Extra Good Therapy Cat

I visited the children’s hospital this week, and my human said I was extra good right from the start. That’s because the first people we saw were a girl in a wheelchair with her mother, and I actually sat in the girl’s lap for a long time! The thing is, I’m not really a lap cat. Usually I jump right off of someone’s lap and won’t stay. But this time I did.

I also visited with another girl in a wheelchair, and also with a mom and daughter who spoke a language my human didn’t understand at all. They seemed really nice, though! Then we headed for the exam rooms and saw some kids and staff there, including a doctor who thought I was cool, and somebody who follows me on TikTok. I did lots of high fives for patients.

I don’t often get to visit both the surgery area and rehab on the same day, but this time I did. There was a boy with his family in pre op, and my human sat me in a chair by his bed so she could show him my tricks. Then we headed over to rehab. I saw a little girl who was working on standing with the help of a rehab nurse. Her mom and grandmother were with her.

The little girl was really happy to see me, and petted me a lot. My human noticed that her hand was bent at an awkward angle, so she made sure she got extra time petting me. Any time a child has an arm or hand that isn’t working the way it should, she figures it is probably a good idea to let them to use it on me, as long as the staff is okay with it. Usually the nurse or other staff member encourages the patient.

So it was a really good visit. All of the children I saw had visible physical challenges today, but I never care about any of that. And at one point somebody dropped a metal cup not far from me and it was loud! But I just twitched my ears. My human says not many cats would be so calm in these situations. But of course I am, because I am a pro at this.

Other posts you’ll enjoy:

• Quality Time at the Children’s Hospital
• You Go Where Your Energy, Instinct, and Curiosity Takes You
• Therapy Cats Just Know