The ancient Egyptians called cats Miu, meaning the one that purrs. It sounds a bit like meow but I’m speculating. As some on here know, I lost my dear cat Daisy some time ago, soothed only by sleepovers from my very large dog Molly, and now I have a new feline companion, Annie the Orphan. This post is a little reflection on having a kitten post stroke and what that has entailed thus far …
Firstly, I would like to tease out the whole cat and human thing. Dogs, I understand, faithful companions, helping us hunt and guarding our space from potential beasties. Cats, however … We’ve welcomed these small creatures with needle sharp teeth and hooked claws into our homes gladly. We feed them, provide comforts for them and protect them from the elements. If a burglar were to break into our space, would our cats protect us? Would they confront the intruder with a hiss and a claw? Would they alert us with a howling meow? Would they? No, they would be the first under the bed. I don’t blame them. I ponder these things as Annie attempts to hunt down my foot under the duvet and sink her needle sharp teeth into my toes. As my reflexes are blunted by my condition, I am constantly being challenged by sharp claws springing out from under spaces as I walk around, I laugh at it but they really are quite sharp. So why do we embrace cats? Surely, rats, foxes, polecats, weasels and badgers have had equal opportunity to gain our trust and not only that, gain our complete devotion. I know not everyone likes cats, I know not everyone likes dogs, but these two species of wildlife have dominated domestic culture for centuries. Dogs, I get but cats? Geese hiss, snakes hiss and cats hiss. It’s one of the most chilling of sounds and yet we have become comfortable with the fact that cats do it, yet snakes and geese can send shivers up our spine. A cat, with it’s razor like claws, flesh piercing teeth and witch like hiss is loved and cared for the world over.
They are such strange fellow mammals. From the perspective of a survivor from stroke, the difference between my cat and my dog is that my cat constantly surprises me because it has no obedience. I can never tell it what to do. She just does what she likes and avoids what she doesn’t like. My dog is firmly planted in routine, food, walk, sleep. Annie will jump on a shelf and slowly paw things off it like Ruprecht the Monkey Boy until I am completely baffled and need to fish my knickknacks off the floor.
Anyone else have a story to tell about how their pet interacts with their post stroke life?
This is our Theo. He was a rescue cat 7 years ago. He has everything a cat could possibly want including 2 loyal slaves and a cat flap in the kitchen door. However Theo prefers to go in and out of the patio doors in the lounge and will sit by the door waiting for one of his slaves - usually this one - to get out of their chair and attend to his needs. However inadvertently Theo is stopping me from spending my life lazing in my chair and as much as I mutter at him every time he sits pathetically looking through the patio doors struggling out of my chair and hobbling to the door is good exercise and strengthening my legs! Thanks Theo!
@Rups
I believe but do not know, cats were guardians of the granaries of ancient Egypt keeping down populations of raiding rodents. So maybe also they are in the same way a sentry in the larder and the kitchen.
I believe they might also have an eye out for serpents, snakes, lizard kind, which lurks and loiters, ever ready to strike a poisonous blow.
This is intelligence, artificial or not, which sublimes from memories deep within.
Harm a cat and you risk your life in pharaoh’s culture.
@Apple
Your cat is quite obviously intelligent, beautiful and noble, able to see right into your soul, though possibly also extremely cruel.
Both dogs and cats make great companions. They each have a differing approach but both know mankind better than we know ourselves. We should indeed thank them for the work they do.
Thanks for sharing what is such an important part of being alive.
Lowering Blood Pressure and Heart Health: The calming effect of a cat’s company has been linked to lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. The relaxing interaction helps keep the heart and circulatory system healthier over the long term.
This is Whisper, who spends every working day sleeping next to me in my office, occasionally waking to demand that I scratch his head or let him sink his claws into me. Whenever I was worrying about what might happen next, whether I even had a future, he kept reminding me that’s it’s important to live in the present and enjoy what you have now.
A cat walking after a stroke. Possibly, not an easy clip to watch, but one that if we learn to accept, can ultimately motivate us to work at our own rehab. Life reaches out to life.
There is something deeply moving about watching an animal navigate such a challenge. They don’t have the capacity for self-pity or despair in the same way humans do. The cat isn’t thinking, “I used to be able to jump so gracefully, and now look at me.” It simply sees the need to get from point A to point B—perhaps toward a warm spot of sun, a food bowl, or a beloved person—and it puts one unsteady paw in front of the other. It works with what it has, in that moment, without judgment.
For someone going through their own rehabilitation—whether physical, emotional, or professional—that can be an incredibly potent motivator. It strips away the mental narratives we build around our limitations and shows us the pure essence of effort. It’s a quiet, four-legged testament to the idea that progress isn’t about perfection, but about persistence.
Sure, persistence, no matter how gentle or how vigorous is about keeping that life energy flowing. Hopefully, our persistence will also lead to warm spots and treats.
I am firmly on the cat side & am not a dog lover at all. We had a ferral cat move in with us many years ago & he was definitely a jekyll & hyde character. We named him Mog - taken from Meg & Mog on TV. He was black & white…I don’t have any pics to hand as he is long gone & lived in times before mobile phones - oh yes those times did exist.
He loved the top of the fridge freezer & would often tap us on the head as we went past. He could be very loving but was vicious aswell.
Not had any pets since my stroke & not sure I would now. Nothing to do with my stroke I just don’t think I could go through losing another…oh & my hubby is definitely a dog person & not a cat one.
I’ve lost three cats in my lifetime, all of them tabbies … Corporal, Corporal the 2nd, and Daisy. Having grown up on a farm, we had a saying, if you have livestock, you also have deadstock, I guess it hardened my emotions a little. On the note of Mog and smart phones, how surprised he would have been to learn that Steve Jobs recruited a team of cats to develop a piece of tech that would allow cats to dominate the visual stratosphere of the internet, what would eventually become the iPhone. Here is an artist’s impression of the day they finished the project.
well i just love my cats - i have 3 , henry who is so old its un-real we lost count but think we have had him about 24 years and he was 3 when we had him , then meme who is ultra smart and sweet then rose a nasty young thing - the bottom line is cats do exactly what they please when they want on there terms only they love you when its time to eat then its over back to being independant again , they wont go out in the rain or cold and know all the best places to chill out - i find them great company post stroke they seem to know all is not well but dont keep asking are you ok are you ok , , cats know when they are onto a good thing for sure and i love them all
I had a work colleague who took his cat to the vets for some treatment. At the end of the treatment, the vet started to make out an invoice and asked my work colleague his name.
My colleague replied “Mogg”
The vet said not your cat, you?
My colleague replied that is my name, I am Robert Mogg!
Pets are an enormous help and a great comfort to us. My dog, Jessie has been a lifeline for me. I was lucky enough to have her visit me in hospital after my stroke as she was allowed to come in
Whether it be cats, dogs, hamsters or any animal they can calm us and give us a reason to carry on, they need love and care too.
I would be lost without Jess, (not forgetting my husband of course!!) , she has brought me through some dark days and given me such comfort on my road to recovery. Pets are a great way in helping us to recover, their antics can make us laugh and bring us some much needed light relief and of course, we get exercise when feeding or playing with them. Sadly dog walking for me is a thing of the past for now, but who knows, I may yet do a couple of miles along the beach one day!! Dream on…..
, she has brought me through some dark days and given me such comfort on my road to recovery. Pets are a great way in helping us to recover, their antics can make us laugh and bring us some much needed light relief and of course, we get exercise when feeding or playing with them. Sadly dog walking for me is a thing of the past for now, but who knows, I may yet do a couple of miles along the beach one day!! Dream on…..