Figgie's Blog

We got a call back from our friend who is in the pet therapy club with us, and we might be going to the Nursing Home on July 30th. I am keeping my hopes way, way up and crossing my paws that we will be allowed to go. The club thinks we can probably go but they had to contacts the Nursing Home to find if they have special rules about cats. It will be a special treat for my BIRTHDAY (coming up on July 22nd!!!) that I will gets to go!

-Figaro

Mommie contacted the nice lady again who we shadowed with her doggie Cordial, and she said that we could prolly go to the Nursing Home on July 25 or 31. So I am keeping my toesies crossed that I will get to do it!!!




Also today I did some tooth brushings because Mommie said i had the bad of breaths. Now I have squeaky clean teeths for my visitations.


Here is my practicing the Yogas for relaxation.

- A little brighter, Fig.

Well, it turned out that the Hospital does not have a policy that Therapy CATS can visit, only Therapy DOGS. The lady at the hospital said she can look to see if she can change the policy to Therapy ANIMALS but we do not know when that will happen.

Now Mommie has to go shadow another team before i can go somewhere else. She is going to go to the Nursing Home that is right by our house and ask them today for a volunteer application. Then we will see.

So now I just hang out around the house and wait... this is very boring for me.

- One very sad Figaro

Hello kitties,

Yesterday mommie went shadowing for me to find out what place will be a good fit for my volunteering. I cannot go yet because I have not received my paperwork!

She went to our hospital to the rehab unit and she talked with the Recreational Therapist. Also another team with a dog went with her to show her around and the dog was a greyhound named Cordial who is exactly my coloring! Well, I has more white but she is buff and white too.

All the patients said they would like to see me there next time because they like kitties, and soon I will be going there! We decided it was a good place for a mancat like me because it is a very relaxing environment but I will be very useful for helping people who had strokes get regained mobility by petting me! I love to be petted so it will be fun for me too.

I am extremely eggsited about all of this.

Also, parents may go to the petstore tonight to get us a fish for the pond!

For part of my registration, I had to go to the V-E-T to get my physical. It was not so bad, actually, because I did not need to get any shots. But Mom did have to bring a sample of my poo for a fe-cal test. I thought that part was embarrassing.

The V-E-T we have is very, very nice. He said I am a good kitty and he called me "my furry friend." I thinked it was nice. And then he checked all my parts, and said that mom takes "excellent care" of me. Of course she does since I am her bai-bee!! Then I had to take some medicines preventitive just in case I do not get any para-sites. That was okay too because it didn't taste so bad. I did not have to have any shots because I am not due for them until November. And he taked my pulse. It definitely was not as bad as expected. (Also, he did not say I is overweight, so THERE Veronica - no more making funs of my belly).

Now Mom is going to go put the stuff in the mails, and I will be waiting 2-3 weeks to receive my I.D.

Hello fellow man-cats and lady-cats,

I am very, very awesome because Sunday afternoon I PASSED MY EXAM! (The Delta Society Exam) I was very stressed out..but I did it. There was some mishaps. The important thing is, I am now on my way to being a real therapy cat with all the I.D.'s and badge and rights to go visitating!

Here is the run-down. I did VERY well when I gotted petted by many people. The evaluator wrote down "Figaro was uncertain at first but enjoyed the attention." That is exactly how I feeled. I was also fascinated by the volun-teer in the wheelchair, because I never seen one of them before. And I got a good grade for cleanliness. But there was another part where I had to sit still for 30 seconds in another ladies arms and not in Mom's. I do not like to sit still so long so I got very nervous. Then I had to do that part 3 times which is the maximum for how many times you can do each exercise. Overall I got graded a "1" (you can get either Not Acceptable, Not Ready, 1, or 2 - Not Acceptable and Not Ready are very, very bad, and 1 means I pass, and 2 means I pass with honors well I just passed not with any honors). I got "1" on both the Skills test and the Aptitude test. Also it was 90 degrees in that place and I was hot, hot hot! I also had to greet a person who had a doggie with him, this part scared me and I made one little hiss. Well, to get a pass you can only make up to 2 hisses in the 30 whole minutes so they let me pass. My hiss was very little and also I recovered quickly. The dog was a golden retriever and he liked me because he kept trying to get me to give me a lick and that scared me pretty bad. The next part was to "refuse a toy." Mom had to bring a toy and I had to show that I have self control not to chase it. Of course, we were clever and mom brought a toy which is Veronica's which I NEVER play with. It does not make noise or have catnips or anything, it is a mouse and it doesn't even look like one because it is GREEN! So, I did not chase that guy and I got a "2" on that part which is the best you can get. Of course I am a sneak just like my sister.

Now, what is the next part? I have to have a photo session with mom for a photo for the I.D. badges. Also, there is a lot of paperwork we need to sign to become a Pet Partners Team. And, the worst part...I have to go to the V-E-T for a fecal sample and a physical exam. Then in 3 weeks, I will get my badge and I can visitate!!!

Love,

Figaro

Last night I did a practice run of my testings. I visitated Lexie who is a doggie. I likes Lexie's owner who is a 5 years of old kid bean, and she visitated me before and gave me Temptashuns, but I do NOT likes Lexie!! Plus there was another kitteh there named Chauncey and I do not likes her either. At first when we gotted there I was a little nervous and I digged my claws into mom-bean's shoulder (good thing I wears claw-caps!). But then I let Lexie's bean hold me and that was nice, so I do not mind strange beans. Then, Lexie kept barking. Lexie is a small yippy doggie. So then I hissified at her!! And I hissified at Chauncey! I am a good hisser after all. But that was not a good thing so Mombean made us go outside for a while and then we tried again with the same results. Finally mombean said okay and instead Lexie and me (on mommie's shoulder) took a walk outside. We walked for a while and Lexie was on a leash and I kept watching her but did not hiss. Lexie pee'd a lot on the walk. I would NEVER pee while I am out in public! I use the TOILET! Yuck! After that we went home. I guess this visit went okay but I am worried I will not pass the test now because I couldn't help it that I hissed at Lexie! I just did not like her! Mom hopes that I will realized from the meeting that even though we seed a doggie nothing bad happened so I should not be worried. I also learned that the doggie who will be at my testing is a greyhound and he does not barks. I hope that will helps.

Yeeepppp - mom sed it is time for my B-A-T-H now. I have to be clean and nice for my testings on Sunday. Saturday will be a resting-day in preperations.

Are you wondering why there is no photos lately?? We do not have our top of laps, it got sended away for fixings. So we have to use a borrowed one and we do not knows how to connects the camera. But it will be back nekst week and we will postify photos then!

Mombean checked out the book on getting my therapy cat license at the library yesterday and it tells all the steps I has to take. First, there is two EGGZAMS. The first one is to see how I reacts to people and the second one is to see how CLEAN I am!!! I can't shed during the eggzam. This will be very hard because I sheds all the time. They will checks my nose, my ears, my whiskars, my paws, everyplace! Mombean says I better get a baths tomorrow to pre-pare. And I has to allowed the volunteers to holded me. And there will be loud noises and volunteers in wheelchairs that I has to remains calm and collected around. Also, I can't MEOW. That is called a vo-cal-ization. This will be hard because I likes to meow when I talks to mombean or dadbean or Veronica.

But...the worstest part...after the eggzam and within 60 days I have to goes for a V-E-T checkup!!! I hate the V-E-T. On top of that, I has to get a fecal sample tested!!! Yuck. There is a special eggzam the V-E-T has to do and filled out a piece of paper that certificates me.

Tonight I will be going to Lexie's house who is a doggie. I never visitated her before although mombean said she is ver cuuute and wears little pink bowses in her hairs. She is also my size only. But she likes to barks. Anyawy I will be at her house practicipating for my eggzam. I will let you knows how that goes laters.

There is big news in my life. Even though I am not a mancat until July, I am allowings to test early for my Therapy Cat Licence. I am very eggsited. The testing is scheduled for this Sunday, June 8th. I will be the last of the testers at the end of the day. I am a little bit nervous but for cats the rules are not as hard as for dogs so I will not be having to show any of my tricks or use the TOILET.

Here is what I will be having to do. I will be having to let other peoples hold me. And I will have to be polite and good. And I will also have to interact with a woman, a man, and a dog. The dog part scares me but of course I am a strong, strong mancat so I will be fine.

Mombean is having to take a written eggzam. I am glad I don't have to take that eggzam!! Because I do not have opposable thumbs so it is hard for me to write with a pen-sill. But it is easy to write with a computar.

Wish me lucks!!!

If I do not passed i have to take a RETAKE on October!!!