I’m not getting any younger. My metabolism is probably slowing down and I still like to eat sugar-garbage as my number one treat. I don’t want to be unhealthy or become unhappy with my appearance, so naturally, an exercise regimen is key.
I’ve tried the gym route and the at home route. I’ve found a comfortable spot with a short run to one end of my neighborhood and then a long walk to the other, followed by a few reps of light weights during Netflix time. I also walk Smidge every day, which is good for both of us.
Saturday I prepared to hit the pavement and… I hit it. I hit my knees, my hip and planted both hands after I tripped on a crack in the sidewalk. I am not proud to announce I screamed twice, walked home crying and bleeding, and then cried more as I assessed the damage. It was gross and more importantly, it hurt!
I live in a home with stairs so you can imagine my joy hobbling up them with a seriously banged up knee and my left hand a little shocked. I peeled off my running tights and sat on the edge of the tub, preparing to wash my wound, well, if I could get in it.
While I sat there and sniffled at my ill fortune, the slow locomotive of a purring cat entered the bathroom. Cairo knew I was hurting and he was about to try every trick he knew to make me feel better.
The Nurse Cairo Method is as follows:
- Purr as loud as possible, so loud you can be heard from another room
- Slink towards patient with tail gracefully inquiring about symptoms
- Begin triage. Start by rubbing face all over patient and near affected area.
- Next triage step jump into lap if patient is seated. If not, roll over on floor to expose belly.
- Final triage step. Sandpaper kisses.
No, I did not let Nurse Cairo get past Step 4, and I tried very hard to keep his face from touchy my bloody knee. The last thing I want is cat hair getting stuck in my wound! It’s bad enough getting in your eye or tickling your nose.
However, cat’s purring has been shown to be a healing agent. Cats themselves will use purring to heal themselves if they don’t feel well – so if you notice your cat is purring out of normal range and is purring a lot, a vet trip may be in order – but the purring range of 25 and 150 Hertz can actually be beneficial to humans too. Scientific America said there’s a possibility that purring helps stimulate muscles and bones in cats without using a ton of energy, and since they tend to sleep a lot, that would make sense. It also might help humans out, they said.
Cats also purr when stressed, assumably to calm themselves, and of course, just for pleasure’s sake.
While I know Nurse Cairo is not an RN, he has no medical training, and is not strong enough for CPR or the Heimlich Manuever, I will always appreciate his attempts to make me feel better after an injury, physical or otherwise.
Maybe while I’m recovering from this grungy knee, I’ll teach him to walk on a leash to get my exercise in.
