Five years ago Christiane Henry, 76, of Chester County, rescued Barry, a 1-year-old gray, white and black tabby cat from Brandywine Valley SPCA in West Chester. Clearly in need of affection on the day she visited, Barry was friendly, so Henry felt it was a good match.
“It took him a while to warm up but he’s affectionate now,” she said. “He watches the Eagles games with me.”
A self-professed non-dog person, Henry likes having cats because she finds they are easy to care for and don’t need to be taken outdoors on walks. Given that she likes to keep herself socially active, Barry doesn’t mind when she leaves the house.
“I like to take bus trips, I like to go out to lunch and I’m active at the Phoenixville Area Senior Center,” she said. “I have also been a volunteer at the Chester Springs Library for 30 years.”
Henry enjoys opportunities to connect with others whether socially or through volunteer opportunities. She makes a concerted effort to keep her social wellness intact which offers her many benefits.
“My mother used to say, ‘I don’t have my tongue in my pocket’,” she said. “It makes me feel young to laugh and have a good time.”
Once a month, Henry meets with a group of five ladies for lunch who all have a love of cats in common. It was a mutual friend who made the introduction with a conversation starter that forged a bond five years ago.
“She told me we all have cats,” Henry said. “She introduced me to these women and we have gotten along ever since we met.”
They usually get together on Saturdays and everybody takes a turn picking the lunch spot and then hosting at their home afterward. The Butterscotch Pastry Shop cafe in Birchrunville, and the Spring-Ford Diner in Spring City, are two of Henry’s favorite places to meet.
“We meet somewhere for lunch and then we come back to one of our homes and play a card game or bingo and then we have coffee and cake,” she said. “It’s an all-day affair.”
The group of women, who range in their late 60s to 70s, enjoy talking and playing games during their time together. Henry just took a turn hosting.
“It’s really fun to see what new games somebody comes up with,” she said. “At my place, we played Cat Bingo and had ice cream cake since it was one of the girls’ birthdays.”
It’s not uncommon for a conversation to shift to the topic of their cats.
“We talk about if one of our cats did something funny or mischievous,” she said. “A story I shared is if I talk on the phone, Barry will jump up on my table and whatever is on the table — it could be a pen or a piece of paper — winds up on the floor to get my attention.”
On one of their more recent outings, they had lunch at The Black Cat Cafe in Chester County which bills itself as a “cafe with a mission” where all proceeds of the non-profit support cat rescue.
Henry enjoyed supporting the cause by dining there.
“Because you knew whatever you got and whatever it cost, it didn’t matter because it was going to the animal rescue,” she said. “They also had a cat-themed gift area and three cats in cages you could adopt right there.”
During the pandemic when the group wasn’t able to do their monthly outings, they kept up their friendship by texting and calling each other. They have become invested in each other’s personal lives.
“The group is open and is not shy about sharing,” she said. “If I needed them and something, I could turn to any one of them.”
When they get together, Henry said she feels she can be her authentic self.
“I feel comfortable when I’m with them,” she said. “They are my best friends.”
Social Wellness Toolkit
Positive social habits can help you build support systems and stay healthier mentally and physically. The National Institutes of Health offers educational material and checklists on how to improve your health in each area of social wellness. One area centers on how to find new social connections and their top suggestion center on joining a group focused on a favorite hobby, such as reading, hiking, painting, or wood carving.
For more information: https://www.nih.gov/health-information/social-wellness-toolkit
About The Black Cat Cafe
The Black Cat Café is a nonprofit cat cafe where 100% of proceeds go directly to funding the needs of homeless, abandoned, injured and sick cats and kittens.
For more information: www.theblackcatcafedevon.org
