Hi everyone, it’s Ruby! I have been busy the last couple of weeks! Mom got sick the day after New Year’s. She said it was “just a cold,” whatever that means, but I sure was worried about her. There were some really weird things happening, and I wasn’t sure what to make of them.
For starters, she went back to bed after she fed us in the mornings. That never happens! Allegra and I were not sure what was going on, but I decided that maybe that was actually a good thing, so I went back to bed and curled right up with her. When she got up a couple of hours later, I stayed in bed, it was so nice and toasty there. I always get nice and warm sleeping curled up against Mom, but on those days, it was like sleeping with a radiator in a sun puddle!
Another thing that was weird was that instead of just sleeping with one pillow, the way she usually does, she had a whole bunch of pillows propped up against the bed’s headboard. She said it was to help her breathe. That seemed pretty silly to me, because isn’t breathing something that just happens? It really messed with my comfort level! I like to curl up in her arms and have my head rest on the pillow. With this new arrangement, the pillows were way too high for me! And to make things worse, even once I found a comfortable position, she kept tossing and turning, and every time she turned, I had to climb over her and find a comfortable position again on the other side. Humans – they are so high-maintenance! But I knew I had to stay close to her to make her feel better!
Once Mom did get up, she usually didn’t make it much further than the sofa, and I made sure I stayed close by then, too. I know she needed me!
But one night was the worst. Mom normally sleeps on her side, which makes curling up in her arms super easy for me. That night, she slept almost sitting up. She said it was the only way she could breathe. Seriously? No matter how hard I tried, there was no way I could comfortably curl up with her, between all the pillows, and her sitting up. I kept pacing from one side to the other – what was I going to do? I knew she needed me, but it seemed like there was just no way I was going to get comfortable.
Thankfully, the following night, Mom seemed to feel a little better. And then the coughing started. Good grief, can’t a girl get some rest? Without fail, as soon as I got comfy on her lap, or curled up against her in bed, she’d start coughing. I chattered at her to stop, that she was scaring me, but she just kept on coughing. And I kept chattering at her. She kept apologizing, but boy, it was exhausting!
Thankfully, after about a week of all of this, things returned to normal. And if you’re wondering where Allegra was when all of this happened: she didn’t seem too worried about Mom. She just went about her business. I hope she knows that that was only possible because I was on the job, taking care of Mom!
Kitties, do you take care of your humans when they get sick?
Awww, me too, Ruby…..i am just getting to feel better now, that’s why i have missed so many weeks of your antics! I had Nurse Molly tending me
Full time for nearly 3 weeks…..hope your Mommy is better now!!!
I’m glad you’re feeling better now, Lilly!
WOW, I want a nurse like ruby. Awesomely written.
Poor Mom, we are glad she is feeling better. I had the same thing only my cough lasted for about 3 weeks!
I hope you’re feeling better by now, Caren!
So glad your mom is feeling better. What a devoted nurse you are, Ruby. The only good thing about being sick is extra cuddle time with kitties.
I went thisexact same scenario with me being sick & my cats! Still getting over it. Now hubby is sick.
Meow Ruby. I am a nurse cat also. This is a poem I meowed about the very special work we nurse cats do.
I Am A Nurse Cat
By Lilith Kitten, Age 16¾
Senior Nurse Cat & Diabeticat
I am a nurse cat,
When my human is sick
I lay down with her,
Or on her,
And purr my best purrs
For her to feel better.
When she gets up
I call to her,
Come back to bed!
You are sick!
I must take care of you!
Touch her nose with my nose,
Make sure she’s alright,
Lay down with her,
Or on her,
And purr my best purrs,
For her to feel better.
I am a GOOD nurse cat.
I love it!
Ruby you do such a great job of letting us humans know about your nursing skills. Glad your human is recovering. You did a great job!
ai-yai Ruby, I know just what you went through. I had to nurse my friend through 3 weeks of this stuff. She coughed all day and night and kept taking tinctures every couple hours which made her smell like a gin mill. I thought she was going to die so i never left her alone not even for a minute. I’m sure I am the reason she recovered. The things we go through, eh? We all deserve medals.
love,
Nurse Cricket
So happy you’re on the mend, Ingrid. Hugs to you and Nurse Ruby!!
You’re a good nurse, Ruby! My youngest cat has a nursing instinct too and cared for me earlier this week.
Hope you’re feeling better soon — sounds like you had ‘a touch of the flu’ — or that miserable bronchitis that’s been plaguing us over here since the Fall. Be sure to have a humidifier going, and try a teaspoon of honey every day for your throat. Otherwise, Mucinex DM is a real help.
Wow, Nurse Ruby is a wonderful care-giver! I think Allegra knew Ruby had you covered, & just wanted to ensure that everything else kept running smoothly while Mom was out sick!
Actually, I fell down some stairs yesterday; as I sat on the landing, howling the pain out, my sweet Jonah cat came running to help. He sat with me the whole time I was gathering my senses & profoundly thanking the universe for my lack of broken bones. I’m very impressed with & grateful for his concern and attention! ❤️
I’m so glad you didn’t break anything, Stephanie. Those falls are scary. How sweet that Jonah sat with you until you recovered from the shock of the fall!
She is so cute ! Can you send her to my house ?? I’m not sick, but I lost my tortie, Bambi a month ago (cancer, she was only 6 and it was very sudden). Ever since I have been heartsick.
Maybe Ruby could help me feel better too ! She seems like a very sweet cat and beautiful too. So is Allegra. Both are gorgeous. Glad you are feeling better.
I’m so sorry about Bambi, Debi. And while Ruby and Allegra don’t do housecalls, they send kitty kisses your way.
Thank you for your kind thoughts, Ingrid. It has been very hard to even talk about.
Good work, Nurse Ruby! Ingrid, Phoebe and I are glad you’re on the mend.
We hope your mommy feels better soon
Glad your feeling better.
My Snuff comes crying to me whenever I sneeze. Doesn’t matter where she is in the house she comes to me when I sneeze…
Hi Ruby – seems like our humans are keeping us extra-busy lately with all this nursing stuff. Our human is sick too, and we’ve been taking turns being a kitty blanket for her. Hope your mom gets better soon! Understanding purrs from the Zee/Zoey kitties.
If you don’t have a medication to stop a cough, try this: nibble on a piece of candied ginger. Sounds crazy, but I read about it, had to try it (I’m prone to persistent, hard to stop coughs), and was delightfully surprised. It works.
Thanks, Cheri, I’ll definitely give it a try!
I’m glad your human is feeling better, Ruby! They sure are hard to take care of when they’re not well, aren’t they? I’ve seen patients in hospitals, and my human has never been that sick that I felt she needed extra nursing – knock on wood!