Some people purr-fer Cats.....
It's been well documented that petting an animal - and being licked - is therapeutic.
In a hospital or nursing home setting, it is demonstrated often when caring individuals bring their dogs in for a round of visits and patients respond favorably.
My mom, in her 90s, was in a nursing home and benefited often from such dog-owner kindness.
I would see several dogs going from room to room on certain days of the week and knew people were being calmed and that was a beautiful thing.
But, my family has long been partial to cats.
So, one day, I dusted off the cat carrier and brought my mother her 10-pound orange cat named Wallaby for a visit.
Mom was sleeping when I arrived after lunch, and Wallaby had been noisily letting me know he was tired of being cooped up in the carrier and surrounded by the strange setting.
An outside cat, he was used to being where he wanted to be and had trained me to understand what my role was when he stood on either side of the door,
Yeah, he was not a happy cat. Until he realized Mom was next to him.
He stopped making noise and started purring. Mom awoke and smiled, petting her cat.
Wallaby had allowed me to attach a short leash to his collar and he now shared the pillow, rubbing his moist nose on Mom's hand and cheek.
I had received permission from the staff for my stealthy cat visit, and several of Mom's caregivers stopped by to see how the visit was going. They sat her up in a wheelchair and Wallaby sat quietly in Mom's lap as she petted and rubbed him.
There were smiles - and a few tears - as the orange-striped cat and my Mom had a short but emotional visit together.
On the drive home, Wallaby was quiet and we both were purring a bit.
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| At first, Wallaby needed the leash |
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| Together again -- after two years |
Labels: 10-pounder., a purr-fect visit, cat-in-the-box, inside-outside, Sandpiper Nursing and Rehab, Wallaby
"It's a Zoo Out There..."
My photography group had a great Saturday Photo Walk at
BEE CITY ZOO, out past Summerville and near Givhans State Park on the way to Walterboro.
We arrived early - right when they opened at 9am - so the only "kids" around were baby goats.
But a Mama wallaby had her
joey (baby) in her pouch.
This small member of the kangaroo family will carry the loaded pouch until the baby is able to fend for itself.
Staying at home with the parents is a shared trait in the animal world.
But this gives a new meaning to
"living in your mom's basement."
Both sides of the fence were entertained by the
llama enclosure.
I am sure they delighted in seeing how close to the lens they could get and vice versa.
(What the heck does that mean?)
You knew there would be a honey-making exhibit at BEE CITY.
The welcome sign said
"population 1,265,000" and here are a few of the busy bees humming along.
Please enjoy the pictures taken by other members of the
photography group.
The owner gave feeding demonstrations at the
Nature Center that housed a collection of snakes, tarantulas, gators and other Lowcountry critters.
He runs a nice operation with a honey of a gift shop. The cafe has hot strong coffee and tasty burgers.
Go and check it out. It can be an enchanting experience for you and your children.
(As usual, click on the photos for more detail. Some of the group members were using SLRs so the overall quality is excellent. Thanks for stopping by my blog.)
Labels: "joey", Bee City, honeycomb, kangaroo pouch, llamas, tarantulas, Wallaby, white mice
PETS: Weather or not....
C'mon. You've thought about it.
The dog would
LOVE to strip off that hot, furry coat in summer.
That just makes sense.
Not sure that a vet would agree but I took scissors in hand one year in San Diego and did a
"little trim.".
Fido stayed in the house for a long, long time.
He really didn't seem to want to go out at all.
It started one day when I used a clothespin on this lovely sheepdog and
"pinned"his hair out of his eyes.
"Wow/Woof," he said as he raced around the back yard, barking at the sun he had never seen before.
My cat is orange striped and sheds a lot.
That tells me he wants to have less hair. Do cats sweat?
I remember he liked our surprise snow last February.
Wallaby wished his legs were longer of course.
Cats don't like water but he didn't seem to make that connection whenever I put him out in the snow. That was often because I liked taking pictures of him. As he adjusted.
Oh yes, he quickly adapted to global cooling.
There was evidence of
yellow snow.
Labels: Fido, haircut, sheepdog, Snow, trims, Wallaby, yellow snow
