Christmas Party at the Children’s Hospital

I’m really glad I wore my festive collar for my therapy cat visit to the children’s hospital! When I arrived, there was a Christmas party going on, and something like 50 kids to see! So it was quite a big day for me.

The lobby area had a huge Christmas tree, and the waiting area was full of families. This is the hospital where doctors help kids with physical disabilities, so many of the patients I saw had mobility issues or were missing limbs. I love when kids pet me who have a hard time doing it. They are usually still gentle with me, and I’m actually helping them work with their arms and hands by just being there for them. Like the first little girl. Her arms were twisted… but not at all useless. She petted me for a very long time, and even though her hands were at an awkward angle, her touch still felt good. Another little girl was there with her very nice dad. Between dad jokes, he told me and my human about their Siamese cat at home.

After going through the lobby, we went into the area with the exam rooms, and it seemed like nearly every one was occupied. But we went from room to room, and most of the patients wanted to spend a few minutes with me. I felt sad for one boy because he came running up to me, but his mother said he was asthmatic so we couldn’t visit. He really loved seeing me, though. In another room, an older boy was lying down on an exam table, and he was so happy to have me come hang out with him. He put his arm around me and hugged me close, and I purred for him.

Back in the lobby area, some of the staff posed with me before we left. My human and I were really fortunate for this visit — we had a helper. She’s one of our therapy organization members that is currently without a pet, so she assists on some visits. We really needed her this time! She was able to handle the camera and take photos for the kids, and my human could focus on making sure our visits were quality time for both me and the patients.

Did I mention how much I love what I do?

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