When my mom fell sick a few weeks back she was put on oxygen while in the hospital. Since her oxygen saturation level still wasn’t where it should be when she was released, they had to put her on oxygen at home.
At her house she had the same set up we ended up getting for her once I brought her here. It’s a little machine with tubing (we call it her tether) that lets her roam pretty much everywhere while still being connected to the oxygen.
Since she has no pets, she could wander at will at her house without worry about roping anything or having anything chase after her. But when I set it up for her to come here, my first thought was, “Oh no. Those darn cats, especially Tabby, are going to have a field day chasing my mom’s tether. I wonder how this is going to work out.”
I voiced my concerns to the office manager at my mom’s primary care doctor in Denver. She laughed and said, “The first time they bite through and get a rush of oxygen they’ll learn their lesson.”
“You don’t know my cats. They’ll probably like that and do it on purpose to get the rush.”
So far no one’s bitten through the tubing, but as I expected (and would have been disappointed if she hadn’t) Tabby has chased after it. Which has been amusing and cute.
Murph’s been very respectful of the tubing. He gingerly steps over it if it’s in his way, and he waits until my mom moves it out of his way before jumping up on the couch to sit next to her.
None of them were too sure about the oxygen machine when it first arrived. For one thing, when it’s first turned on it makes a horrid beep. They have to endure this sound a couple of times a day when we turn the machine off to leave with the porta tank pack. (Pictured below.) But once they get over that initial jolt, they’re fine.
And when it’s running it’s pretty noisy and has a series of burps and gurgles, hisses and whirs it makes which the cats are still suspicious of. If they’re getting a drink from their water bowl (which is right across from the machine) and it makes one of those noises, they’ll spin around and cast a wary eye to make sure the newest monster machine in the house hasn’t learned to move and is coming for them.
All in all incorporating this newest paraphernalia hasn’t been too bad really. It’s just another curiosity and, for the more curious among them, a new play time opportunity.
Other Chaotic Cat Chronicles
Crouching Meowy, Flying Tabby (Hidden Murphy)
The Case of the Missing Wiffie
The Spooky Shriek That Pierced the Night
How Mr. Meow and Tabby Won Over Non-Cat People