A beautiful elderly ladycat

(Note: Yes, I have a therapist. No, I'm not currently depressed,
suicidal, unstable, or anything like that. I'm just trying to figure
some stuff out, and I find it helps to have an unbiased person to work
with and talk to.)

My therapist works out of her home, and her home has two cats. Well,
so she tells me. I will be telling you about Yin; the other one is
too shy to be found when strangers are around.

Yin is an elderly ladycat. She is in her teens. Before my therapist
adopted her, she lived for several years in a homeless man's backpack.
It's hard for me to imagine a cat enjoying that lifestyle, but I think
she did.

Yin has long, soft fur, black and white and orange all mixed up in a
delightful spray of color. When I enter the house, my therapist is
usually still downstairs in her office, but I can hear Yin approaching
by the time I have my shoes off. I sit on the floor and she climbs
into my lap, purring her sweet fuzzy head off.

Yin has thick fur, but you can feel the thin frame of an elderly cat
underneath it. I'm always very careful when I pet her, but she
headbutts me for more and rubs her lips on my hand to help me groom
her cheeks and ears. I think she's happy to have a friend who knows
how to pet a cat; maybe most of her visitors aren't cat people.

When it's time for the session, Yin follows me into the office and
often sits on my lap while I talk. She relaxes me and makes me feel
right at home.

I treasure my moments with Yin. And when I get home, Oscar doesn't
even seem to mind that I've been snuggling with another cat.


--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...
(Note: Yes, I have a therapist. No, I'm not currently depressed,
suicidal, unstable, or anything like that. I'm just trying to figure
some stuff out, and I find it helps to have an unbiased person to work
with and talk to.)

My therapist works out of her home, and her home has two cats. Well,
so she tells me. I will be telling you about Yin; the other one is
too shy to be found when strangers are around.

Yin is an elderly ladycat. She is in her teens. Before my therapist
adopted her, she lived for several years in a homeless man's backpack.
It's hard for me to imagine a cat enjoying that lifestyle, but I think
she did.

Yin has long, soft fur, black and white and orange all mixed up in a
delightful spray of color. When I enter the house, my therapist is
usually still downstairs in her office, but I can hear Yin approaching
by the time I have my shoes off. I sit on the floor and she climbs
into my lap, purring her sweet fuzzy head off.

Yin has thick fur, but you can feel the thin frame of an elderly cat
underneath it. I'm always very careful when I pet her, but she
headbutts me for more and rubs her lips on my hand to help me groom
her cheeks and ears. I think she's happy to have a friend who knows
how to pet a cat; maybe most of her visitors aren't cat people.

When it's time for the session, Yin follows me into the office and
often sits on my lap while I talk. She relaxes me and makes me feel
right at home.

I treasure my moments with Yin. And when I get home, Oscar doesn't
even seem to mind that I've been snuggling with another cat.


--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

What a sweet story. Do you have any pictures? I went to your link, but I
didn't see any pictures of Yin.

Also, I always want "details." Do you know how your therapist happened to
adopt Yin? Did the homeless man ask her for help, or what happened?

MaryL

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:

My therapist works out of her home, and her home has two cats... [snip]

Yin has long, soft fur, black and white and orange all mixed up in a
delightful spray of color. When I enter the house, my therapist is
usually still downstairs in her office, but I can hear Yin approaching
by the time I have my shoes off. I sit on the floor and she climbs
into my lap, purring her sweet fuzzy head off.

When it's time for the session, Yin follows me into the office and
often sits on my lap while I talk. She relaxes me and makes me feel
right at home.

Oh, that sounds wonderful! I would love having a cat sit on my lap
during therapy. Hey, who needs the therapist?

I once went to a therapist who had a dog that used to hang out in the
room with us. But the dog was distracting - he was constantly getting up,
making noise, needing attention, etc. So it kind of drove me crazy. I
started feeling like dealing with the dog was taking up too much of our
time, so I finally asked my therapist if she would mind keeping her dog
in another room while we were in session. Well, you'd think I'd asked her
to store her dog in a coffin, she was so offended! How dare I not want to
spend every moment with Fifi! But that's a whole other subject -
Therapists Who Are Crazier Than Their Clients.

I would have a very hard time getting annoyed by a cat in the room,
though.

Joyce

On 2006-03-01, MaryL penned:

What a sweet story. Do you have any pictures? I went to your link,
but I didn't see any pictures of Yin.

Sorry; that's just the link in my signature. I don't have any
pictures of Yin. I would feel weird asking to take a picture of her,
but maybe I will, one of these days.

Also, I always want "details." Do you know how your therapist
happened to adopt Yin? Did the homeless man ask her for help, or
what happened?

I am not sure how she met the man, although I know she is involved in
many charitable activities. As I recall, she said that he was
planning to move into a house up in the mountains and allow Yin to
roam outside. Our mountains have mountain lions and coyotes, just for
starters. I guess she asserted herself and "suggested" that she take
Yin, instead. As she tells the story, he was fairly relieved, as he
was hoping to get a big dog and wasn't sure how everything would work
out.

I think Yin got her name before she found her foreverhome.

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

On 2006-03-01, penned:
Monique Y. Mudama wrote:


Oh, that sounds wonderful! I would love having a cat sit on my lap
during therapy. Hey, who needs the therapist?

Well, me, for starters =P But having Yin there is a definite boost
to the effectiveness of the whole process.

I once went to a therapist who had a dog that used to hang out in
the room with us. But the dog was distracting - he was constantly
getting up, making noise, needing attention, etc. So it kind of
drove me crazy. I started feeling like dealing with the dog was
taking up too much of our time, so I finally asked my therapist if
she would mind keeping her dog in another room while we were in
session. Well, you'd think I'd asked her to store her dog in a
coffin, she was so offended! How dare I not want to spend every
moment with Fifi! But that's a whole other subject - Therapists Who
Are Crazier Than Their Clients.

Oh, man, that's obnoxious. My therapist made it clear that if she
feels Yin is distracting me from the matter at hand, she will have to
leave the room. Yin seems to get it, though. When I did the hypno
stuff, Yin moved to another spot and was content just to be nearby.

I would have a very hard time getting annoyed by a cat in the room,
though.

A playful, younger kitty might not be annoying, but could definitely
interfere with concentration ...

I have had two massage therapists now (yeah, yeah; it's not as
wonderful as it sounds, because I'm getting deep tissue and trigger
point work on my injured wrist, and it's pretty painful) who had dogs
in the room. My first MT's dog was young and a fairly active dog, but
he didn't make much noise or move around much; probably because she
took him on extensive hikes almost every day. My current MT has an
older dog, Emma, who likes to stay in the room during massages. I
wonder if it's because this MT keeps the room very warm, like close to
100 degrees; maybe it feels good to Emma's joints. Emma is so quiet
that I sometimes forget she is there, but when I've gotten onto the
table and am waiting for the MT to come in, she likes to approach me
for attention. My MT also has an adorable black and white cat named
Obie. He is very calm and unflappable, but according to my MT, that
only started when he was hit by lightning! Poor cat. He was very
sick for a few days after that, but he made it through. He just
hasn't been quite the same since. Obie does a wonderful "cello cat"
performance ...

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:


I treasure my moments with Yin. And when I get home, Oscar doesn't
even seem to mind that I've been snuggling with another cat.

That sounds very lovely and relaxing. Cats are very therapeutic.

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.
marina (dot) kurten (at) iki (dot) fi
Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/
Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/
and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...
(Note: Yes, I have a therapist. No, I'm not currently depressed,
suicidal, unstable, or anything like that. I'm just trying to figure
some stuff out, and I find it helps to have an unbiased person to work
with and talk to.)

My therapist works out of her home, and her home has two cats. Well,
so she tells me. I will be telling you about Yin; the other one is
too shy to be found when strangers are around.

Yin is an elderly ladycat. She is in her teens. Before my therapist
adopted her, she lived for several years in a homeless man's backpack.
It's hard for me to imagine a cat enjoying that lifestyle, but I think
she did.

Yin has long, soft fur, black and white and orange all mixed up in a
delightful spray of color. When I enter the house, my therapist is
usually still downstairs in her office, but I can hear Yin approaching
by the time I have my shoes off. I sit on the floor and she climbs
into my lap, purring her sweet fuzzy head off.

Yin has thick fur, but you can feel the thin frame of an elderly cat
underneath it. I'm always very careful when I pet her, but she
headbutts me for more and rubs her lips on my hand to help me groom
her cheeks and ears. I think she's happy to have a friend who knows
how to pet a cat; maybe most of her visitors aren't cat people.

When it's time for the session, Yin follows me into the office and
often sits on my lap while I talk. She relaxes me and makes me feel
right at home.

I treasure my moments with Yin. And when I get home, Oscar doesn't
even seem to mind that I've been snuggling with another cat.


--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Sounds to me like Yin is doing her part in your therapy! ;

Seriously, I bet other patients get a lot of comfort from her too. There's
nothing like having a purring kitty in you lap to put things into
perspective for you.

--

Hugs,

CatNipped

See all my masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
(Note: Yes, I have a therapist. No, I'm not currently depressed,
suicidal, unstable, or anything like that. I'm just trying to figure
some stuff out, and I find it helps to have an unbiased person to work
with and talk to.)

My therapist works out of her home, and her home has two cats. Well,
so she tells me. I will be telling you about Yin; the other one is
too shy to be found when strangers are around.

Yin is an elderly ladycat. She is in her teens. Before my therapist
adopted her, she lived for several years in a homeless man's backpack.
It's hard for me to imagine a cat enjoying that lifestyle, but I think
she did.

Yin has long, soft fur, black and white and orange all mixed up in a
delightful spray of color. When I enter the house, my therapist is
usually still downstairs in her office, but I can hear Yin approaching
by the time I have my shoes off. I sit on the floor and she climbs
into my lap, purring her sweet fuzzy head off.

Yin has thick fur, but you can feel the thin frame of an elderly cat
underneath it. I'm always very careful when I pet her, but she
headbutts me for more and rubs her lips on my hand to help me groom
her cheeks and ears. I think she's happy to have a friend who knows
how to pet a cat; maybe most of her visitors aren't cat people.

When it's time for the session, Yin follows me into the office and
often sits on my lap while I talk. She relaxes me and makes me feel
right at home.

I treasure my moments with Yin. And when I get home, Oscar doesn't
even seem to mind that I've been snuggling with another cat.


That story reminds me of the bookstore kitty in my hometown.. she has
since passed to the bridge, but while she reigned in the store she was a
very personable and loving kitty. I've noticed a few bookstores here in
edmonton with resident kitties, those are the kind of store i love!

Kristy

dopekitty wrote:
Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
(Note: Yes, I have a therapist. No, I'm not currently depressed,
suicidal, unstable, or anything like that. I'm just trying to figure
some stuff out, and I find it helps to have an unbiased person to work
with and talk to.)


I think cats ARE therapy Nothing fixes a bad day like kitty luv.

--Fil

On 2006-03-01, Enfilade penned:

I think cats ARE therapy Nothing fixes a bad day like kitty luv.


It's definitely a boost! It's hard to feel like a screw-up when you
have a cat on your lap who's so happy to be with you that she's
drooling.

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca