Cats and mental health

[reneemaaa]

Thanks for all your replies. It's made a bad day a little easier.

[blackcat]

Whenever I am ill or feeling a bit down in the mouth (not quite the same thing, I know as my mum is bipolar), my cats take it in shifts to keep me company. They sit on my lap, or the bed and stay with me - always at least one. The dog also hangs around like a bad smell, occasionally putting his chin in my lap and sighing up at me. Sooooo comforting.

[fluffycloud123]

aww what a lovely post and not odd at all.

i too have suffered with severe depression since a teenager. and i can honestly say that these two are my pride and joy and since having them have not had half as many downs.

monkey sleeps on my chest and purrs like a baby when im down, its almost as if he knows!!

[reneemaaa]

Here are my two best pills (and pals) in the world:

Ivan

Freya

and my OH, who is also a tower of strength to me. This morning I got to have all my family (OH and two cats) in bed with me. Freya laid her head into my hand and Ivan was talking (probably about the toys he was chasing while we were sleeping).

The old folks home my granddad was in had a cat and my local mental health hospital has its own cat (a lovely black and white girl, who gets more fuss than any cat I know!)

Cats are amazing creatures. Three cheers for them all!

[carl (billy and baggys dad)]

Thats a lovely post there reneemaaa. I'm lucky enough never to have had a problem with mental health, but like most people, I get bad days at work, stress etc. All those problems melt away when you get home to your cats though 

[Sabrina (Auferstehen)]

My cats take care of me and keep me from being overly depressed. Our Burmese likes to lay on my a lot, no matter what I’m doing which has caused a few accidents mostly with coffee.

My aunt and uncle in the US take their two curly haired Labradors to nursing homes to help cheer up folks that live there. They do some other things as well and once asked me if I would be interested in doing the same with my cats, I had to explain that Lirael bites, Smoke & Penguin would hide so that really wouldn’t work.

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

Ahhh bless those furry purries ..... it's true there is nothing more likely to cheer you up than a snuggle for a kitty. 

[Team Svartalfheims]

What a lovely uplifting post  Cats really do have a remarkable sense of when people aren't feeling well.

[reneemaaa]

Bit of an odd post, but I suffer from mental health problems. I have done for many years. Today I've been feeling bad, but my two little bundles of fur definitely help me. I feel sorry for all the ill people out there who don't have these fluffy friends. I think studies have been done to prove they help people in long term care (such as the elderly) too. What wonderful walking, talking (well, miaowing) medicine boxes these lovely creatures are.

So, to Ivan and Freya, thank you for being the best pill on the market.

ren