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Silly Sab Stories

Sebastian's Obituary

Sebastian aka Sab, 13, died Saturday, May 18, 2013, after an extended intestinal illness, with his mom & medical team by his side.

Born Tuesday, June 8, 1999, he was one of 5 kittens born to Hunny and Elmo of the Small Household in Raymond, Maine.At age 8 weeks, he moved to Standish, Maine to live over a yarn shop with his forever family.

Quickly earning himself the nickname “The Delinquent”, he channeled his curiosity by appointing himself Hospitality Manager &Security Inspector for the home. No one was allowed to step foot into the apartment without the full-court press of being greeted, circled, guided inside, then given full attention & a coating of orange & white fur, which he maintained with great pride. As Security Inspector, he unwittingly caused the most trouble, getting himself locked in the shower stall for 12 hours, or spending the night in the apartment hallway because he never told his mother he was making one last pass through her legs. His tenure was also fraught with scandal, such as the day he fled upon the arrival of The Moving People who brought in a new bed, and he spent the day inspecting the top of the refrigerator. Or, while on the first day of duty, he broke the new computer printer because he considered the moving paper a security risk to his mother’s well being. Evenings would find him securing the household after careful inspection of each water bowl, door, and bed, going behind the desk, climbing the bookcase, the bureau, snooping around the bed, and howling his success to anyone who cared to listen. He considered anything near the edge of anything was suspicious and needed to be knocked off with swiftness & accuracy. When foster rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters & mice arrived in the home, he inspected every item in each bag with precision, then spent the fosters’ time in the home watching them to make sure no nefarious shenanigans were perpetrated without his participation& consent. His most daring foster hanky-panky included knocking over the cage where two nervous & pregnant guinea pig mamas were huddled. His proudest accomplishment was making Oliver, his mother’s friend’s toy poodle, terrified of cats, by launching himself onto the dog’s face when the dog dared to enter the carrier where Sab & sister Mackenzie were hiding.

Sab won himself may fans through the years. He eventually found an outlet for sharing his silly stories on Catster, and called it “Silly Sab Stories”. He knew how to spin a good yarn & get all the tails thumping with glee. He was a member of the group The Three Mouscateers, which included his besties Chumley and Jason Hopper. He was sensitive to remembering the souls of friends in his life who died, conducting special howling sessions in the middle of the kitchen around the time they died. He prided himself in his orange brilliance, and is why he never fell for the red laser light, instead going straight for the handheld device in Mama’s hand.

Despite his lifelong issue with asthma, and diabetes and chronic kidney disease later in life, he never allowed these difficulties to interfere with his zest for life. His favorite pastimes included jumping &antagonizing his sister Mackenzie, hanging out with his mama in the evenings,sun worshiping, The Evening Howl, catnip, crinkly toys, creating the Orange Streak of Zoom, Rosie Rat, and his special pink stuffed heart.

His favorite foods included tuna water, deli turkey, eggs, cow's milk & Temptations treats.

He is survived by his mother, Stephanie Umbro, brother Bijou (cavy); and sisters Zena (gerbil) and Sandy (hamster). He was predeceased by cat parents Hunny, Elmo, and his littermates; brothers Milo & Monet (guinea pigs); sisters Mackenzie (cat), Paisley and Taffy (guinea pigs); Henrietta,Reese, and Melody (hamsters); and his human Papa. He will also be remembered by extended family including his human Memere, aunts, uncles, cousins, and his favorite pet sitters, Paulo & Marty. He will never be forgotten by his orange besties: Jason Hopper, Oliver Winston Parsons, and Jasper (of The Manxters), and was predeceased by orange furiends Chumley, Stinker, & Ashley.

A memorial was held at his time of death with a paw print to be given to his family.

Family & Friends who wish to donate in Sebastian’s name are asked to support Diabetic Cats in Need, the organization that got him set up with glucose screenings, blood tests, and insulin supplies when he became diabetic, effectively saving his life. They may be reached at:

Diabetic Cats in Need or

use their Paypal address: donate@dcin.info

Goodbye, My Furiends

Mama here;

It was time. Sab fought as hard as he could, but in all probability, it was GI cancer. The nausea medication didn't hold him. He'd vomit & it would just knock him off his feet. His eyes would glaze over, and he'd lay there, catching his breath, before getting up to say hi to me.

I couldn't let him suffer anymore. He slipped peacefully away, with Dr. Alex's help, at 9:18am EST. He made me promise, though, to post this last message when I got home.

My heart is broken, and this is now a catless, soulless apartment. It's going to take a lot of time to get used to that.

I will always be Sab's Mama. He touched so many lives & have left so many furiends in tears now that he's gone. Your love & support has meant the world to us - to me - and I promise I will eventually read the messages. For now, Catster is just too painful a place to be.

But here is Sab, to have the last word:

I am so tired, furiends. I just don't have any more fight in me. Nausea medicine didn't help me. I am in pain. I can't stop drooling. My back legs aren't working like I want them to anymore. Dr. Alex is quite certain that I have cancer b/c the medicine didn't work at all. I asked Mama to post this message for me when she gets home, after bringing me to see Dr. Alex for the last time & helping me go to sleep so I don't hurt anymore. I have had the most pawsome life that a cat could ask for. I had my Mama wrapped around my paws from the very first day.

Furiends, if you wish to share your love of me with others, could you do me a favor? The wonderful people at Diabetic Cats in Need helped me out last year when I got sick with the die-ah-beets-ies. Without them, I wouldn't have gotten to spend the last 15 months with Mama. If you want to visit them, they are at http://fdmb-cin.blogspot.com/

Purrrs;
Sab

Out of Time

It's Mama;

I'll do my very best not to cry on all of you. Had a very long chat with Dr. Alex this afternoon, after he consulted with the ultrasound vet. I must agree with them; there's nothing left to do for Sab.

Dr. Alex applauded my efforts, saying that many people give up on their pets a lot sooner than I did with Mackenzie & wouldn't have gone this far with Sebastian. There's just nothing more to be done.

Bottom line: we are out of time. Sab was given injectable antibiotics & anti-emetics. When he begins to vomit again, I will need to say goodbye. We've got 24 hours to reverse this trend.

We're home, and he's very unsettled. He's pacing. He spent last night vomiting in several places. He's begun hiding. I am not optimistic, at this point, and even a reversal of vomiting is enough.

I'll do my best to keep you up to date.