My Holiday Visit at the Children’s Hospital

Our therapy cat visit to the children’s hospital turned out way better than it started! While we were signing in, a dad with his teenage son were behind us, and the boy was afraid of cats! Whenever we run into people who are afraid of kitties, or who are allergic, my human makes sure to keep me as far away from them as possible. Part of being a cat involved in healing is respecting the boundaries of others.

I wore my Santa dress, but the lobby was quiet and at first we didn’t see a lot of decorations. I did visit one girl in a wheelchair who was sweet. But just as she started petting me, two other little girls came running up to pet me too. My human allowed them to have some time with me. But as soon as they had dashed off, we returned to visiting the wheelchair-bound girl, who had been quiet the whole time.

The girl in the first exam room we visited said yes when my human asked if she wanted a visit from me, which surprised the girl’s mother. Apparently she doesn’t really like cats (although the mom likes them a lot!). But the girl said she knew I was a good cat. I enjoyed spending time with her.

The next patient was a young girl who had fun petting me and spouting off facts about cats. That’s the same thing my human would have done when she was that age — she was one of those kids who was always talking about the fun things they’ve learned. (Um… she still may do that!)

Another girl we visited was older. In fact, she was starting to make plans for college. She and her mother traveled many hours to come to this hospital for treatments. Back home, these treatments would have cost tens of thousands of dollars. They’ve been coming for years and were so enthusiastic about the hospital, and their doctor.

When we exited the exam rooms, it was like Christmas had suddenly emerged. All sorts of presents were being brought out in front of a big tree. Because it’s a children’s hospital, it’s important for them to create some sort of magic in the kids’ lives.

I visited a couple of girls at the arts table for a few minutes before going upstairs. We stayed a few minutes later than usual because my human wanted to make sure I saw the nurses up in the surgery area. They love me there, and we knew it would be a treat for them to see me in my Santa dress.

This was such a nice holiday visit! We made sure to schedule this visit to help make Christmas week special for the young patients. And it was special for us too.

Other posts you’ll enjoy:

• Double Therapy Cat Holiday Visit
• Holiday Therapy Cat Visit
• The Day Before Christmas Therapy Cat Visit