Disability and my cat Claude

As I mentioned in my initial post, I have type 1 diabetes. One of the side effects people know about is that people with diabetes can pass out due to an insulin reaction (meaning the diabetic has too much insulin in their system at that particular time). If a diabetic checks his / her blood sugar regularly and is cognizant of the physical warning signs, which diminish the longer one has diabetes, then hopefully severe reactions can be avoided. But, this particular illness means people have to use glucometers and needles or an insulin pump as a mechanical pancreas. And with all mechanics, even under the tightest watch, things break down. Well, a few years ago in the middle of the night, I woke up from a fitful sleep confused and lost and in a cold sweat. Having a vague sense that I was in the midst of a serious low, I straggled my way down stairs and opened the refrigerator. My blood sugar was so low, though, I didn’t know what I was looking for, and so just stared. My legs were wobbly and I was shaking. Eventually, I remember my hand hitting the counter top as I tried to grab it on my way to the floor. I lay on the floor feeling overwhelmed and uncertain as to what was going on. One of my family’s cats, Claude, came up to me and began to rub his head onto my face. This struck me as odd, as he was not an overly affectionate cat. He kept rubbing his head onto my face. I struggled up, and crawled my way back to the fridge, which was still open. I grabbed a ginger ale soda and drank it. I slowly began to become better aware of my surroundings. I then drank some orange juice. I was then aware enough to know where I was, and more importantly who I was. I closed the fridge and leaned next to the counter for a several minutes, before feeling well enough to go back upstairs. The thing that stays with me about this incident is Claude’s reaction. He clearly knew something was wrong, and responded with concern. It’s hard to know if this was simply Claude’s reaction or a general feline instinct to sense trouble and respond. I often wonder how much animals know and, like this situation, it does sometimes seem they have an emotional understanding of people. Certainly animals have similar instincts of power and territory and self-preservation. This occurrence has been a good lesson for me, though, that when something unexpected happens to a person, whether we know them or not, the best response we can give is often simply to be with the person and offer whatever relaxed, gentle pro-active assistance we have available to us.