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

By Mollie Hunt

Part 15: Renewing our certificate and a surprise.

Tests make everyone a little nervous, and re-taking the Pet Partners certification test was no exception. Tinkerbelle and I had taken our initial test at the Oregon Humane Society, familiar ground to me, a volunteer, but this time all the OHS slots were full. In order to get re-certified before our current certificate expired, we had to find another site.

That was how we met all the wonderful folk at Columbia River Pet Partners. It was February and cold, but I found the clubhouse warm and inviting. Tinkerbelle must have felt the same because she totally relaxed into it. Simulating real-life scenarios, she was confronted by loud conversation, falling items, people with disabilities, and a dog. Nothing fazed her, and she passed with flying colors.

To my surprise and joy, Tinkerbelle was promoted from a qualification rating of “Predictable” to one of “Complex”. That meant we could go anywhere, even extremely active facilities. It also made us more desirable, but I wasn’t planning on taking on much more than we already did. Tink would be turning 14 in a few months, and there was no way I was going to overwork this precious gem.

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.

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