Pets and Mental Health: How Pets Are More Than Just A Furry Friend
Have you had a pet before?
If you have, I’m sure you’ll be able to relate when I rave about how amazing it is to have animals. If you haven’t had a pet, maybe it’s because you couldn’t; allergies, housing situation(s), parent’s rules, there are many reasons having a pet might not work for some people.
Maybe you used to have a pet and you don’t anymore.
Maybe you’re reading this because you’re thinking about adding a new furry friend to the family.
If so, I may just have you convinced by the time you’re done reading this, why having a pet can be so great and how they have come to be, almost, more socially acceptable than people.
Animals are incredible beings and they interact with us through the most universal form of communication: energy.
Animals and humans have been living in harmony with each other for thousands of years. Dogs became mans best friend by becoming loyal sidekicks for the hunter-gatherers. Cats started out as just ‘rat catchers’ but quickly gained love and trust once showing their sweet side and companionship. Egyptians even worshiped them and believed them to be Gods.
To put it simply, we learned that we can benefit from animals, as well as they can benefit from us. They protect us, give us comfort, keep vermin away, and in return they get a warm place to live, food, and comfort. We can survive on our own, we have up until now, but we make each other’s lives better. It was the start of a revolution.
Little did we know that they would be much more to us.
Reasons for having an animal by your side were a little different thousands of years ago, but the connection and bond that forms between a human and animal is an ineffable experience.
Animals have been so beneficial to humans as a matter of fact, that today, they are used as an actual form of therapy. Studies show that animal interaction can reduce cortisol levels and in turn, reduce anxiety and stress levels. Having a furry friend around can also reduce feelings of loneliness, depression and help children with building social skills.
As I mentioned before, animals can feel our energy and learned how to communicate with us through it. They can sense if we are upset or stressed or even alert to certain medical conditions. Now, we have service dogs literally trained to know what to do in order save their owner’s life.
There are also therapy dogs, different than service dogs. Therapy animals are brought into hospitals, therapy groups for children with mental disorders and autism, and even sometimes old folks homes to help alleviate stress, loneliness, and depression. Children have shown improvement in behavioral and social skills with regular interaction with dogs. The experience of having something react purely to the child’s behavior caused the child to genuinely reciprocate. It teaches them how to be mindful. Plus, how could you keep a straight face if the happiest, softest golden retriever came walking up to you wagging its tail?
It’s not just dogs. Cats have also been used as therapy animals. They are basically professionals at cuddling.
There are plenty of different types of pets out there that people have a love for.
As an example, there are people on YouTube and TikTok I’ve seen that breed and raise jumping spiders. Tarantulas I’ve heard of, but a jumping spider fanatic? Personally, I am very much not a spider person. I still get the heebie-jeebies if there’s one around or if I see a video on my phone!
When I first saw some of the jumping spider videos, there was a weird mixture of fear and cute at the same time. Then the person starts talking about how they have personalities and they can hear and feel you. It just opened my eyes even more because I never would’ve thought about something so small and scary to me could actually be…sweet. I understood it. I also feel really bad about killing a spider now.
There are also an array of people that have a passion for fish. Having a fish is a very low maintenance pet, in the sense that you don’t have to physically do anything with it. They’re actually very calming to have around. Putting a fish tank together can be very fun and therapeutic as well. It helps get the creative juices flowing. Along with all of that, starting with a pet like a fish for a child can help with building daily routine and habit by feeding and cleaning the tank weekly; which is a significant part of creating a healthy lifestyle.
Hamsters, guinea pigs, ferrets, birds, reptiles, even some wild animals, there are so many different bonds humans and animals can create with each other.
But the age old debate can never be avoided: Which is better, cats or dogs?
I’m the wrong person to ask because I have come to love living with both.
I grew up with dogs, mainly. We didn’t have a cat for very long when I was a kid, so we were primarily ‘dog people’. I will always love dogs and I even thought about getting into dog training at one point. I ended up dog walking and even started to learn some training. Interacting with so many different dogs was like meeting strangers every 45 minutes that were always excited to hang out with me. It was amazing.
There were even a couple of cats that I was scheduled to visit and play with while their owner was out of town. Being that I didn’t have too much experience with cats, I was glad to meet and hang out with some fun felines.
I was going through some stressful job stuff at the time, hence why I started dog walking to make some more money, but at the end of the day, after working a total of 50 plus hours a week, I wasn’t complaining. Maybe a little, it was exhausting, but being active and interacting with so many different dogs and cats was helping me. It was distracting me from my stress, I was getting exercise while focusing on them and the skills I learned to handle them. I look back on it and it was really good for me.
Never thought I’d say it, but today I have two black cats both from the same litter. My coworker at the time told me that her cat had a litter and she wanted to give two of them away together and keep the third one. My boyfriend’s dreams came true when I told him. Then on one cold, covid night, on a Friday the 13th, we ended up picking up two black kittens and that was our lucky day.
These cats are truly the best thing that’s ever happened to us as a couple. They are our fur babies. They are so interactive with us in everything we do and they’re so smart. They greet us with meows and ankle rubs when we get home, they cuddle with us almost any chance they get, and they’re the silliest goofballs! Having such adorable beings, so warm and soft, that love you unconditionally is sure to make anyone happy.
I know for some people it’s harder to add a furry family member. That’s why it’s amazing to have so many different types of animals to be able to create a bond with. There has also been a lot of research over the last 10 years finding breeds of cats and dogs that have mostly allergen-friendly fur. No matter your situation, if you do a little bit of research, it is totally possible to find a companion for you.
Personally, I encourage getting a pet if you know you can handle it financially and can give them the proper attention and/ or training. Animals experience separation anxiety and depression, just like we can. It’s the truth when they say animals and humans save each other.
It truly is life-changing having a pet. I never want to go without one again.
If you’re thinking about getting a pet for yourself, your child, or the whole family, how do you think it would impact those lives?
How do you think it will change those people? How do you think it will change relationships?
Is there a particular reason you started thinking about getting a pet?
How do you think it would help you?
Regardless of the reason, there’s a companion out there for everyone.
There are also great, humane shelters full of animals waiting to be saved by you, just for you to eventually find out that they’re probably the ones who are saving you.
Stay kind and save lives. We are all beautiful beings here for each other.
References: News In Health, Bohringer Ingelheim, New Scientist, Library of Congress, Wikipedia
