Wet Compulsions

Posted on October 20, 2005 in Cats OCD

I had a cat — Ambrose — who liked to jump in the tub with me. He’d pace in water that came up to his knees. Each time he lifted a paw out of the water, he’d shake it off before he advanced. A growling mew accompanied each step.

The other day, an episode of OCD started to overwhelm me. I was eating at a Denny’s with some of my support group friends. I drank cold water. Beads and fringes of precipitation ran off the sides. Every time I lifted my glass to sip, I felt compelled to wipe up the circle of wetness left on the table. Then I’d replace the glass.

This just happens — regardless of whether I am in mania or depression or a stable state. So I know that it is not the bipolar. I also pick at the skin of my fingers. Nervousness? I don’t think so. Just an act that my brain compels my fingers to exercise. Rather like my cat.