Introduction
The beginning of January is an exciting time for me because I prepare to celebrate Lilli’s birthday on the 16th day of the month. Join me in this short blog post as we celebrate my therapy cat, Lilli’s 14th birthday and read about why Lilli brings me so much joy and comfort in life.
We celebrated Lilli’s birthday by writing her a card and giving her a gift that my carer buys on my behalf. We also once baked a cake for her 11th birthday.
She also gets extra cuddles from me during her birthday because she is the guest of honour and she likes the attention I give her.
Due to Lilli’s old age, she is always seen sleeping in various areas of the house. She might be seen sleeping on a soft sofa, armchair, either my bed (or my carer’s bed) or even in the afternoon sunlight that shines through the window.
How Lilli brings joy & comfort into my life
Lilli has also played a large part in providing me with joy, comfort and reducing the amount of stress that I have. This is because cats are able to pick up on our emotional cues and respond accordingly, so she has always rubbed around my legs and purred loudly whenever I got anxious or stressed in an effort to calm me down.
Giving Lilli cuddles also provides me with a lot of happiness and relaxation. Lilli usually either relaxes or curls up in response to the affection received. I often see this as her “cuddling” back, so it’s a very calming experience for us both.
The Ragdoll breed of cat is very beneficial for therapy because they love to snuggle with their owners and are extremely fluffy. These felines are extremely relaxed, and they become limp when they are handled, which is why these cats are known as Ragdolls. (Cats Luv Us Home Services, 2024).
In my experience, I also find Ragdoll cats to be beneficial to my sense of touch because my tactile hypersensitivity (which is an elevated sense of touch) makes the silky fur that is unique to the Ragdoll breed of cat, feel much softer to me, than to an individual who is neurotypical.
How fast do cats age in human years?
It’s common wisdom to think that cats age by 7 years like in their canine counterparts, although cats age very rapidly unlike dogs in their first 2 years of life after which they plateau and begin to slow down. By 1 year old, a cat is now 15 years old and by the time it has reached 2 years old, it is now 24 years old in human years. When a cat reaches the age of 24 human years old, they start aging 4 human years for every cat year gained. This means that a cat who has been living for 4 years will be 32 years old. (Moss, L. 2020).
Because Lilli is now a 14 year old cat, this makes her 72 years old in human years. Her old age means that she sleeps an enormous amount and does not play that much, although she is still capable of short bursts of surprising play (known as zoomies). Zoomies allow her to get the exercise her body requires and is a well-documented phenomenon in felines. Lilli’s old age means that she must be handled with care at all times.
Conclusion
I hope you have enjoyed my blog post about Lilli’s 14th birthday and a few other fascinating feline facts. Feel free to drop a comment below and see you on the next blog post! Happy 14th birthday Lilli! 😺
References
Moss, L. (2020, May 22). The truth about how cats age. Treehugger. https://www.treehugger.com/truth-how-cats-age-4863748
O’Brien, C. (2020, February 17). Cat zoomies: Why your cat gets them and when to call the vet. https://www.hillspet.com/cat-care/behavior-appearance/what-are-cat-zoomies
Cats Luv Us Home Services. (2024, May 18). The best cat breeds for emotional therapy and support. https://www.catsluvus.com/cat-grooming/the-best-cat-breeds-for-therapy-and-emotional-support/#2_Ragdoll