Pets | A Caregiver's Journal

Caregiving, Pets, Mary J Blige and Rodney King

This past week was a test of what this caregiver is made of. Gladys had a bladder infection, seizure and possibly a mini stroke. We called the paramedics and went to the hospital late Sunday night and went to the doctor’s office on Tuesday. Gladys loss control of her legs and arms and Fred and I had to lift her into and out of bed. In addition to her usual many trips to the bathroom, she also had diarrhea, crying spurts and a lot of confusion.

Needless to say, I did not get very much sleep. I slept on the couch so I could hear Gladys and get to her quickly if she needed my help. I finally slept in my own bed on Friday.

I guess you wonder why I titled this post with Mary J Blige and Rodney King. Well, in addition to what was going on with Gladys, our cats decided that they wanted to hiss, snarl and hit at each other during the night. They are separated by a child’s gate and up until this week they had been civil to each other. At one point, I got up three times during the night and I just wanted to know one thing “can’t we all just get along” and have “no more drama.” Can I get these cats to listen to Mary J and Rodney King? I just want some sleep.

Elder Care and Pets – A Caregiver’s Dilemna

For the past few weeks I have seriously considered getting a cat for Gladys. She loves cats. Before she moved to Georgia to live with us, she always had one. I think a pet would be good for her since she is unable to walk up the stairs to spend time with the rest of the family. A cat would be a good companion for her. So, you ask, what’s the problem?

In a previous post I mentioned my cat, Cocoa. She is a pretty chocolate point Siamese cat who is anti-social. Cocoa doesn’t socialize with anyone except me. She tolerates my husband and daughter but will not let them pick her up and she won’t sit on their laps. Gladys has been here three months and Cocoa has just started to go downstairs, but only when Gladys is asleep or when I am bathing Gladys. In an ideal world, Cocoa would take a liking to Gladys and let Gladys pet her. That’s not going to happen.