Rainy Makes the Blues Disappear
BY ALLISON HUNTER-FREDERICK
I regularly hear this excited cry whenever my cat, Rainy, and I start our therapy cat rounds. As a therapy team, we have visited seniors, college students, and children. Rainy seems to offer warmth and support when it is most needed as you will read about in some of our encounters.
SENIORS
A woman in rehab shared details about her cat and asked me to tell her stories about Rainy. When our visit ended, she told me we had made her day.
A man in an apartment complex decided he needed a cat again and then paid a hefty pet deposit so he could.
A gentleman in assisted living often became depressed about his health and the news. His face lit up whenever we visited, and he called Rainy his favorite cat.
My most bittersweet memory is of a long-time cat lover whom I saw decline in health. Rainy curled up beside her in bed the day before the woman passed away.
STUDENTS
The first time I was invited to bring Rainy to campus, I was asked to speak about the benefits of therapy cats. Minutes after students arrived, it became clear that their attention was on Rainy and not my slides. They asked questions about her, and petted and held her. On our subsequent visits, students have sat with us and told me about their exams and career paths. Some have also told me about their cats back home, who they thought might make good therapy cats. A favorite memory is of an international student who held Rainy during the entirety of her break between exams.
CHILDREN
When students didn’t know which book to select from the provided pile, I had Rainy put her paw on one. And when students struggled with a word, Rainy would cover part of the word to help them sound it out. One boy liked reading to Rainy so much that his parents set up Zoom sessions with us at the beginning of the pandemic. Knowing that Rainy loved children, I took her with me to the local Bright Lights Summer Learning Program this past July where I taught a class about cat behavior. The students loved the hands-on experience!
Rainy has served as an ambassador of happiness in many situations. If you’re interested in becoming involved in pet therapy with your cat, please contact me at allisontalkspets@gmail.com.