A High Five Kind of Therapy Cat Day

Even though the routine at the children’s hospital is pretty similar each time we go there, every visit has its own feel. Like for this therapy cat visit, it was a high five kind of day.

The fact that I can do tricks makes it more fun, especially for kids in wheelchairs. I’m not much of a lap cat, and also kids don’t usually have much of a lap anyway. So sometimes logistically I can’t get close to them. That’s when doing high fives and other tricks comes in. After holding me up for a kid to pet so they can feel how nice and soft I am, my human puts me down and has me do high fives, paw shakes and maybe another trick or two. This always delights them, and usually their parents too.

This time, it seemed like the kids I visited, if they weren’t in a wheelchair, were dealing with a cast of some sort. One kid who didn’t have either was a toddler who was shy at first. But when he warmed up to me, he wanted to touch my whiskers and feet. Most cats hate this kind of interaction, and to be honest, it’s not my favorite thing either! But I let him do it because I trusted my human to know if he was being too grabby. Actually he was very gentle, so it was good.

My favorite visit was with a family, and the patient grinned and said he didn’t want to see me! But his sister was there, and her face lit up, so my human brought me in to see her anyway. Of course my human had me do some tricks, and the boy was happy I was there after all. I think their dad was relieved my human and I were there to entertain his kids for a while. He even discussed harness training their bunny with my human.

It was a sweet visit, and I really enjoyed everyone I saw.

Other posts you’ll enjoy:

• Such a Happy Therapy Cat Visit
• High Fives and Head Butts at the Assisted Living Houses
• Celebrity Therapy Cat