Big Kittie and Junior Talk to Grandma, written by Big Kittie and Junior and typed by Phyllis Olinger and Cindy Olinger.

Big Kittie and Junior Talk to Grandma

Big Kittie Junior

Hello! I am Big Kittie. Hello! I am Junior. We write books. We try to teach children what we have learned from all of our years in a human-run household. We love children. We love grandparents. We have one living grandparent (our human mother's mother-in-law). Our mom's dad died of many diseases after a long illness. In 2000, our human mother's mom died after a long illness with a disease called dementia and later what we believe was Alzheimer's.

Tiger Sugar

Today, we have our country cousins Sugar and Tiger visiting us. Here are their pictures. They need to know about this disease. They need to understand why people have to repeat things for Grandma Elnora. Here they come. Oh boy, Junior says, they are so rowdy! I know they are going to jump on my favorite toys and tear them up. Junior, you share your toys with them! Let them sit down and listen to what we went though with Grandma Charlotte. OK, OK! I will overlook it this time!

Big Kittie Junior

Hey! How are you girls? Fine! But we hate traveling in that cage. The last time we got out in that cage, we all had to go get our yearly shots at the vet and we didn't like that! Junior steps up to Sugar and Tiger and says, Nice to see you again. They touch noses! Come in and have some hard food that our mom put out before she got busy with your human mom.

Big Kittie Junior

We heard about your human grandmother forgetting things. Yes, said Sugar, it makes our mom so nervous and upset when she sees her own mother losing her memory. Grandma Elnora can't do things anymore and it makes our human mom very sad. We know, Junior says to them, we have the same problem with Grandma Charlotte. She repeats things over and over. She ask the same questions over and over. But, unlike your Grandma Elnora, she is in good health otherwise. Tiger says, Grandma Elnora has broken her hip in the past and does not have great time at getting around. She also had a bout with cancer, adds Sugar. I think that is what pushed Grandma Elnora even further with her dementia.

Big Kittie Junior

Junior says, our friend A.J.'s human mother had to go to an assisted living facility because she wandered away from home all the time. She even forgot where she lived. Junior's point is that sometimes this disease has a lot of difference in a lot of people. Sometimes it progresses fast. Sometimes, like our human mother's parent, they can remember all the things that happened long ago but they cannot remember if you say something two minutes ago. It's a strange disease. So, nothing can be done about our grandparent? Sugar and Tiger say together (they are twins, you know). Well! There are medicines that help in some cases, Biggie says. I bet your human parent has talked to your grandma's doctor.

Big Kittie Junior

All you can do is love them and understand that this must be hard for them, too, Junior says. After all, Sugar and Tiger, you don't exactly take care of your own needs, do you? Biggie asks them. Yeah, Junior says, your human mom cleans up your litter, changes your water daily, puts hard food out for you when she leaves for work, and gets our mom to sit with you when she is out of town on business. Oh, sure! I see now! Sugar says. Sometimes we all go though those times when we need some help. We get ours from humans. We give them a lot of love and enjoyment playing with us. Right, Biggie says, and sometimes, we need to make sure that we just answer Grandma Elnora's question another time and another and another if she asks - without getting upset. She can't help the questions.

Big Kittie Junior

After all, now we can teach all the other people we know who have human friends about dementia or Alzheimer's. Junior is now ready to ask questions: What about some more information? What about some support groups? Biggie tells all of them the following: Search the internet sites. Copy off some of the information that will help you. Tell your doctor of your own needs if you caregive or have someone in your family with this disease. Look in the newspaper for support groups that can help you.

Big Kittie & Junior Tiger & Sugar

Biggie and Junior bid goodbye to their cousins and their human mother Cindy. They hope to see you again soon for another one of their books in this series. Until then, love ya! Have a PURR-fect day!

Big Kittie and Junior Talk to Grandma © Copyright 2004

THE END