Night Catting: That’s the Answer

Daily writing prompt

What daily habit do you do that improves your quality of life?

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I pet my cat.

Around 9:00 each night, the cat pads his way downstairs, stands in front of my chair, looks me in the eye and then jumps up on my lap. I’m then immobile until he leaves – maybe an hour or two later. It’s like having a baby asleep on your chest. Whatever you thought you were going to do, however badly you need to pee, how aggravating the wrinkle in your jeans is and how much you wish you could stand up and straighten your whole self out, you postpone moving because the baby is sleeping.

That’s how it is with Herc.

Last night my shoulders were aching. This is because I swam for an hour that afternoon doing the breaststroke because swimming the front crawl cramped up my left shoulder. My friend has created all kinds of adaptive swimming techniques because of her shoulders, but I am unreasonably proud of my front crawl and breaststroke and loathe to sink to some jury-rigged water running, arms flapping business. That said, the cat came just at the right time.

I swear. Petting the cat last night made my shoulders stop aching. Honest to God.

So, today, in a wild hair (of which I have many), I pitched an idea to the guy who runs all the senior centers to have our local stray cat/rescue organization run adoption events at the senior centers. And he seemed to go for it, though he was probably humoring me.

I think every old person should have a cat. An old cat to sit on their lap when things are aching.

Pet therapy. I’m a believer.