As it’s become clear that Grandma Dorothy is here for an extended visit, the only ones not fretting about how it affects their lives are Murphy, Mr. Meow, and Tabby. They have enthusiastically embraced the mission of the personal pet therapy project and have eagerly selected their own assignments for my mom’s rehabilitation.
Murphy
As he does with all the other chores he helps me with, Murph is glad to lend a hand with my new added chores.
Like yesterday. I hadn’t realized I needed to call Apria to have the oxygen tanks delivered each week. I thought they’d bring us refills and take away the empties as part of their route. As it turns out I need to call every week because of the way my mom’s plan here is set up.
But we needed oxygen for her porta pack and her tank supply was dwindling. Luckily we could go to Apria ourselves and make the swap. So Murph helped me load up the empties, and then unload the refills when we came home.
The porta pack and the oxygen tanks
He has also been very good about abbreviating his walks. He knows Grandma Dorothy needs her exercise, but that she isn’t used to all our hills and isn’t up for our normal long walks. He also makes concessions for her speed and walks at a moderate clip so she can keep up.
Tabby
Tabby Girl is our little heart warmer. She’s responsible for giving my mom her daily dose of TLC. (Tabby reminds me of some of the cats Aimee has talked about in her Diary of Cat Care B&B series. Like the cat Jinxie who melted her heart with absolute cuteness, or the little cat named Ru who took it upon herself to groom Aimee.)
Grandma Dorothy and Tabby: Buddies
But not only is Tab there to snuggle on my mom’s lap when she sits on the couch and to sleep with her at night. She’s also her little guardian who keeps watch outside my mom’s bedroom door when she’s getting dressed every morning. If she doesn’t think you should pass, or if she thinks Grandma Dorothy needs her privacy, she lets you know!
Mr. Meow
Keep in mind both of our cats have had a way of winning over non-cat people and in fact it was Mr. Meow who first won over my mom. Even though most who meet him believe he’s a creepy cat, my mom also gets to see his funny side.
He provides my mom with her daily guffaw. Which is good. Because he seems to know laughter is the best medicine.
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