Scrappy Doo: Healing Cat Extraordinaire

By now, most people have heard at least a little about the healing properties of a cat’s purr; how it can help heal everythingScrappy Doo relaxing from broken bones and muscle, tendon and ligament injuries to infection and swelling. The healing power of the purr also has been shown to lower blood pressure, blood sugar and stress and reduce the risk of heart attack. I’m not going to go into a lot of detail here, as it isn’t the point of my post, but if you want to know more, check out this article: http://dailyinfographic.com/the-healing-power-of-cat-purrs-infographic

What I did come here to discuss was that I realized today that I have an especially talented healing cat. OK, I hear the dog people out there snickering and pointing to the rantings of a crazy cat lady. Guilty as charged, BUT, Scrappy Doo really does have a special sensitivity about him. It just wasn’t until today that I started putting the pieces together.

Shortly after he joined the family,Scrappy Can I eat that he started arguing with Munchkin over who got to curl up in my lap while I meditate. While they have reached an understanding and, in fact, can often be found sharing the responsibility, Scrappy takes it a few steps further.

Once I settle on the sofa and spread the fleece blanket on my lap, he jumps up with his motor going full blast and just stands on my lap for a bit. Then he noses around as if he’s looking for something. Up to now, I thought he was just looking for the spot where he wanted to nap, but today I was experiencing some discomfort in my lower belly and my knees have been a bit cranky lately. After sniffing around, and trying a couple of spots, he settled with his head on my stomach and his body curled up over my knees. That was when I realized there is a method to his madness.

A few weeks ago, I pulled something in my right shoulder. For a few days, his meditation spot of choice was curled up on that shoulder. When my ribs have shifted out of their normal place, he will lay across my rib cage. I realized that he knew exactly what he was doing, and had simply used his special radar to determine where his services were needed most.

Of course, the rest of the clan has special powers as well. Dylan and Patches typically lay near my head at night and purr me to sleep (though I have to admit, they’ve yet to find a way to stop the crazy, vivid dreams!) and Munchkin likes to climb up and lay on one shoulder or the other with her head next to my ear, purring contentedly as I snuggle her like I would a small child.

My father and both grandfathers had developed Type II diabetes long before they reached my advanced age, yet my annual physicals have shown no sign of elevated blood sugar. In hindsight, my ability to dance only six days after knee surgery was surely at least partially due to my feline nurses during my recovery.

Now that I do the majority of my work from the comfort of home, I am rarely without a cat lounging within a few feet of where I’m working. I won’t say that my writing flows more smoothly as a result, but I can work through the frustrations a lot more easily, and then, I move on.

Mock me if you will, but I will have the last laugh

I do have to wonder if a cat’s purr can effectively prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia. Since I believe that everything, including the most minute particle in our body is energy, it only follows that a vibration such as the sound of a cat’s purr could somehow rearrange the molecules of the brain into a healthier, happier state.

My gratitudes tonight are:
1. I am grateful for all of my cats and their healing qualities.
2. I am grateful for my little Scrappy Doo, the Healer Kitty.
3. I am grateful for the steps I am taking to turn my office into a writer’s sanctuary and work space.
4. I am grateful for forward progress even when it comes with two steps forward and a step back. Sometimes you just have to take a moment to admire what you’ve accomplished.
5. I am grateful for abundance: healing, health, love, friendship, happiness, joy, inspiration, energy, harmony and prosperity.

Blessed Be