Background: So, I had a stroke on Sep 7, 2016. I spent 8 days in a local hospital to get diagnosed, stabilized, evaluated, and medicated. At this point my right arm and hand barely worked and neither did my right leg. And my right foot wanted to point south. Then they transferred me to a hospital 40 miles away that had an Intense Rehabilitation program. 3 weeks of 1.5 hours of PT and 1.5 hours of OT every day for 6 days a week. They let me loose as Modified Independent with a wheelchair, a large base quad cane, an Ankle Foot Orthotic brace, and a transfer bench. I had about 6 weeks of In Home PT and OT with each appearing at least 2x a week and sometimes 3. Then I had maybe 4-5 months of outpatient rehab 2x a week. And I got better.
By the time they were done with me I could walk without using a cane but it was NOT pretty. I could stand up unassisted without pushing up on armrests. My grip strength was on the low side of the NORMAL for my age range. I could remove cans from a cabinet to the counter and put them back. I could put pegs into a peg board and lift a 12 lb roasting pan into and out of an oven. And I learned if there’s an easier way to do something, it was better for me to do it the harder way.
Now, in Feb 17 my roommate’s 12 year old cat had to be put down. In March he located another cat in need of rescue and adopted Cupcake The Destroyer. I do believe Cupcake has had training as a physical and occupational therapist.
When I would walk to or from the kitchen for coffee, she would play chicken with me, running 6 inches in front of my feet.
B. She would lie down and stretch out on the floor in my traffic path forcing me to step over her.
iii. When I was peeing using my left hand to, um, handle things she would jump up on the counter to my right and tap my right hand with her paw to get me to scritch her with it.
And just yesterday, she came up with a new one. We have a low upholstered love seat. It’s a bit of a challenge for me to get out of it but I can do it. So while I was sitting on it she jumped up on it, to the back, walked across to my shoulders,
walked around my neck and shoulders several times until she ended up being held against my chest with my left arm/hand. Then I had to get UP from the love seat holding her against me and that was very difficult but I made it. Sorta like what the PTs and OTs did to me.
So, are your cats in cathoots with your therapists too or is it just this vicious bloodthirsty godless mankilling furbeast that exalts in torturing me?
Apparently our floofball wants to be an OT cat too, because she does exactly that thing of flinging herself down in the corridor for you to step over (or possibly for you to stop for ten to fifteen minutes to give her All The Pats - it turns out being patted in the corridor is superior to being patted any other place - who knew!). Though she’s more of an Emotional Therapy cat really - a task she is very very good at (Humans! Love me! Snuggle me! Pat me upon my soft white tummy! And in return I will gaze at you in adoration. Also, leave dead mice in your room. Or not-quite-dead mice)
Have you seen those various youtubes of people doing yoga with cats? That’s what your tale reminds me of
Anyway, good on you for your massive physical mobility advances. What’s your next target? And how’s Cupcake going to … um … appropriately raise the challenge level for you?
Mine are fond of the 3rd step from the top of the stairs. I have learned to look before stepping there. If it’s dark I feel with my toe before stepping. It’s either a bid to make me more aware and careful or a sneaky way to kill me.
Mine are firm believers in traditional bloodletting. Not able to hold a lancet, they settle for person-climbing and running across my head at the break of dawn.
Noir Kitty believes that bending over repeatedly is a good thing. It keeps the back limber, trims the waist and helps stretch the hamstrings or some such thing. So, he gets me to pet him, then steps just out of reach so I have to straighten up and take a step or two before bending down again. Lather, rinse and repeat until he leads me over to the treats or I decide to distract him with them. He can be a taskmaster but he can also be easily bought.
I’ve never had a cat. The greyhounds I’ve had were specialists in giving black eyes and trying to pull shoulders and elbows out of sockets upon the sight of a running cat or other chaseable critter. Unsuccessful attempts to break ankles were also recorded. Never bend over to pet a greyhound who is lying down - if they suddenly stand up, you’re getting whomped under the chin with a head made of cement and could inadvertently bite your own tongue off.
This cat sounds much healthier for you. Treats and scritches are in order!
Last week about every time I leaned over she’d leap onto my shoulders. Backing away just made her have to drive the claws in deeper to not fall off after she made the leap. My roommate very recently got a powered reclining chair. It was in the up position and the top of the back was about my shoulder height. Last weekend my roommate’s therapist was here and as I was saying hello to her Cupcake scaled the chair and was eyeing the distance so I just walked over to let her walk on to my shoulders. I’d bleed less, you know? And the therapist was amazed! To roommate and myself, this was just daily normal.
I haven’t any idea how she’ll go about it next time, but I’m certain she will.
