Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Steps in the Right Direction

Continuing the subject of my previous entry, I have items in the cosy apartment that are new to us.

This past weekend, I rode out to where all the box stores are in our city, far to the south. I had found on Rona’s website a small, plastic step-stool that would, I felt, be ideal for placement against the side of the bed, allowing Cammie a less stressful ascent and descent from and to the floor. The journey by bicycle is not strenuous, though it does constitute a few miles. But Rona did not have the stool in stock. Lowe’s had nothing similar. Canadian Tire, Peavey Mart, Walmart were all without anything even close to what I wanted.

After three houyrs of riding and searching, I stopped at Superstore (its official name is the Real Canadian Superstore, no doubt to differentiate it from the fake ones) and bought some Fancy Feast that was on sale. I also checked for a stool there, but was unsurprised to find none.

While waiting to pay for my cat-food, however, I met a woman who, with her husband, had adopted a cat from the PAW Society three years before. They and the rescue-group had remained in touch, as their cat had a few digestive issues. The cat is doing very well now and is, in fact, more active and friendly than ever. I described to her my tribulations in locating a stool to assist Cammie, and she suggested that she take one of theirs. They had a couple of stools they were not using. They would even drop it off for me.

Needless to write, I was very grateful, especially when the couple decided to give me both of the stools they were not using. Yesterday, I was able to place them by the bed. The smaller does not reach as high as the other, but it will allow Cammie to feel the first step before letting go of the bed, an improvement on simply dropping, literally blindly, to the floor.

Cammie has not used them yet, and it will take some time for her to decide to do so. She likely is not even aware that they are there, and I don’t want to force her to realise it. When I am present and see her trying to drop from the bed, I will point them out by patting their surfaces. I am attempting to teach her the word ‘step’. For the time being, they will be just more obstacles for her to bump into but, with luck and perseverance (mine and hers), they will become useful furniture to make her days and nights easier.

I just have to remember that the steps are there, otherwise sprains and concussions may become familiar to me as I rise from bed on dark mornings…


14 comments:

  1. I hope see figures out the steps soon!

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  2. So glad you happened upon the couple who had steps to give you! Fate must have taken pity on you after all that cycling around with no luck! - Tom x

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  3. Bless that couple, and how fortuitous your meeting at the store! Cammie will get it; she's a smart kitty. And what you typed about keeping the human from hitting the floor, after tripping over these improvements...well, that is something that I understand!

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  4. Those stools are great, and I'm sure Cammie will adapt and learn to use them quickly. I have a stool next to the bed that's similar to the one in the top picture, and my cats use it, so I'm sure that once Cammie learns the stools help her get on and off the bed easily, she'll have no problem using them.

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  5. what a generous gift[s} .....984 paws up as da tabbies say.

    treat motivation will help in getting cammie to use the steps;
    a treat on each as she moves up and then again down, and repeated a few times should do the trick !! :) ♥♥♥

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    1. Unfortunately, I can’t take the chance of anything but her special diet causing Cammie’s food allergies to flare up. The poor girl can’t have treats of any kind.

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  6. she will figure it out - the challenge will be how many times you fall over them before that happens

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  7. That was very generous of those people. At the moment it is something strange that is in a place where there was nothing before, but as Cammie gets used to them being there, hopefully she will investigate further.

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  8. How generous! That definitely was the Universe (or God, if you prefer) in action, IMO. I hope it doesn't take Cammie long to figure them out.

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  9. The steps are just great John..
    And..Yes! You'll have to be careful
    getting out of bed of a morning, you
    know what cats are like, anything new,
    they love to lie on it, and maybe sleep
    on it! :).

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  10. Oh those are perfect!!! Cammie and the others should love this assist! How generous and nice of the couple to help.

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  11. That was terrific of those folks to donate the stools. I'm sure Cammie will figure them out soon. Hopefully you do too!

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  12. The kindness of strangers. That was very generous of them plus bringing the steps to your apt! Have the others tried using it?

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  13. They are really nice and should give her a great advantage and will be handy for any others who may be in need. Our elder Buddy Budd has a set that brings him to the table so he can have his meals. He no longer eats during the day but still visits on occasion. Now I feed him on the bed at night and he has a storage container that he climbs to gain purchase. He mostly drops down without using it that causes me fits but he knows his old body better than I

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