{"id":75512,"date":"2025-10-12T09:24:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-12T09:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/75512\/"},"modified":"2025-10-12T09:24:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T09:24:10","slug":"woman-living-with-ms-says-her-rescue-cat-helps-her-stay-positive-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/75512\/","title":{"rendered":"Woman living with MS says her rescue cat helps her stay positive \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhen I saw he had my name written in his stripes, it really was fate,\u201d said Mim Greene, who lives with Multiple Sclerosis<\/a> (MS), about her beloved cat Kismet.<\/p>\n

From Drogheda but living in Portobello, Dublin for the last 35 years, Ms Greene got rescue cat Kismet from the DSPCA<\/a> when he was nine years old, shortly after she was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease.<\/p>\n

She received her diagnosis almost seven years ago but feels that she had symptoms for seven years prior.<\/p>\n

\u201cI fell down the stairs, I would be walking across the road and my legs would give way and strangers would have to pick me up and drag me off as traffic was coming towards me,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n

After a self-diagnosis, she went to a GP where she was told \u201cyou\u2019re too old for MS\u201d.<\/p>\n

She was also told by doctors that she was having MS-like symptoms as she was overweight. \u201cI starved myself and lost three stone, which was really hard to do when you can\u2019t walk far. But I was still falling over.\u201d<\/p>\n

After her diagnosis, she admits she knew nothing about the disease. \u201cAs one of my friends said, you don\u2019t get MS until you get MS. It goes into every area from your life. It\u2019s a really horrible disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the doctor had listened, I would still most likely be riding my bicycle, but now it\u2019s gone too far and I\u2019ve got the worst form. They tell you there\u2019s no treatment for what I have so I don\u2019t really want to look at that because I have to try to stay positive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MimMim Greene and her cat Kismet at home in Dublin. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw\/The Irish Times <\/p>\n

Kismet is a huge help in keeping Ms Greene feeling positive.<\/p>\n

Due to her condition, the former therapist had to leave the job she loved. \u201cWhen you can\u2019t remember your clients\u2019 names, it\u2019s not good.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0\u2018I knew straight away\u2019: coming to terms with MS and being the healthiest version of yourselfOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Alongside Kismet\u2019s company, she also said that if it wasn\u2019t for her training in transpersonal psychology, she wouldn\u2019t have survived the diagnosis.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been hard and I think a lot of people don\u2019t understand MS. I had one person say to me, \u2018MS is no big deal.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

She listed fatigue, memory loss, not being able to work and people misunderstanding it as the worst elements of the disease.<\/p>\n

Ms Greene, who is on disability allowance as she can no longer work, said \u201cpeople don\u2019t get that it\u2019s a struggle. I have to manage well, because I don\u2019t have any family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe [Kismet] is my family. He is absolutely fabulous, but you know, he can\u2019t do the shopping or put out the bins.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Greene\u2019s brother used to live 15 minutes from her but moved to Donegal during the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

As Kismet came over for a cuddle, Ms Greene described him as the most affectionate cat. <\/p>\n

She always loved cats and in particular loves how they\u2019re a \u201creally good judge of character, how they look after themselves and how cuddly they are\u201d.<\/p>\n

While Kismet is very important to helping Ms Greene with her disease, he is also experiencing poor health.<\/p>\n

\" \u2018Animals are so fundamental to people\u2019s health,\u2019 says Mim Greene. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw\/The Irish Times <\/p>\n

He has a kidney disease and a heart murmur. \u201cInitially when he got the diagnosis of kidney disease, they thought it could be a weeks, months kind of thing. It\u2019s years now and that\u2019s completely down to the Irish Blue Cross. They are the best vets I\u2019ve ever come across.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Ms Greene cannot work, she could not afford to take Kismet to a vet. <\/p>\n

The Irish Blue Cross, an animal welfare charity, has helped sick and injured pets of low-income owners across Dublin locations since 1945.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s down to them that he\u2019s still alive, and he has a huge impact on my mental health. If I hadn\u2019t got him, things would be a lot darker and they\u2019re dark enough, as we know already, in the world right now.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnimals are so fundamental to people\u2019s health.\u201d<\/p>\n

The charity works across Cabra, Tallaght, Crumlin, Blanchardstown, Ballyfermot, Ballybrack, Smithfield, Walkinstown, Finglas, and Whitehall, providing low-cost veterinary care to pet owners who can\u2019t afford private care for their pets.<\/p>\n

The charity reports that its clinics and mobile units are \u201coverwhelmed\u201d, with 1,400 pets currently on the waiting list. <\/p>\n

Through its #MoreTime<\/a> campaign the Irish Blue Cross is asking the public to support its work through donations and fundraising. <\/p>\n

\u201cPets can have an incredibly positive impact on their owners\u2019 lives, providing companionship and unconditional love,\u201d said Paul Halpin, fundraising manager at the Irish Blue Cross. \u201cWe treat thousands of sick and injured animals every year, ensuring their lives aren\u2019t ended prematurely, and they can stay with their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kismet, who was renamed by Ms Greene when she rescued him, explained it was a word her mother used when \u201csomething was meant for you\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is just a fabulous being. I feel very lucky to have him and I know he feels the same. I am a cat lady and I\u2019m completely fine with that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cWhen I saw he had my name written in his stripes, it really was fate,\u201d said Mim Greene,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":75513,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[103,61,60,49782],"class_list":["post-75512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-multiple-sclerosis-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75512\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}