Cat Tales

 

Cat saves life.

This was what I overheard on the newscast the other night as I was brushing my teeth from the adjoining hallway.  It got me to thinking because normally cats are not a favorite of mine.

Over the years I have owned two cats. One had fleas, one had ear mites. Suffice it to say the experience did not bode well for all involved. As a service guy, I even had a few run-ins with cats. Most notably the one with the attack cat who stayed in his room with the door shut, while I fled. In my past experience, cats at times have come off to me like they have Garfield syndrome: I’ll move when I feel like it and you can’t do anything about it.

Nevertheless, despite my past record with cats, I still have a fondness for what they can do for people in the way of healing properties. Here are a few tales in particular that come to mind.

Years ago during my stint as an exterminator, I met a lady who lived in an apartment complex. She was a woman in her late forties who believed her cats would talk to her by meowing and pointing out to her where the spiders and ants lived. From the moment I came in the door she would converse with me while I struggled to get a word in edge wise.

Often, she would harmlessly flirt with me, which apparently stemmed from her being alone for the greater part of the day. Unfortunately, I was under strict time restraints and couldn’t afford to sit and talk. The cats, however, seemed to fill in the gaps for her. They had time for her and listened to what she had on her mind.

There was also another time I had the pleasure of meeting an fascinating woman, who was a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit nurse. She performed a remarkable task in which she cared for children on life support or in serious life threatening conditions, where death was a constant companion.

During one of our conversations, I asked her how she would deal with the death of a child. She explained she would go home, talk to her cats, have a glass of wine and then go to bed. There are no answers sometimes o life's hardest questions and a cat does not pretend to offer any. Just to feel their warmth and hear their soothing purr is at times exactly what the doctor ordered.

Let it be known, that although I am not a cat lover, there is something invaluable to be taken from the intangibles cats offer their owners. Our feline friends offer two valuable commodities: companionship and comfort. No one wants to be alone and a cat eases the discomfort of someone who lacks social skills. On the other paw, we all want a shoulder to cry on, someone to hear us out.

May we all learn this from cats: the importance of saving a life.

Swavel