An Applause For Pets
A WELL DESERVED THANK YOU TO OUR PLAYFUL COMPANIONS THROUGH OUR LOCKDOWN STRUGGLES.
Six weeks in and this lockdown is getting to us. From what I’ve seen across social media, we’re all finding different ways to cope; be it baking yet another banana bread or drinking too much gin. It’s easy to feel a loss for our sense of selves, of purpose. With no jobs and no deadlines, for many of us it’s easy to feel no reason to crawl out of bed in the mornings.
For me, having anchors to normality are helping me cope, and one such anchor is my pet cat. I’ve new appreciation for the extremely early wake up calls and the constant meowing for treats. Having recently moved house, watching him interact - not always like a gentleman - with his new neighbouring cats has almost turned into a soap.
As a way to encourage some appreciation for our pets, I’ve asked some friends to share their pet stories with us all; to discover just how deep the relationships with our furry companions go and how much they help us cope.
It’s no secret that having a pet is a constant source of entertainment. Meme culture would never have taken off if not for the constant stream of hilarious pictures and stories of our pets. Although entertainment value seems trivial, it actually has some vital health impacts:
According to Newport Academy’s Pets and Mental Health research, ‘Playing with a dog or cat raises our levels of serotonin and dopamine. These are hormones that calm and relax the nervous system. When we smile and laugh at our pets’ cute behaviour, that helps stimulate the release of these happiness hormones’.
Jake says his cat Noodle is chief entertainer during lockdown, ‘Noodle has the sassiest little personality but she’s so lovely and soft sometimes. She entertains us all day long. Although she does the nastiest poops!’
Even the sensory effects of showing your pet some affection are known to have health benefits. Stroking a pet is known to lower blood pressure, easing anxiety and helping us to feel calm.
Rhianna talks of her cat Jim as being wonderful for her mental health, ‘Whenever I'm feeling anxious he curls up next to me, or I hold him like a baby and he likes to touch my chin with his paw to feel safe too.’
Similarly, Katy talks of the soothing effect of cuddling up with her dog Ruby, ‘Cuddles are great for your mental health in general, so having them constantly can only be a good thing.’
As our lives have been turned upside down, so have those of our pets. However, they can also provide us with much needed routine. Anna says her rescue cat Baby is helping her cope with her new lifestyle, ‘He makes the whole ordeal so much more manageable. He provides companionship and love but also gives us something to focus on and take care of.’
Rob, also Cat-Dad to a rescue, says his pet Jakob is providing structure,
‘He gives us routine, when it would be quite easy to just stay in bed all day if you weren’t feeling up to it. I also think he pacifies tension in the house when it would be quite easy to get frustrated with each other when you spend a lot of time together in a confined space. He sort of opens up the triangle.’
It would be all too easy to fall into some very dark spaces during isolation. The word isolation in itself is surrounded by negativity, so remaining distanced from loved ones really can feel like a difficult task, altering our behaviour patterns. Many friends have noted a change not only in their own behaviour, but in their pets behaviour too.
Chrissy, Cat-Mum to Melville and Maureen, has noted that her cats are perhaps enjoying her company more than they would normally let on,
‘Both the cats have been home a lot more. 6 weeks before lockdown I went on a 3 week trip around Asia, and although someone came round to feed them, they were pretty peeved when I returned home. So the past few weeks we have all enjoyed hanging out together.’
It’s common knowledge that owning a pet has many benefits, both mental and physical. Website Wagwalking suggests, ‘Your dog is very intuitive to energies - be it good, bad or sad. They are sponges for our energy and normally reflect our energy back to us.’
Joe, who is dogsitting Bailey during lockdown, says that Bailey has not only contributed to his positive mental health, but has responded to his emotions too.
‘During lockdown I have noticed a handful of differences in his behaviour. He seems calm for a lot of the time,I put that down to having 24/7 company for the first time in his life. On the flip side he actually killed his first animal recently (a baby rabbit) and took a mouth full of feathers out of one of our geese. After speaking to a couple dog savvy people I came to the conclusion that these incidents were down to him feeding off the emotion of myself in the days after losing one of my closest friends, and not specifically due to lockdown.’
Helpguide.org - a mental health guidance website suggests ‘Pets can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression and ease loneliness,’ Similarly to Joe and Bailey, Rob commented that Jakob is a shining example of this,
‘I think despite lockdown happening, the last three months of my life have been very difficult, and having a pet around who shows constant love and affection and understanding of your mood, without even being able to tell him how you feel, has had a very positive effect on my mental health.’
‘Chrissy also commented, ‘Up until March I can’t think of a day in my life I’ve not had a real face to face interaction with another human being. So whilst my cats don’t entirely replace the human contact, they sure help to soften the loss of social activity.’
I’d like this article to serve as a thank you to our companions. Without you by our sides, whether we’re worrying about you, getting out of bed to feed you, or even turning to you in difficult times, I don’t think we’d be coping half as well as we are.
Thank you to the people who spoke so openly and honestly to me about your experiences. I asked you to leave a message for your pets, here’s what you had to say.
Jake, for Noodle: Good girl Noodle, cover up that poo.
Katy, for Ruby: I love you my beautiful snoof floof!
Rhianna, for Jim: The sound of the cupboard door closing does not mean dreamies every single time.
Anna, for Baby: Stop stealing toys from other neighbourhood cats, you little thief.
Rob, for Jakob; I don’t mind that you wake me up at 5.30am every morning, but could you please just lie down for thirty minutes with us before you get us out of bed.
Chrissy, for Mel and Moe: I’d like you to know that when this is over I will try and have a bit more time at home. You are both awesome, although I could live without you returning home at 3 am, soaking wet and meowing so loudly that I’m surprised the neighbours haven’t complained.
And finally, Joe for Bailey, sharing a sentiment I think all us pet owners can appreciate: Don’t ever cease being the stubborn little sh*t I’ve learnt to love.
