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Posts Tagged ‘Lexie’
Caregiver’s Dilemma Solved – Welcome Lexie to the Family
As a family caregiver, I am always looking for ways to make life easier for my sister, Gladys and for myself. A few weeks ago I was trying to decide whether or not to get a cat to keep Gladys company. The dilemma was that I already have a Siamese cat who is extremely territorial and quite anti-social.
The Problem
One of the problems that I have in terms of elder care for a family member with dementia is that I live in a three story townhouse. When we moved my sister here, we had to make the first level Gladys’ living quarters because she was left with quite a few physical limitations after her stroke. One of those limitations is that she cannot climb steps. Since she is limited to the first level, Gladys spends a lot of time alone. Because she loves cats, I thought a cat would be a good companion for her.
Problem Solved
Last Friday, I adopted Lexie from the Cobb County Animal Shelter. Lexie is a six year old tortoise shell domestic mix who lived with an older couple who moved and could not take her with them. She is very calm and affectionate, she loves to be petted. She is the exact opposite of my cat, Cocoa. Lexie has her own food and water dish and a separate litter box. All of which are downstairs.
Precautions
Before I brought Lexie home, I did a little homework on introducing her to our household. Many thanks for suggestions from some of you. Prior to Lexie’s arrival , I brought a child’s gate and installed it at the top of the stairs from the first level. In addition, I covered the gate. The gate of course separates the cats but the covering keeps them from seeing each other. This way they get accustomed to each other’s scents before they actually meet. So far Cocoa caught a glimpse of Lexie and let out an ear splitting shriek. Lexie just sat at the bottom of the steps and looked at Cocoa as if to say, “what’s the problem?”
Gladys’ Reaction to Lexie
Gladys loves having Lexie around. Her eyes light up and she gets excited when she sees Lexie. She whistles for her and looks for Lexie when she’s gone off exploring. Since Lexie has been here, I have seen some of the “old Gladys” that I knew when I was a child. Gladys is happy and I’m happy.
Related Reading
Elder Care and a Caregiver’s Dilemna
Cocoa Said She Didn’t Sign Up for Caregiving
