A good doctor knows when a patient needs a prescription.

They diagnose the problem, fill out the piece of paper and send you on your way.

But when that doctor is a great doctor – you might leave with a prescription that will change your entire world.

Robin Sipe said she started crying as soon as her doctor came into the room.

“My cat had recently died and I was feeling really sad and depressed,” she said she told her pulmonologist, Earl D. King, whom she’s known for 15 years.

He has treated Robin for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is a condition where your airflow is blocked and it can be harder to breathe. She said he’s even saved her life three times while she was in an Intensive Care Unit at a local hospital in her home state of Virginia.

That day, Dr. King immediately asked her why she was crying and Robin talked about how lonely she had been since her cat passed away recently.

I was really going through a bad time,” she said.

So Dr. King suggested that Robin needed to think about getting a new cat. With that said, he completed her checkup, and gave her a printed summary of their discussions, and included a prescription for a flu shot, a covid shot and then one more item: “Get a cat.”

Pulmonologist Earl D. King’s after-visit instructions advising his patient Robin Sipe to get a cat. Photo by Bob Grebe

Dr. King, 63, said he’d been a doctor long enough to know that “people sometimes don’t follow your instructions.”

So he made sure he put his advice on the prescription so Robin would know she had to think about what he had told her.

“Robin was down in the dumps, crying about the loss of her cat, and I felt that a new cat was the best remedy for her,” Dr. King said.

He also knew studies had shown that having pets can improve mental health and also help older adults feel less lonely.

However, what happened next surprised even the doctor.

Robin had driven away from the appointment and stopped at a farm produce stand. While she was looking over what was for sale, she saw a black and white kitten playing. 

“She was from a litter of five, and she was missing her front left paw,” Robin said.

The farmers told her that an accident had cost the kitten her paw shortly after she was born. 

The kitten’s missing paw didn’t seem to affect her ability to play and get around, Robin said.

Robin Sipe and her new kitten, Earlene, at home in Grottoes, Va. Photo by Bob Grebe

“I asked if I could take the kitty home and told them I could guarantee that she’d be safe and happy inside,” she said. “They had four other kittens they’d need to find homes for, so they said okay.”

This sweet little kitten was mine.”

And just like that, she had filled her doctor’s prescription. And at a great price, too!

“I bought three ears of corn and a cantaloupe that came to $2.99, and they agreed that an extra penny should cover the cost of taking the kitty,” Robin said, laughing.

And when she got the frisky 7-week-old kitten home, Robin knew with absolute certainty what the kitten’s name was.

“I decided to name her Earlene after Dr. Earl King,” she said. “He helps with more than just my breathing. He’s always taken the time to look after my entire well-being.”

“In this instance, he also treated my heart,” Robin said. “Everything changed for the better when I found Earlene.”

Watch below for a look at this unusual, but highly effective prescription!

Sources: Washington Post | People