Brigette S1E1
The Best Therapy Support Animal Ever
We haven’t had a pet of the feline persuasion since we lost Whittington, our Devon-Rex, 24 years ago. Jo and I have had dogs ever since, Scotties, Goldies, and Danes. But last year, one year after losing our last Scottie Rory, I was experiencing debilitative anxiety and my psychologist prescribed a therapy animal. Because Jo and I are still quite active and our forever home is in a quiet community where we are surrounded by other old farts, we thought that rather than getting a traditional therapy dog, we should consider a cat. Their independent nature would serve them and us better on days when my wife and I go galavanting.
So I give you Brigette, a four-year-old Seal Point Siamese who chose Jo and me at our Humane Society a month ago. Anyone who owns a cat knows, they do the picking.
Brigette is a wonderful playmate, companion, confidant, and commiserator. It gives me joy and peace to see her so happy and healthy, and doing her thing. Her favorite toys are berry stems from an artificial plant she breaks off as needed, a wadded-up piece of paper, and a large brown paper bag she uses as a hiding place. She sleeps on our bed, occasionally cuddling, and is always available for hand grooming. Bridgette isn’t a lap cat, or at least not yet. Perhaps because we only have chairs which limit the space. We may change that.
As I write she naps, hunts paper rodents, naps, plays catch with her artificial flowers, naps, talks to us, naps, gets groomed, naps, sits in her window, naps, and through it all manages to never upset our perpetual Scrabble board.
