Does having a pet help you?

[Jake]

I am just curious…… I am pretty sure having a pet helps people, but I just want to know exactly how a pet helps you?

[LilyoftheValley]

My pets bring me joy, comfort, companionship and a sense of purpose in this world.

[SkinnyMe]

In my case, having a pet is too difficult because of my negative symptoms. I find it too difficult to drum up the motivation to provide the care pets require.

[shutterbug]

Finally getting a new cat

[image] My wife agreed to adopt a new kitty. She is pretty unhappy about the hair and the mess so I am going to make sure I put a lot of extra effort in with cleaning. He’s just over a year old and is neutered. Very friendly. He’s a surrender as his previous owners had to find a new place to live and they couldn’t take the cat with them. Their new landlord didn’t allow pets. They named him Bandit, but… He’s a regal animal and the name doesn’t do him justice. My daughter and I agreed on Aristaeus, or Ari for short. This will really help my mental health.

[Wave]

I have a wonderful female cat named Colette and I just welcomed a new black and tan French Bulldog puppy into our family!

He’s a lot of work right now but a lot easier taking care of him than my last dog who was a much larger Labrador Retriever who was very sick.

Taking care of a cat and dog gives me joy and a sense of purpose!

Colette and Echo my Frenchie are getting along so far!

[WhiteRaven]

I have a dog… she’s improved my life dramatically! She gives me a schedule to follow, companionship, and a way to help interact with other people. Sometimes when I’m having a hard time, knowing I have another life to care for gives me a reason to keep fighting and staying out of the hospital.

[Twialine]

My kitty is almost always down to cuddle

[Moon]

I have a lot of animals and without them I’d just lay around doing nothing

[jukebox]

we have three dogs and I love them so much…they are our babies…love them lovelovelove.

[HollyHobbie]

I love my Tinker Bell (cat) and our puppy.

[vita47]

She gives me a sense of purpose. A lot of work too but loads of friendship. Without my pet bird I would fade away.

[SkinnyMe]

I would love to have another cat again but I just can’t take the hair. It becomes too overwhelming.

[MisterApple]

Would love to have a cat

[Bowens]

Yes. Without my dog I would not know what to do with the huge bag of dog food we have in the basement.

[Kxev]

Purpose.
Companionship.
Bilateral love.
They need you.
You need them.
Protection.
Comfort.
Responsibility.

[Revv1]

I find owning my dog a source of affection, purpose, structure. She always gets me focused on her after I’ve been too long at something and that always cheers me up.

[77nick77]

It brought me great pleasure having my own cat.,

[Joker]

My dog is a big part of my life

He really helps

Many dogs or cats need new homes since their owners went back to work post COVID

Very sad that they think they can just dump their pets because they find it inconvenient

If you can commit yourself to looking after an animal I suggest you do that

They will help you and you can help them

Really encourage people who can to help

[walterchang]

I had a cat years ago and when I was a middle school student, I had some pigeons.
Having pets is very interesting for most people.

[anon70814080]

I would love to have a cat, but I can’t afford it, and I’d have to cat-proof my home too, and that would be difficult. I don’t have the space either, so I think the litter smell and the wet food smell would bother me (my senses are too keen).