Teddy is Fully Recovered

Teddy, our poor tabby who had to have much of his tail removed after a rumble with an area coyote, is doing well. He was finally allowed to go back outside this past week after the doctor gave him a clean bill of health. The fur is growing back on what is left of his tail, and he seems to have adjusted fine to the balance changes that happen when a cat's tail is gone. He jumps up and down without overcompensating or undercompensating. So his favorite perch, on top of the bedroom dresser, is easy for him to get to now.

With the colder weather we've been having, all of the cats are sticking close to home. I know they are worried about the coyote, too. We've had a lot of firm "discussions" with the cats about the dangers of being outside for very long, and they seem to comprehend this very well.

On a practical, feline management end, there DO seem to suddenly be oodles of cats around the house now. Tom and I are both working from home, and we are each typically surrounded by two to three cats at once, seeking warm lap space and sitting on our documents, computers, and desks. Cats do make nice blankets on cold days, since my upstairs office isn't heated.

I'm just glad Teddy is doing well and that he is as good as new.

I strongly recommend to other cat owners that, if ever your poor puss has a serious tail injury and amputation is recommended, DO IT. The cat's suffering truly is minimal, we've found out, and if we hadn't let him have the operation, he would have had to been put to sleep. Now he can continue to leave a normal life that will be 99% the same as "the old days." Just a little less tail to manage.