The Extremely Reluctant Service Cat
Let me introduce you to the laziest member of the clan:
Charlie the Cat.
aka: Fluffy, Fluff, or Fluffball
aka: Mr. Fatso Pants
aka: Rotten
"You know," Tamara said, "Fluffy hasn't had to work for his keep lately."
"You're right. I'll grab him." I said.
"Ooh! Ooh! Can I hold him down?" Ruby pleaded.
"You can hold him down."
"Yes!" she exclaimed.
I found him sprawled under the coffee table. When I snatched him up, he gave a half-hearted whimper.
I put him down on Savannah's wheelchair tray. He grumbled. Ruby pinned him at the hips. Tamara held his head.
"Savannah, do you want to pet the pretty kitty?" I asked.
She smiled broadly and her eyes sparkled.
The cat growled menacingly deep in his throat. He's a big Flamepoint, which is a kind of Siamese, so though he looks cute and cuddly, and mostly harmless, he's unpredictable and prone to outbursts of anger that can result in a nasty scratch.
I took Savannah's right hand in mine. She opened her fingers.
"Let me help you pet the kitty."
Fluffy said: "Grrrrrrrrr."
Savannah concentrated and I eased her hand down the silky length of the angry beast.
"GGGGRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..."
"Such a good service cat." Tamara mocked him.
Savannah's hand, which normally is curled in a tight ball, stayed open and relaxed. Her eyes remained on the cat. At times like this, I almost forget she's blind.
"Do you like petting the kitty?" I asked.
"Hey, its my kitty," Ruby interrupted.
"He's OUR kitty. And your sister loves him very much."
"Hmph!"
Fluffy growled dangerously.
"Okay," I said, "I guess we're done."
Fluffy leaped to the floor, turned to meow his displeasure over his shoulder, flicked his tail, and retreated to his bed in order to recover from his two minutes of work.
#serviceanimal #cat #disability #family
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| The Laziest Member of the Clan |
aka: Fluffy, Fluff, or Fluffball
aka: Mr. Fatso Pants
aka: Rotten
"You know," Tamara said, "Fluffy hasn't had to work for his keep lately."
"You're right. I'll grab him." I said.
"Ooh! Ooh! Can I hold him down?" Ruby pleaded.
"You can hold him down."
"Yes!" she exclaimed.
I found him sprawled under the coffee table. When I snatched him up, he gave a half-hearted whimper.
I put him down on Savannah's wheelchair tray. He grumbled. Ruby pinned him at the hips. Tamara held his head.
"Savannah, do you want to pet the pretty kitty?" I asked.
She smiled broadly and her eyes sparkled.
The cat growled menacingly deep in his throat. He's a big Flamepoint, which is a kind of Siamese, so though he looks cute and cuddly, and mostly harmless, he's unpredictable and prone to outbursts of anger that can result in a nasty scratch.
"Let me help you pet the kitty."
Fluffy said: "Grrrrrrrrr."
Savannah concentrated and I eased her hand down the silky length of the angry beast.
"GGGGRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..."
"Such a good service cat." Tamara mocked him.
Savannah's hand, which normally is curled in a tight ball, stayed open and relaxed. Her eyes remained on the cat. At times like this, I almost forget she's blind.
"Do you like petting the kitty?" I asked.
"Hey, its my kitty," Ruby interrupted.
"He's OUR kitty. And your sister loves him very much."
"Hmph!"
Fluffy growled dangerously.
"Okay," I said, "I guess we're done."
Fluffy leaped to the floor, turned to meow his displeasure over his shoulder, flicked his tail, and retreated to his bed in order to recover from his two minutes of work.
#serviceanimal #cat #disability #family
Hey I think forcing a cat to work like that is not right. We have two cats. My wife wanted to bring her two service cats from America when she came to the UK. But, much to her distress, it didn't work out.
ReplyDeleteWe are both disabled and she suffers chronic pain hence why cats are so important to her. Well even before she needed cats she had lots of cats.
Anyway I understand that your daughter because of her vision has to rely on touch. However, if fluffy voluntarily sat on her lap they would have a much deeper relationship.
Talking to cats is impossible but they understand things like treats. Red dots, flying toys and balls with bells in. Obviously it won't happen over night but eventually they could have a loving relationship which they would both benefit from.
It's really great that you have cats and I hope fluffy and Savannah someday have a mutual bond.
For example our boy is petrified of humans. So is his sister. I can't touch him but he does sit next to me on the sofa and take treats from my hand. The other day he trotted out the bedroom with his toy mouse in his mouth. He dropped it right near me and just sat and stared at me. He wanted to play with the flying frenzy toy.
Some day he will trust me enough and that will be wonderful.
I'm only passing my opinion which you did solicit by having a comment box. I don't mean to offend.
Warm wishes to you and your family.
Thanks for your comment. No offence taken. I understand where you're coming from. Fluffy takes it all in stride. He's well loved and we're working on ways to make him more amenable to letting Savannah pet her.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried rescue remedy with him or maybe sprinkling savannahs lap with cat nip. It might be worth trying? Amazon is a good place to find well priced cat toys.
DeleteThank you for the tip. Will try it.
ReplyDelete