What just happened.

[carbonman]

I asked if he was on Cpap, and she said no,

[jnk...]

Although it may be possible for a cat to wake someone during an apnea--especially when the person's gasping is particularly irritating to the cat--I personally would not consider there to be any such thing as a medically-accepted concept of a trained therapy cat for apnea until I read about it somewhere particularly reputable.

could that be because you live in the states where cats are afraid?
on another note what kind of service animal would run away, well unless it was being abused

Here, most of the street cats have carry permits and ain't afraida nobody.

Maybe he hitched a ride south on a Canadian Goose for warmer climes?

[TangledHose]

The only thing my cat does is wake me from REM, and pokes little holes in my expensive heated hose with her claws. I need therapy for my mental state brought on by living with a cat.

[bwexler]

I live in Southern California in a small suburban town near LA. There are supposed to be gangs in the area. There have been a number of murders in this small town in the last year. They have almost all been family affairs.

I do not live in fear. I do not involve myself in gang or drug related issues. I am comfortable that none of my children or grandchildren would ever do me any harm.

[palerider]

I am comfortable that none of my children or grandchildren would ever do me any harm.

it's always the ones you don't expect that'll get you.

[jnk...]

Then I'm keeping a close eye on you, palerider.

[Julie]

I'm reading "Disordered Minds" by Minette Walters (of UK) about an investigation done after a convict supposedly murdered his grandmother, then came out of prison (years later), died, and the case was looked into again. Hard to read (not a usual novel, but reads like a research paper/documentary) but fascinating - a totally messed up case/trial that somehow proceeded with so much wrong from the beginning, but with so much pre-judging having happened and been allowed to stand.

[coolbranch]

I can appreciate both sides of this story.

From the Armed Citizen®, NRA Official Journals:
Jonathan Haith was sleeping at home around 9:45 p.m. when he heard a light knock on his back door. He ignored the knock at first, but a louder noise from his laundry room got his attention. The loud bang was the sound of an intruder kicking in the door. Haith quickly grabbed his AR-15 from under his bed and crouched down as he made his way down the hallway. When he peeked around the corner at the end of the hallway, he saw the intruder standing there with a gun. The intruder panicked upon spotting Haith and fired at him, prompting Haith to return fire. The intruder was struck in the stomach, causing him to flee the home before collapsing nearby. It was last reported that his condition was unclear. Haith was uninjured during the incident. “I guess I did the right thing,” Haith said. “I just reacted the best way possible.” (WRAL.com, Henderson, NC, 5/12/14)

I suppose you can see where I stand as an American citizen having the liberty to protect myself and my family.

As for having a therapy cat: I have had similar experiences. Prior to being officially diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, Ringo (my yorkie) would sometimes sleep on the bed with me. Many times I would be awakened by him. He is a very smart dog. He would use his paw gently and scratch at my feet, staying at arms length hoping I would not wake up startled and compromise his safety. I assumed he wanted to go outside and do his thing. After seeing that he did not have to go, I would express my discontent and go back to sleep. After some time, I finally realized that it was I who was waking him from his sleep. According to my sleep study documentation, I was stopping breathing approx 32 times per hour and was gasping for air. Now at night I wear a mask so Ringo and I both sleep pretty well, most nights.

[Hawthorne]

This may well be the situation Julie. These people MAY have been looking for a therapy cat. They did not ask to come into your home or anything about you I would presume so I would not be concerned that they were "casing the place", in this instance.

BUT -- I too live in Canada and, while the majority of people here don't carry guns, I have long since given up any notion that there are "safe places" to live in Canada. There have been so many terrible events in cities, towns and rural areas in Canada over the 75 years of my life, that I believe terrible things can happen anywhere - even in Canada. We hear about such things every day in the news. Things can happen anywhere----. I may be jaded but, since so many things have happened in Canada, I always try to be very aware in any situation.

There may not be so many guns out there as in the US and I'd like to be able to think that such things don't happen in Canada but evidence tells me otherwise.

[Julie]

I wasn't claiming to live in Paradise Hawthorne, but was responding to Jim P's note saying that I thought his reaction to such an innocent event was over the top. Of course there are criminals here, and certainly some of them have guns (which were likely smuggled in over the border), but the general picture here vs there is still light years better in terms of what happens. My take on things... it's too bad you apparently are in a bad situation, or maybe you tend to see things half empty.

[palerider]

Then I'm keeping a close eye on you, palerider.

wait a minute... if you've tagged me as one of the harmless ones, I'm obviously failing at something!

*goes back over handy evil overlord checklist.*

no, right, sorry... here it is, "item 79, lul people into a false sense of security". check..

right, nothing to see here, move along, everything's fine.

[Jeff241]

As for having a therapy cat: I have had similar experiences. Prior to being officially diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, Ringo (my yorkie) would sometimes sleep on the bed with me. Many times I would be awakened by him. He is a very smart dog. He would use his paw gently and scratch at my feet, staying at arms length hoping I would not wake up startled and compromise his safety. I assumed he wanted to go outside and do his thing. After seeing that he did not have to go, I would express my discontent and go back to sleep. After some time, I finally realized that it was I who was waking him from his sleep. According to my sleep study documentation, I was stopping breathing approx 32 times per hour and was gasping for air. Now at night I wear a mask so Ringo and I both sleep pretty well, most nights.

I would guess that some pets are tuned in enough to know something is wrong with their owner. A long time ago, when I was much younger and lighter, I woke up one morning with my first dog standing on my chest and staring me in the face. I figured I was snoring too loud for him or he was just an a**. Never thought too much about it until I was diagnosed with OSA. Of course I'm still open to that he was just an a** too.

I wouldn't think a therapy cat or dog would actually be the best for treating OSA. I'm sure they can be taught to recognize it; but you still would be waking up many times a night.

[coolbranch]

I agree Jeff. We both were causing our dogs to have secondary apnea.

[Hawthorne]

Julie - For your information, I am NOT in a bad situation and I do NOT see things as half empty. My concern was for you - that maybe it might be wiser to be more aware of how things are these days, even in Canada. I tried to word my reply carefully but I guess you still misunderstood. I'm sorry.

[ChicagoGranny]

one of them who, to me looked about 16 and began to cry, said the cat was her son's 'therapy' cat, and that her son had apnea... the cat would wake him when he had an event.

The criminals in Canada make up much better stories than the ones here.