This week I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow care home visitor at a therapy cat visit. Before I even got to the big room, there was a man in the hallway who reached out his arm to pet me. And as soon as I walked in, I jumped onto the couch between a woman I know and another woman who was completely asleep. The woman I know petted me for a while, but the other woman didn’t wake up.
I then saw a woman who loved receiving high-fives from me. I wasn’t sure if the woman on the other side of the couch wanted to meet me, but the high-five encouraged her. Before I knew it, I had made a new friend!
I spent a lot of time visiting old friends, like a mute, heavy-handed woman and a redhead who adored me, and making new ones, like a big man in a wheelchair and a cute Spanish-speaking woman who also uses a wheelchair. All the while, a staff member followed me around with a tablet, taking photos of my meetings with the residents.
My favorite visit was with a woman who loved cats and cried when she saw me. But then she started to fade and after a while she didn’t remember me. And the last few times she was nearby while I was visiting she didn’t even notice me at all. But this time she saw me and in a little voice she said “Cats! I love cats.” It was so nice to have her with me for a little while. The staff took a photo of her and me. It made my visit even more special.
