the sweet pea story

When I was 6, my mom got this cat as a gift from a Presbyterian minister. His name was Sweet Pea (the cat - not the minister!). We had him for about a year when he had trauma. Major trauma. To this day, we're not sure what happened, but we think he got hit by a car or something. And lived.

We were dirt poor (we = my mom & me) living in Memphis. My mom somehow paid hundreds of dollars to have Sweet Pea's dear tail amputated so he could live. I mean I'm talking blood transfusions, stitches, the whole nine yards.

A couple of years later, we move to Water Valley, MS, & I get a kitten named Tigger. Sweet Pea has moved with us from Memphis to WV. At this point he has no tail.

Tigger develops a sore on the side of his cheek, so we take him to the vet who then diagnosis Tigger with Leukemia. No more Tigger much to my dismay. The vet suggests we bring in Sweet Pea b/c Leukemia is very contagious within cats. So we do.

When we bring him in, the office says, "We also have this new test for Feline HIV/AIDS. Can we test him for that, too?" Sure go ahead. The cat tests negative on Leukemia & positive on AIDS. At this point, he has no tail & AIDS.

A few years later, Mom's dear cat gets constipated. And of course, being the animal-(esp Sweet Pea)lover my mom is, she is giving Sweet Pea daily enemas at home. The vet in Oxford tells her it's his colon. She takes Sweet Pea to Memphis & pays no telling how much to have his colon removed. At this point, he has no tail, AIDS, & no colon.

B/c of all of these surgeries on his ass, Sweet Pea now has no nerve endings to push out his poo. No worries though - Mom to the rescue. For the next 5 years (yes, 5 YEARS), my mom literally squeezes the shit out of Sweet Pea every day. He thanks her by kissing her face every morning. Either that or he's trying to lick her to death so he can rest in peace!

If my mom didn't squeeze him regularly (& sometimes even if she did), Sweet Pea had anal leakage. Oh joy. My mom figured out the best way to clean it up was to let it dry & then vacuum it up with her $1000 Kirby. Genius. That vacuum cleaner still smells like poo to this day. & she still uses it.

Anyway, in June 2003, we were leaving for the airport as I was heading out west to Cali to stay with my g'parents for the summer. I was pulling my rolling suitcase through the house when I ran it over some of dear Sweet Pea's anal leakage. I hated that cat btw. & so did Richard.

We saw Sweet Pea out in the yard when I said, "I hate that cat." My mom said, "Don't say that about my Sweet Pea!" & ran & gave him a kiss. That was the last time we ever saw him. He was 13 y/o when he just couldn't take it anymore - having no colon, no tail, no nerve endings, & AIDS. Perhaps he could have benefitted from OT! LOL

But wait it gets better. Mom finds his body after a few days (ewww) & buries him where she saw him last with a bird bath as a grave marker. The following Feb (2004), my parents go to France to visit some friends living over there. Naturally, my mom carries a pic of Sweet Pea with her in her wallet. She commissions an artist in France to draw a chalk drawing of Sweet Pea. So, 6 wks later, the chalk drawing comes in the mail.

Mom then takes the drawing to the most expensive place in Oxford to frame it (only the best for Sweet Pea!). Mom comes home, walks in the living room, takes down the family portrait & replaces it with the portrait of Sweet Pea! He has finally relocated into her bedroom sitting area.

One more side note - when my mom would go out of town, she would pay someone to come squeeze Sweet Pea everyday so he didn't explode. Richard & I would not touch him EVER!!!

Here's a pic of the portrait with my cat that we've had since I was 11 (he's 13 y/o), Squirt, who mom tells everyday "I still miss Sweet Pea, too, Squirt!"

Well, here's my question for you: what about OT for our furry friends - pets, zoo animals, wild animals? At times, they need rehab, environmental adaptations, etc. At conference last year, I went to a session where a girl discussed her Level 2 rotation at a zoo-treating animals! Thoughts?