I got to visit the assisted living residence this week, and I wore my festive Halloween collar. I began my therapy cat work the moment my human signed us in at the front. An older lady — we didn’t know if she was a resident or visitor — started petting me right away. There was also one of my friends who doesn’t recognize me anymore wandering through. She did stop to pet me, but she seemed like she was in another world.
When I got to the big room, I headed straight for the sofa where one of my regulars was sitting. I jumped right up to spend time with her. The lady who likes to get high fives from me was sitting in a chair next to the sofa, and I spent time with her too. My human even took a few photos of her with me.
I had a lot of people to visit. Some were new, like the Spanish speaking lady in the wheelchair who said I was “bonita,” and others I’ve known for a while, like the woman sitting on a sofa who has been there for a few months. There was another woman sitting on the same sofa who my human avoided at first. The woman had a decidedly grouchy face, and sometimes the grouchy ones get nasty if I go near them. But this lady surprised us and held out her arm to pet me. So my human set me between the two women so I could spend time with both of them.
The nonverbal woman who pets me with heavy hands was in a deep sleep on one of the sofas. Unfortunately, she never woke up during our visit, and my human didn’t want to disturb her, so she missed me. I hope she’s awake next time so we can catch up on some petting.