The Finding of a Therapy Cat: a series about Tinkerbelle, Registered Pet Partner Therapy Cat (retired) and our journey together.

By Mollie Hunt

Part 6. Finding our way

Yay! We passed the test so Tinkerbelle and I were official registered Pet Partners with a plastic ID card for me and a nice shinny badge for Tink.

Now what? Pet Partners go many different places such as schools, libraries, hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, and more. I needed to decide which direction I wanted to take us. Though all are worthy causes, I chose Assisted Living Facilities. I enjoy older people and understand the heartache of leaving behind a cherished cat because you no longer are able to care for them.

As the one thing was decided, a whole new set of questions came to light. How do I find places to visit? What do I say when I get there? What if Tink gets anxious (or I get anxious, for that matter)? Luckily Pet Partners has nice, knowledgeable supervisors who can help with all that.

I was given a list of facilities and a familiar name popped out, a place I had visited before for another reason. I got hold of the activities director and before I knew it, we’d made a date. That was so easy I called a second place, and they wanted us too. I was happy, excited. I felt like calling some more but wisely stopped myself from overcommitting. After all, Tink and I had yet to take our maiden voyage.

About Tinkerbelle:
Tink served for four years as a registered Pet Partner Therapy Cat, visiting assisted living facilities and hospice patients. Tink is now retired and living the quiet life. Check out her Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/TinkerbelleTheTherapyCat/

About Mollie Hunt:
Mollie is the author of the Crazy Cat Lady cozy mystery series, featuring Lynley Cannon, a sixty-something cat shelter volunteer who finds more trouble than a cat in catnip. Mollie is a member of the Oregon Writers’ Colony, Sisters in Crime, and the Cat Writers’ Association. This year she won a CWA Muse Medallion for her 3-part blogpost series, “Life Stages”.

Like Lynley, Mollie is a grateful shelter volunteer. She is a longtime volunteer for the Oregon Humane Society where she socializes sad, fearful, and behavior-challenged cats. She also fosters sick and elderly cats in her home. In 2014, she had the privilege to work with cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy on a particularly thought-provoking case.

You can find Mollie on her Website: http://www.lecatts.wordpress.com/, her Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/molliehunt, and her Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/MollieHuntCatWriter/.

Sign up for her Extremely Informal Newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/c0fOTn.

The post TINKERBELLE REMEMBERS: Finding our way appeared first on Katzenworld.