Day 60

A little over 2 years ago, I adopted an energetic little kitten that I originally named "Howler Monkey" because that's what he acted and sounded like. My furry son calmed down much after bringing him home, he's still a bit hyper. Since he's a Celtic shorthair, I changed his name to Stuart after the Scottish clan my mother descended from. I actually named him after many heroes. His full name is "Stuart Allan-Anderson Toll".  Stuart for my mother, a nurse and missionary. Allan is my father and brother's middle names. They we're both Naval officers. My brother was also a police officer and paramedic. Allan is also the last name of an amazing, strong, kick ass woman that has given us great advice over the years. Stuart's other middle name Anderson is for a friend who's a retired homicide detective who is still helping people. Now why am I telling you so much about my cat and his name in a weight loss/health blog you ask?  I'll tell you. After my accident, I was in a nursing home for a couple months then alone in my apartment on a bad hill. My best friend moved halfway across the country. My other friends decided since I was no longer able to physically help them with stuff, I was no longer worth having as a friend. While I was in the nursing home the first time, I asked the church I was attending then to please come pray for me. They couldn't be bothered. After being alone in my pain, I became severely depressed. We later found a church that was amazing (spoke our current church and pastor in a previous post) and moved to a better apartment. Shortly after moving in, I decided we needed pets. I originally wanted to get a dog, but there would be a problem with that. We live on the top floor of our building, and the elevator had already gone out several times in the past 2 1/2 years we've been here. If it went out while Chloe was at school and the dog had to go to the bathroom... no, thank you. So we agreed on cats. Since I adopted my furry son, he always just knew when I was hurting or was depressed. During these times, he would just start loving on me. For a while, my sleep apnea was really bad. Wasn't able to get a Cpap. Stuart woke me up every time I stopped breathing. He made sure I woke up. After each surgery, he wouldn't leave my side.  This little dude is amazing. I talked to my doctor about getting him certified, but Iowa doesn't recognize cats as service or therapy animals. Stuart is my little hero. I think it's time laws were adjusted. I'm going to start making noise and find out who I need to talk to and what I need to do. The type of animal shouldn't make a difference if they are performing a service.