastian's eye healed reasonably well and fairly quickly given the severity of the damage. His vision was damaged but he wasn't blind. His skin healed well and quickly too and his new coat came in thick, soft and gorgeous. The emotional wounds took more time. At first he wanted only to be left alone, then, gradually, he began to pay attention to his surroundings and then to play a bit. He started growing, apparently Sebastian was still a kitten when all this happened to him. Eventually Sebastian began to play with the other cats in the household and, occasionally, even the dogs. He still avoided human contact, and no wonder considering all that humans had done to him.
Then, after a
few months, he started teasing his foster mom one evening. He sneaked
up behind her and p
ulled her hair, then ran away like a naughty little
boy. This was a great game for awhile, then, one fine day, he came up
and sat on the newspaper, just like any ordinary cat. Foster mom
thought that petting him would soon send him on his way, but he sat and
enjoyed the interaction for several minutes. After this, he would rub
against ankles occasionally and allow a stroke or two down his silky
back.
When his advertisements showed up, many people called hoping to adopt
Sebastian, but his caring foster mom said he would only go to a home
with experience with Persian cats. Many people tried to argue her out
of this, but she stubbornly kept Sebastian's welfare then in mind, knowing that his unique needs had been horribly neglected in his first two homes. However, when Carolyn called ab
out
Sebastian, foster mom knew THIS was the home she wanted for him.
Carolyn had had a Persian cat who died at the advanced age of 18 years.
This was clearly a lady who knew what his needs were and did a good job
meeting those needs for another Persian. It took a little while before
Sebastian finally moved to Caroline's house, but once he visited he let
foster mom know he had no intention of leaving. For the first and only
time in their relationship he hissed at her when she picked him up to
hug him goodbye.
For the record, Sebastian's litterbox habits were above reproach the entire time he was in the foster home. Yes, Third time was the charm for Sebastian!
Submitted by Georgia