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Sebastian the Cat Gets Gold
Teeth
ALEXANDRIA, Ind. (Aug. 16) -
This cool cat has traded in his catnip for some
bling. Sebastian, a one-year-old Persian with long
black hair, sports gold crowns on his two bottom
canines, which grew sticking out from his lips in an
underbite similar to a bulldog's.
His owner, dentist David
Steele, said he gave Sebastian gold crowns to help
strengthen the fanged feline's teeth. Steele said he
was worried the unique canines would break off or
become a problem.
"It's possible to work on
animals the same way we do humans," he said.
"I did it to strengthen (Sebastian's) teeth, but
it had an excellent cosmetic result. The cat gets a
lot of attention now. Everyone is tickled to death
when they see him."
Sebastian's two gold teeth
protruding from his furry face make him seem a little
menacing, like a hip-hop star's guard-cat or a movie
villain's pet. The feline didn't seem too happy with
his new look at first.
"He's normally around me
all the time," Steele said. "After I put
the crowns on, he didn't 'speak' to me for two
days."
When Sebastian was
tranquilized about a month ago to get his coat
trimmed, Steele used the occasion to take impressions
of his teeth. He then sent those impressions to a
company that prepares crowns for his human patients.
"They called back and
asked me what I was up to," Steele said.
Two weeks ago, veterinarian
Larry Owen tranquilized the cat at the Alexandria
Animal Hospital about 30 miles northeast of
Indianapolis so Steele could do the dentistry work,
which took about 15 minutes to complete.
Owen said putting gold crowns
on teeth can be done for any pet with a dental
problem.
"Mostly, though, it was a
fun thing to do," Owen said. "(Steele is)
always up to something or trying something new."
Steele said he has put a crown
on a cat once before, after the animal was hit by a
car. He also put a gold crown on his Boston terrier.
Steele said the cost for each
gold tooth is about the same as for humans - about
$900 each
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