It’s no surprise that pets have a paws-itive impact on our overall health. Researchers have found that they help calm us down, lowering our blood pressure and heart rate. They ward off loneliness, especially as we go through lockdown after lockdown, which explains the recent boom in pet ownership.
I was one of the 900,000 Canadians who added a fur baby to their family during COVID. In case you missed it in my Instagram bio, I absolutely love cats. They’re fiercely independent, moody, little balls of fur with a fun and frisky side. I can relate deeply to them.
Through the ups and downs — and more downs — of the pandemic, my cat has kept my mental health at bay. Whether distracting me from anxious thoughts or connecting me with other cat lovers, I’m so furr-tunate to have him (sorry, last pun!).
Putting my eating disorder on the back burner — Caring and feeding him has made me more accountable for my own wellbeing. Would I deprive my cat of dinner? Would I give him less treats than normal because he slept all day? Would I make him chase the laser beam before breakfast to burn off extra calories? Of course not. (He would probably claw my eyes out if I did!)
- Tip: A key part of my eating disorder recovery was building a routine of eating consistently. I was able to tie in my cat’s feeding schedule to this — for example, by ensuring I snuck in a snack before his dinner time. He also loves to eat at the same time as me, which makes for good company.
Lowering social anxiety one cat tale at a time — If I’m struggling to think of something to say — I have a constant fear that I’m really boring and uninteresting — I’ll just give updates on my cat. For example, today he jumped on the counter to lick the tub of margarine. One morning he woke up by sneezing in my face. He also likes to attack my glasses and try to knock them off my face. So fun!
- Tip: A friend told me one thing she loves about her dog is that he brings others joy. He’s an adorable little bulldog that has people on the street stopping to ask for pets at every corner. For her, he creates a sense of community with other dog-lovers. I feel the same giddiness when I discover someone’s a cat person.
Fending off depression with forced cuddle sessions — He gives me a reason to get out of bed. And I swear he can tell when I’m feeling down. He’s also ridiculously entertaining. Always randomly attacking my feet or playing with everything but the cat toys we bought him. Even as I write this, I can’t help but take breaks to give him attention.
- Tip: Pets give you a purpose. They literally couldn’t survive without you looking after them, day in and day out. That’s something to keep most people going. When I worked at a hospital, there was a therapy dog named Oscar who greeted patients in his little bandana — if hospitals can count on dogs to boost people’s moods, you know it’s legit.
The love I have for this little creature is crazy. Mental illness can make you feel like a selfish person, absorbed with your own thoughts and inner demons. My cat draws me out of my head, nudging me back to reality with his little head butts and persistent meows.
Above all, he’s forgiving. There’s no judgement or feeling of inadequacy when I pull him into my lap for a nuzzle. If we can keep our pets happy and healthy by simply being ourselves, then we can give the same love to our own bodies. ❤️
I can see the positive effects of pets on you, me and all the other people who share their space and heart with them ! <3
Absolutely, we’re so blessed to have them in our lives ??
I wish there was a “love” button for your articles. Leaving it manually here ❤️❤️❤️
Aw you are too sweet, Emily! The love is 100% mutual ❤️
Love this, Chloe! Yet again, another great article with sound advice. Pets are the best ?
Thank you so much, Sina! They really are incredible. What would we do without them??