Tic Tac on nursing duty. Photo: Ellen Whyte
Last week, when the news broke that dogs pick up on stress chemicals in our breath and sweat, there were loads of stories about compassionate dogs comforting stressed humans. We instantly looked at Target, Tic Tac and Inkie, wondering about their sniffers and empathy.
Curiously, we are in an excellent position to check because our stress has soared recently.
It started six weeks ago when Tom began seeing bursts of light. Thankfully, we live near a specialist eye clinic. We went to ask for advice – and were promptly sent for emergency surgery.
Tom had a detached retina. This is an eye condition where the bit at the back, the retina, pulls away from its normal position. If it's not treated immediately, you go blind.
Naturally, we were stressed. We went straight to the hospital and were messed about for hours, which added frustration to fear. By the time we finally booked the surgery and went home again to wait, we were wiped.
A dog would have sniffed out our terror and provided comfort. Our cats threw themselves at us, wailing protests at being abandoned and starved. For seven hours. With only two full bowls of cat biscuits to tide them over.
Galvanised into action by meows, we provided supper, a double helping to apologise for their furry trauma. Then we collapsed and collected ourselves.
We were too stressed to eat and the horror washed over us in waves at the thought of the emergency operation that would take place early the next morning. But seeing our pets eat with delight cheered us up. There’s something magical about seeing happy pets enjoying their privileges.
The second the bowls were licked clean, the cats registered that we were not our usual selves. Target sat on my lap, pushing Inkie away when he came to give me furry purry headbutts while Tic Tac sat next to Tom, touching him with a gentle paw and charming him with kitten squeaks.
They sniffed us over too, wrinkling their noses at the scent of disinfectant that permeates health facilities. Cats know and loathe veterinary clinics, and ours are no exception. Target put his ears back while Inkie and Tic Tac sniffed and huffed with intense scrutiny.
The next morning, the cats were cheery when we got up before dawn. Those dark hours are their favourite time and they got an early bonus breakfast too.
As we prepared to go to the hospital, our stress levels must have been off the charts. Our pets fussed, but whether it was a response to our tension or simply the unusual start to the day is debatable.
What is certain is that they recognised we were about to leave. They communicated their displeasure vigorously.
Target sighed and turned his back on us dramatically and Inkie adopted an air of pathos. Tic Tac was proactive: she lay in front of the door and refused to move.
Cats aren't selfish, they're social. Target, Inkie and Tic Tac think an ideal setup is to have us all in the same room, preferably on the same sofa. Their idea of heaven is family house-arrest.
Thankfully, we’re resistant to kitty emotional blackmail. We deposited Tic Tac on her cat tree, bade them all a firm and cheery farewell, and exited.
When we returned that afternoon, we were beyond exhausted. Eye surgery apparently doesn’t hurt, but as you’re awake while they do it, it’s seriously creepy. You couldn’t get me to go in without full anaesthesia but Tom is super brave.
Thankfully, it was a success. The brilliant surgeon performed a tricky operation with swift professionalism. However, the trauma of the surgery meant that Tom would be effectively blind in one eye for several months.
Plus, he was told to keep his head down and sleep face down too. This is because the surgeon repairs the tear inside the eye and then inserts a bubble of gel that holds everything in place. To keep the bubble in the right spot, you have to be careful with how you hold your head.
Also, as that bubble has to come out later, Tom was told he would require a second operation in December to remove it. By then, the whole business should be half healed and sticking in place. Once the bubble is removed, the last bit will heal, hopefully fixing it completely.
While the news was all good, we were shattered from nerves. Also, although we knew intellectually Tom was temporarily blind in one eye, we didn’t really understand the implications.
Reading was out, and so was watching TV. Also, losing one eye impacts on your field of vision and you lose almost all depth perception. As a result, negotiating any kind of movement was tricky. It was hard to figure out how to put things down, and the stairs became a bit lethal.
Faced with obvious trauma, the cats rallied. As Tom sat with his head down, all three furries gathered round. They sat with him, headbutting him and purring. When we put in drops every two hours, they huddled anxiously, staring with huge eyes.
Target cuddled, putting a paw on his shoulder, and Inkie tried to sit in his lap. Tic Tac was with him all day long, and when I was up in the middle of the night, I found her on the floor in the spare room, monitoring her friend.
As Tom got a bit better, the cats returned to their usual activities. Inkie is bird-watching on the roof, Tic Tac is at the kitchen window, monitoring workmen next door, and Target is back on the job as senior office snoopervisor.
So, do our cats smell stress? I am not certain if they are at doggy level, but they certainly know when we’re unhappy or unwell. And they definitely care. But they don’t lose sight of essentials such as supper.
If you ask me, that’s only sensible.
Adopt Me
Photo: PAWS/Agnes Lim
Stanley is almost a year old, neutered, vaccinated and healthy. This beautiful boy is loving, clingy and playful. Stanley was surrendered to PAWS because his owner has too many cats. So Stanley is super social. He’d make an ideal furry companion for a family or if you’re working from home.
Interested adopters please ask for Stanley, Tag Number: C040 (2022.09.03)
PAWS Animal Welfare Society is located at Lot 93316 - 93317, Jalan PJU 1A/20, Ara Damansara, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor (tel 011-2193 5651), GPS: LNG 101.570268, LAT 3.123971.
