After
one of Boo's strokes, my sister's cat had a litter of kittens.. Boo
chose to adopt the only male, an adorable orange tiger cat---and
then, the man who'd never really been a “cat person” fell in
love. The two became inseparable.
The
first day we had him, Boo decided that Boudreaux needed a bottle.
So, I bought one and Boo happily fed Boudreaux daily until the kitten
finally chewed a hole in the nipple about three weeks after he came
to live with us.
Even
as a tiny kitten Boudreaux seemed to understand that Boo was his
special responsibility. On Boo's unsettled days, Boudreaux stayed
close to him. On several occasions when Boo tried to wander away
from the house, Boudreaux raised a ruckus until I brought Boo back
inside. A few times, Boudreaux has awakened me at night when Boo's
blood pressure was rising. Quite often I've found the two of them
napping together.
After
one of Boo's hospitalizations, he was reluctant to talk. His home
health nurse and occupational therapist found that if they directed
their comments to the cat, Boo would respond. He would discuss the
kitten's antics willingly.
This
past week when Boo was uneasy about walking in the yard, Boudreaux
saved the day. We put his “guide cat” harness on and let him
ride on the seat of Boo's rolling walker and mosey around the yard on
a leash. Boo was content to be outside as long as his trusty
companion was with him.
Thank
goodness for Boudreaux! He's Boo's loyal companion, his “security
blanket,” his protector and, at times, his motivation to talk and
move.
Thankful Thursday
when my grandfather was in his last days and constantly upset about things, we could calm him down by asking him to describe his mother's garden at the house where he spent his early years or something about that place. after interring his ashes, we drove out to the old homestead and explored. (the current owner was more than happy to let us when he found out what we were doing.)
ReplyDeleteTalking about his childhood and young adult years seems to help Boo focus on something positive. Other times, Boudreaux is the only thing that will comfort him. I truly believe that we'd end up using medication to calm him frequently as opposed to a couple of times a month. Did you ever record your grandfather's memories?
ReplyDeletei don't know if they were recorded or not. i'm pretty sure they're etched on the memories of my mom and her siblings. this would be a good thing to do with my grandmother while she is still alive.
ReplyDelete