For the love of cats

lastr

I was called early Wednesday morning (9/29/04) by a nurse from a hospital on Long Island. My sister-in-law had suffered a massive heart attack and was pleading for me to come out. My brother was in Europe on business and his office was still trying to get him a plane ticket to come back. The hospital told me that Lyn was agitated and wanted me to come as soon as possible. I live in Texas so it took a few hours to get there - I arrived at the hospital close to midnight that day.

Lyn was more then agitated, she was climbing the walls even on medication - her beloved cats were home alone and she was worried about them. She was convinced the ambulance crew had let them out when they carried her out. I took her keys and went to their house to check on them - both were indeed outside sitting on the front step. They have two rather elderly kitties who immediately wound themselves around me demanding attention and asking in that piercing cry cats in distress have where Lyn was. I opened the door and we all went in. The cats listened intently as I told them that Lyn would be fine, deigned to sniff at the food I provided, and sat up to get their picture taken. I knew Lyn would not be quiet until she could see they were safe. I printed the digital picture out and took it back to the hospital with me.

That picture did the trick, it is next to Lyn and she can look at it and smile - the nurses are smiling too, seeing her cats has eased the horrendous out of beat noise from her heart. I reminded her the cats also needed a picture and when I left to go back to her house a picture of her went with me. I put it near the cat's basket for them to look at and gave them one of Lyn's sweaters to sleep with. I think the one cat winked at me after I told them she would be okay, I know both purred their thanks. They finally ate as well.

All are doing much better, my brother is there now and I've just gotten back home late last night. Lyn is facing a rather long recovery time but she is looking forward to spending that time at home with her fur babies and with my brother. The strange thing is Lyn does not remember dialing 911 for help, she does remember falling down in pain and a weird dream about a cat bringing her the cell phone. Everyone says that being on pain medication can cause fantasies, but who knows? The cats just smiled at me when I asked them and no one else was there.
 

awatkins

Oh, Carol. That last part really touched me. Who can say what the cats did or did not do to help her? But it's obvious that they did help, on many levels. I truly believe in the healing power of the love between people and their companion animals.

I hope your sister-in-law continues to do well. I'm glad you were able to be there for her....I wondered where you had got off to. :hug
 

ChunkyC

Amazing story, Carol. Makes me want to go home and :hug my furballs.
 

lastr

Lyn is doing much better and my brother is complaining that I spoiled the cats in the short time I was out there - he says they expect updated picturés of Lyn daily and are vocal with him if he doesn't provide them. :grin She should be home soon and then they can tell her all about their adventures.

Fur babies make the world a better, safer, saner, place.
 

Kempo Kid

I'm glad your sister's doing better, and you can tell her for me that I know exactly how she feels.

Several years ago I was hit by a pickup truck. I was walking at the time, flew fifty feet, and did a face plant on the asphalt. I woke up two and a half days later in the hospital. Almost my first thought--before I even asked the full extent of my injuries or how life-threatening they were--was for the safety and well-being of my two cats. One cat was elderly. The other was diabetic and needed insulin. My mother came out the next week, supposedly to help out, but although she put down some food, she refused to take the cats to the vet where they could be kenneled and looked after. At this time my diabetic had missed ten days worth of insulin shots.

I simply didn't settle down and stop worrying until my cats were in a vet's care at the kennel, safe and looked after. And when I finally came home after two months in the hospital, my cats were all over me, purring and rubbing and vocalizing. Someone else fed them and looked after them for two months, but they weren't fickle. They knew who their mama was.

The older cat eventually died at the ripe old age of 19. The diabetic is now 16, and other than being elderly, is doing fine.

I fully believe cats know and understand more than we give them credit for.