TINKERBELLE REMEMBERS: Shadowing

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

By Mollie Hunt

Part 12: Shadowing

One day, Tinkerbelle and I got an email from our local Pet Partners office asking if we’d mind being shadowed. We said we would enjoy the opportunity.

Being shadowed means having someone come along with us on visits to watch what we do. Usually it is someone who aspires to have a therapy cat of their own, or someone new to Pet Partners who wants to see how we go about our presentations. This time it was different. The pretty lady that greeted us at the door was getting her degree as a Cat Behaviorist, and part of her assignment was to go out on real calls and get to know what our therapy cats were like.

Marci and I went on several visits to the assisted living facility. She asked a lot of questions, got to know Tinkerbelle, and even helped me carry Tinkerbelle from room to room. She enjoyed the residents and appreciated the interactions they had with Tink. I enjoyed her enthusiastic company and insights into cat behavior. Tinkerbelle enjoyed her pets. It was all win-win.

Marci went on to become one of the foremost cat behaviorists in the Portland Oregon area. We are still good friends even though Tink has retired.

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/.