I got to see my assisted living pals for my therapy cat visit this week! Even before I got to the big room, there was a man in the hallway, holding out his arms to pet me. And then the moment I walked in, I jumped on a sofa between one lady I know, and another one who was totally conked out. The lady I knew petted me for a while, and the other woman never woke up.
Then I saw the woman who loves getting high fives from me. I wasn’t sure the woman at the other end of the sofa wanted to see me, but the high five lady encouraged her. Next thing I knew, I’d made a new friend!
I spent a lot of time visiting old friends, like the nonverbal woman with the heavy hands, and a red haired lady who adores me. And I also found new friends, like the man in a big wheelchair, and a cute Spanish speaking lady who was also in a wheelchair. The whole time, a staff member followed me around with a tablet so she could take photos of my visits with the residents.
My favorite visit was with the woman who used to cry when she saw me because she loved cats so much. But then she started going downhill, and after a while she couldn’t remember me anymore. And then the last few times she was around while I was visiting, she didn’t acknowledge me at all. But this time she saw me and said in a small voice, “A cat! I love cats.” It was so nice to have a few moments with her, and the staff member got a photo of me with her. It made this a special visit.
