Meet Rolly

About six weeks ago a patient of mine, Doreen, mentioned that she had a stray cat showing up at her back door throughout the week. She described him as incredibly friendly and that he liked to roll over a lot, flat on to his back, making himself available for belly scratches, leading to her naming him Roland.

As I saw Doreen on several occasions over the next couple weeks she continuously updated me on Roland. She repeatedly asked if I was interested in a cat, and how friendly he was, and how she really liked him.

Finally in early November, she took Roland to the Humane Society. And her next appointment at the office, when telling me about dropping him off at the Humane Society, she showed me a couple pictures of Roland. Having two daughters who absolutely love cats and after seeing those pictures I started to feel like Roland and I would be a good match.  Estelle, my ten-year-old daughter, had been asking for a Maine Coon cat for, oh, I don't know, about 2 years. Considering how much Roland look like a Maine Coon, it was rather fitting that I got to know him, and I knew Doreen would approve as well.

 

 

So, the following Tuesday I went to the Humane Society. I visited with Roland, who they had renamed Rolly. He was indeed incredibly friendly with long hair end an affinity for rolling over onto his back and letting you pet his belly. The name was definitely applicable.

I spent a little bit more time with Roland, and decided, “yep it's time for a cat”. My pets always have mountain related names. First was Parsenn the dog named after the Parsenn Bowl Ski Area.  Now, our office has the mascot Bertha the Bulldog. She is named after Berthoud Pass in Colorado, another of my favorite places to ski. So Roland was renamed Rollins, or Rolly for short. Rollins Pass is an area in Colorado I visited this past summer and used as a parking spot for trail running along the Continental Divide Trail. Those trails runs and adventures at Rollins Pass were some of my favorite adventures I’d ever had on any trail, and it became the namesake for Rollins the Maine Coon cat.

I have grown very fond of Rolly in the last couple of weeks and learned quite a few things about him.  First off, he is not the most athletic or nimble of cats.  He cannot jump from the floor to the countertop and sometimes it takes him more than one attempt to simply get from the floor the couch.

He also is incredibly fond of human food.  I guess that comes with the territory, being a stray for the first 5 years of life.

What does this really have to do with overall health, you may be asking?  Well, I have learned, or been reminded, of a couple pertinent health-related ideas in my time with Rolly.

1.  Control what you can control.  You’ve probably heard the expression ‘herding cats’, and that term is true to life also.  What aspects of your overall health can you control?  Your exercise level, your mental status, your peace of mind (to some extent), your nutrition.  I cannot control Rolly in many ways.  If I try to hold him, he wants out.  If I want to just sit and enjoy some food, he wants the food.  What I can control with Rolly and in life is how I react to certain aspects of life.  Life is 5% what happens to you, and 95% how you respond.
2. There is always a different approach.  As I mentioned earlier, Rolly is not all that athletic.  He can’t get to the kitchen countertop directly by jumping.  But…if he goes to the ottoman, then to the tv stand, then to the stairs railing…then voila, he’s on the countertop, again looking for some of that human food.
3. Personal Hygiene Matters.  Cats are obviously meticulous groomers of themselves, but I also have learned to wash my hands more frequently, and avoid touching my face as much, now that I spend time everyday petting Rolly.  You see, I apparently have a bit of an allergy to Rolly, and if I go straight from his fur to my face, my eyes react strongly.  I have learned to wash my hands more and also keep my hands away from my eyes and nose and mouth, thereby avoiding an eye itch that I have never previously experienced—it was terrible!
4. Forgive.  Cats are gentle and timid in nature. They are also extremely forgiving. If you’re thinking, “maybe they just don’t remember,” well, cats do have pretty good short-term and long-term memories. Once, I accidentally kicked Rolly. In fact, it’s been more than once, and I sometimes wonder if he’s actually trying to trip me when he runs in front of my direction of travel while walking.  But one time the contact was especially strong between my shin and his side.  He was taken aback for a minute but immediately went back to his normal self after I said sorry to him–like nothing ever happened.  That’s how forgiving cats can be.  And we should all learn to be more forgiving of other people’s mistakes and hurtful behaviors. But just as a reminder, forgive doesn’t mean forget. Just because you don’t hold grudges doesn’t mean you should let people walk all over you
5. It’s the little things.  I bought Rolly several gifts upon arrival.  His favorite is a simple plastic spring.  I actually bought several of these, but he only wants the yellow one.  Never mind the catnip, the mouse-looking thing that hangs from a door frame, or the cat hammock which I was sure would be a hint.  It’s that simple yellow spring that he loves to carry around in his mouth.

So, moving forward, keep in mind all the lessons cats can teach us along life’s journey, and if you happen to meet Rolly, expect to see him perform his patented Rolly Roll Over.