I held a kitten today!

As some of you may know I'm now living in an assisted living facility. We usually don't have much contact with animals here as we're not allowed pets in our rooms. We do have a resident westie named Molly that comes in a lot, but she's not a cat. Today a friend of mine brought in an absolutely beautiful orange and white tabby! Her name is Willow and she's 9 weeks old. That was the FIRST time I held a cat in my arms in over 8 months! To me it was the greatest feeling in the world. I've been talking with the activity people here to maybe bring a cat or a kitten every two weeks or monthly, as I think would brighten some of the lives of the residents.

Awww, I bet he was SO CUTE! How wonderful! I hope there is a pet visiting organization in town there that will do this.

When my sis was in long-term care, there was one adult cat that had a great temperament for visiting - and he was an orangie too! His owner said his name was "George with a J." :D So, Jorg.

Wishing you more kitties to hug. :)

How wonderful for you David!!:)

For some of us, contact with kitties is essential to our mental health. You should mention this to the Powers That Be. A cuddle with a kitty can do so much for a person and this should be recognized. Plus, cats are easier to keep than dogs.:D

Aww that's wonderful! I hope they will accept your request, or even have a resident kitty, it would be great! :)

When my friend was in a nursing home, I took a litter of kittens over to visit one day and it made everyones day! Everyone got excited, the residents and the employees. That home had a resident cat that was free to wander where ever it wanted and it meant a LOT to the people who stayed there. There were also several residents there that were allowed to bring their own cat to live with them there as long as they stayed in the owners room. I thought that was exceptionally nice. Great to hear from you David! I miss you..:(

That is wonderful - hope they make it a regular visit from now on. It is hard to be without animals when you're used to having them around :love:

I would get a bunch residents together that like the pet therapy with a cat, to sign a petition saying they would like it as part of their therapy. How can they say no, providing the cat/kitten has a clean bill of health.

I hope it happens again, honey. Cuz I've never heard such happiness in your voice.

That would be the thing I would miss the most too, is having the companionship of a Cat.:):)
I will see if any of My Found Ctas would be suitable for that once my One Fine Day comes.:cool::D
I think Tubster Panther would make a Great Cat Visitor.:love::love:

This is great to hear! My Mom was in a nursing home that had pet visitors on a regular basis, both dogs and cats. With many of the residents, seeing a cat sitting in their lap purring while being petted or a dog next to the wheelchair while having his ears scritched was like being in heaven. To see the looks on the residents' faces was something else, happy and relaxed. And the residents would get so excited when a cat or dog came towards them. Even better, the visits didn't have time limits. The pets were there until each and every resident received a visit and often kisses from their kitty or puppy friend as well.

There's a lot to be said for pet therapy. Studies have shown the positive effects for the sick, injured, and elderly. A few years back, Soncat taught therapeutic horseback riding to physically and developmentally disabled children. It has been found that sitting on a horse who is walking stimulates the same muscles that would be used if the child was walking on his own.

I do hope those in charge will seriously consider bringing the animals in as a regular activity. Be sure to let your PT friends know if there's a petition we can sign or a letter we can send to support your cause!

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Originally Posted by momcat

This is great to hear! My Mom was in a nursing home that had pet visitors on a regular basis, both dogs and cats. With many of the residents, seeing a cat sitting in their lap purring while being petted or a dog next to the wheelchair while having his ears scritched was like being in heaven. To see the looks on the residents' faces was something else, happy and relaxed. And the residents would get so excited when a cat or dog came towards them. Even better, the visits didn't have time limits. The pets were there until each and every resident received a visit and often kisses from their kitty or puppy friend as well.

There's a lot to be said for pet therapy. Studies have shown the positive effects for the sick, injured, and elderly. A few years back, Soncat taught therapeutic horseback riding to physically and developmentally disabled children. It has been found that sitting on a horse who is walking stimulates the same muscles that would be used if the child was walking on his own.

I do hope those in charge will seriously consider bringing the animals in as a regular activity. Be sure to let your PT friends know if there's a petition we can sign or a letter we can send to support your cause!

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For me personally, it felt very good to pet a kitty after 8 months and I think pet therapy will do wonders for the older residents here.

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Originally Posted by katladyd

For some of us, contact with kitties is essential to our mental health. You should mention this to the Powers That Be. A cuddle with a kitty can do so much for a person and this should be recognized. Plus, cats are easier to keep than dogs.:D

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I agree! I had the worst, most horrible day at work yesterday. I felt so miserable when I got home but as I was driving down my driveway I saw Buddy in the window and my mood immediately changed.

I hope you can get to see kitties more often David. I know you really miss them.

:) Oh yes David I so aggree too.. Many Congrats with the kitten & maybe they will let the baby come stay.. Keep all paws crossed..

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Originally Posted by davidpizzica

For me personally, it felt very good to pet a kitty after 8 months and I think pet therapy will do wonders for the older residents here.

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Get a group of residents together and state your case. Some people get nothing from dogs and cats really help them. A cat on the premises can do no harm and so much good. Best of luck convincing the Powers-That-Be of this!!:love:

Aww Bro i am so happy for you, i know how much it means to have my three girls to pat whenever i am feeling low,stressed or just needing to cuddle them, not that they love their cuddles that much, but they endure it, I tell them hey that is your job here you know, after all the good care i give you all, lol, willow sounds delightful.

I do hope you can get a group of you together and organise some regular contact with some kitties, i can tell it has done you the world of good,i can read the excitement here on your posts.:):love:

That is great. I think it's funny that it was a girl orange and white, and named willow. My youngest who just turned a year is Willow, and you guessed it, she's orange and white. Orange kitties have the best dispositions. My older male white and orange passed the test at the SPCA for a therapy cat. But prepping him for visits was expensive w/ having to treat all of them...I couldn't afford it so he hasn't been ye.

David, I'm glad to hear you finally got to hold a kitty again. :) Hope the place will agree to have cats living there, it sure would put everyone in a better mood.