For most of us, we have been battling one of (if not) the longest period of difficulty in our lives. Sadly, there appears to be no quick end insight. As a result tensions are high and relationships are strained. Life on social media is a battle-ground and society is fracturing. With that goes the spirit of goodwill and as we like of think in Australia; mate-ship. With that in mind I write this tribute to a very unique and lovely little cat, we could all do with learning some lessons from.
Sebastian passed away on August 8, 2000. Big deal, I hear you say the cat died, it’s sad, move on. However just like people, animals can have a profound effect on our lives. Sebastian was one who had a very profound effect on mine. The reason I want to tell you about Sebastian is this – he can teach us about about trust, forgiveness and caring, something that we desperately need at this time.
Sebastian was a stray and he started hanging around our house. He was a sad little thing; a typical feral cat. I left food out for him, but all attempts to approach him failed.
One day, I noticed he had an enormous abscess on his head. Something had to be done, so I called my vet, and he gave me a pill to put in his food to knock him out. Seb took the pill, but all it did was slow him down. My neighbour, my husband and I chased him around for hours trying to catch him. In the end, I think poor Seb just dropped from exhaustion and I caught him and off we went to the vet.
I mentioned to my vet, that it looked like Seb had been in a number of cat fights because of the damage to his ears. My vet explained that the damage wasn’t caused by other cats it looked deliberate. He said there were other signs someone had tortured him; my stunned silence followed. Seb had his head treated, and I had him de-sexed at the same time. I told my vet we would keep him, assuming we could tame him. I collected Seb the following day, and brought him home. He settled in straight away and appeared content. He enjoyed good food and a warm bed, but was very wary of us. It took a while for him to feel safe.
Seb turned out to be a gentle soul. Whilst he tolerated me, he loved Richard. Richard said it was “male” bonding because I had Seb snipped; funny haha. But it was Seb’s behaviour toward other animals that really struck both of us.
We had a near neighbour who had two beautiful Himalayan cats. They were stunning animals, but sadly, their owner had them declawed. To make matters worse, during the holidays when their owners went away, the cats were simply let loose to fend for themselves. They were totally defenceless. My next-door neighbour and I fed them and provided them with places to sleep, but Seb was their protector. Seb shadowed them everywhere. He protected them from a rather vicious cat from across the road. As well as protecting them from dogs and even from my own cats. He even stood his ground if I went near them. He made sure they came to no harm.
We are very lucky to have a lot of birds in our garden. Sadly, the tomcat from across the road saw them as snacks. Seb would drive the interloper away, but Seb never touched the birds himself. In fact, he would lie in the sunshine whilst the birds hopped around him. It was fascinating to watch and most unusual behaviour for a cat.
We learnt a lot from Seb. He taught us about forgiving. So often today, we hear excuses from offenders that it is all the fault of others who have mistreated them in the past. Well, little Seb had been tortured by humans, but he put his trust in us. Whilst he was wary of other people, he never ran away and hid. He could have remained feral, like so many people do but he didn’t.
Seb taught us about caring for those who couldn’t look after themselves. Not the usual behaviour of a mere cat. And, he taught us about trust and about love.
Seb was a gift. He was a nuggety little chap with the most amazing, knowing eyes. Sadly, he developed a cancer that was untreatable. It was one of the saddest days of my life to end his life. He was very much in my thoughts yesterday on the anniversary of his passing, as he has been every year since. I loved him and he will also have a place in my heart.
To Sebastian, gone but never forgotten.
This story has a little more meaning. On August 8 this year a dear friend lost her much loved cat. Tiny was 21 years and 3 months old. I’d like to think that little Sebastian was waiting on the other side of the Cat Rainbow Bridge to guide her home. ♥️♥️
