Cat Therapy

It's 5:15 am. I'm only awake because I slept most of the day yesterday.  I'm sitting here, drinking my favorite TAZO Zen green tea and totally at a loss on what I should write about. Usually I know well in advance what my subject matter will be as it is something that sits and churns in my head for a few days. Today I got bupkis. I'm still weak from the chemo treatment. My stomach is less than cooperative. My nausea continually flairs up unless I take some anti nausea meds, which knock me on my ass. It's a vicious circle of nothingness.  Times like this it's hard to keep positive because the reality is there is nothing positive going on right now. I am merely in function mode. Sitting here on my ass letting chemo kick my butt. Just take today and get it over with and move on to the next day and get it over with until I'm done wit the damn treatment. The hard cold truth - during chemo reality bites. 

Then when I least expect it, this little fur ball comes along and jumps on my chair … Mulder. As I write this it's like he's hearing me intuitively and makes certain his presence known … as usual. 

Mulder being nosey, checking out my green tea and comforting his human .... ME! 

Mulder has become my silent nursemaid. On Monday's when I come home from treatment he is right next to me in bed, checking out my portable chemo pump and making sure I'm OK. When I get my chemo pump removed, he's back to crawling all over me, especially with the after shower ritual where he must climb and balance on my back like a circus cat. This is not something that can go ignored because he will pace the bathroom counter tops, reaching, meowing and waiting for me to let him on my shoulders. Odd, I know, however I find it quite amusing.

Mulder's post shower ritual

Then on days when I'm feeling a little less wiped out, he's ready to play fetch with me. He's more of a cat-dog than a cat-cat.

Greg nicknamed Mulder, chemo cat.  I know there are therapy dogs...  and I got to wondering if there was such as thing as therapy cats? I did a quick Internet search and was impressed at the amount of feline friends that come to the aid of humans that are dealing with difficult circumstances. 

This woman's cat helped her through breast cancer. CNN did a story on a hospital that brought 3,000 cats to a young girl undergoing cancer treatment. Personally I was impressed to find this story about a young Aspergers girl who trained her cat to be a therapy cat and she wishes to train more cats to help those with Aspergers. And who can resist Grumpy Cat -  all that cute grumpiness is great therapy! 

So in the end, thanks to Mulder, MY therapy cat, I did have something worth writing about today!