Pets and Mental Health

I've always had pets, something furry in the house my entire life. It wasn't until I became ill that I realised how important having a pet is. 

I think the biggest thing about pets is their unconditional love for their owners. From dogs to pythons, they don't care how much you cry or how horrendous you're feeling, they will still hang out with you. It doesn't mean that they can't provide any kind of support. Rather, they are able to "listen". They may not be able to understand you, but being able to talk about how you're feeling to another living thing is so important. Pets will never dismiss your thoughts and feelings or trivialise your struggles. 

Pets, as horrible as this sounds, can actually prevent suicide. Or at least they have for me. Knowing that there is something innocent and alive dependant on you to feed, water and care for it can make you carry on just a while longer. That's why I was so determined to have a pet when I moved out of home (where I was always around my beautiful cats). I have a wonderful supporting boyfriend, but it's not the same as a pet. That's why I got myself a pet rabbit, Vlad. He's a bit of a jerk, chewing everything, peeing and nipping at people on occasion. But still his life is important and he is my responsibility. 

Vlad gets me up in the morning. I have to make sure he has enough food and water, that his cage is clean and he has time to run about the house. I have to get up. The mix of a very doping medication and depression makes mornings the worst part of my day. Even if all I want is to curl up and ignore my life and the world I still get up to look after Vlad. 

Pets are particularly tuned in to their owner's wellbeing. When I was dying, Tiggy would avoid me and Pokie would follow me around and sit on me and purr for hours. Different strokes for different... cats? Either way, they both knew something was up. It did help me see how desperately ill I was. I was able to use their behaviour around me to find out how well I was doing with recovery. 

After realising how important animals were to me, I started studying veterinary nursing at the beginning of the year. It has been a struggle to do my studies, especially given my slide back into depression and a resurgence of disordered thoughts. But I am still able to get my shit together long enough to study a few hours a week. 

Pets really do help. 


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