Pet Therapy

Dreamdove said:

Fatty McButter Pants
My two cats, Sam and Charlie, are two of the joys of my life besides my 3 kids. I love to pet their furry soft bodies and when I get up in the morning I look forward to them walking out to the kitchen with me. When I came home from the hospital back in Jan. 2007, I could tell Sam really missed me (I didn't have Charlie then) and it made my heart glad. Yesterday Charlie was sitting in my daughter's puzzle box. He could barely fit! She called him "Fatty McButter Pants." He's not fat but I have to say he did look pudgey at that moment.

Funny name
Your daughter seems to have quite an imagination to have come up with that name. She should write a kids book called Fatty McButter Pants. It sounds like a winner of a series.
I'm serious.

I hear you about your pets walking out to the kitchen with you in the morning, looking for breakie no doubt. I wake up to 4 eyes staring at me looking for their morning treats in bed yet, man have they got me trained. lol. If I pretend to still be asleep I feel one of them very gently lick my hand. It's too cute. Does the heart good for sure.

Ya you can tell when they miss you. I have had to be taken off in an ambulance quite often with heart problems and they always seem to know when the ambulance is on the way. I just hate having to leave them, they seem so worried before I leave, they just have this way of looking at me as if they are saying 'are you going to be okay?' They are so special.

hollyberry said:

Unconditional furball love
There are so many great things about our furry friends that are a balm to the soul!

I have Shih Tzu named Rudy who is the essence of calm and devotion; then, there's my cat West- maniac deluxe!!

When our last cat, Charlie, died I felt so sorry for my son that I let him pick another cat from the no-kill shelter in our area. He chose a rather ordinary-looking gray and white cat and he came with the name "west". Hint- never pick an animal that is named after a direction! He must have been stray for quite a while as, when we got him home, he would run full-bore through any door trying to escape! I'm sure his head is now disformed from hitting the back of the closet walls and banging in to the bathroom cabinets. He was a challenge; it took many months to get him used to being an inside cat and,in the process, our peace-loving Rudy suffered at his paws.I finally asked my son why he chose this cat, and typical boy, he said the cat was smacking another cat in the face and it made him laugh!Shoulda known-lol.

West sized the dog up and decided he would be a great sparring partner; only thing is, Rudy, like his Tibetan forebears, is a pacifist at heart and did not have it in him to go round and round with the goofball. The cat finally figured that out and I thought we would now have peace at home once more. Wrong!! He was determined to find trouble everywhere- from destroying window treatments to full out ninja attacks on our legs! He did eventually settle down some, but, it was at least a year before we could feel safe turning any corner in our home.

When I got sick, though, he was at my side day and night. He slept with me, he followed me everywhere and jumped on my lap whenever I sat down. What a cool cat!! He became my constant companion through recovery from surgeries to days in bed after Interferon and chemo regimens.

You take a chance on pets and they never stop paying you back for taking that leap of faith in making them a part of your family! What a gift to be loved by Gods' little creatures.

No truer words
It is a true gift to be loved Gods' furry little creatures. When I hear people talk about not liking dogs or cats I just feel so sad at all they are missing out on by not getting to know our 4 footed friends. I wouldn't have been able to get through my treatements and diagnosis, divorce and all the rest without my two puddy tats.

Olee said:

Big Boy
Well my pet is not a cat, but he loves to make friends with cats. He's my Angus and he's a 140 pound rottweiler. He's always been there for me and seems to always break out with some goofy act the minute I start to dwell on my cancer. Either that or he smothers me in kisses. He never wants to be 5 feet from his mother or father so he's always at our feet and thinks he's a lap dog. He was a birthday gift from my wife and he is the gift that keeps on giving. I had always wanted a rottie and she wanted a large dog so she found this little puppy at a shelter. He was four months old and we were told he had been found wandering in the desert. He had his issues due to being a stray and abused but has turned out to be such a loving and comforting dog. He's so big yet so loving and gentle, he volunteers to give his bones to us, straight from his mouth. He has never met a cat he never liked, although they are usually terrified of him. I keep telling him I will keep it a secret from the other dogs that he is friendly with cats, I know he has a reputation to keep up. I never knew his loving and comforting would come into play as much as it does now. Those times when my wife is away at work and I have a moment, I just grab Big Boy and wrap my arms around him and hug him tightly, let out a few tears to which he responds with a huge sloppy kiss across the face.

I So Get It
Oh Olee you are so lucky to have that dog. Sounds like you both are helping each other out in so many ways, especially with the love that you two obviously share. I had a dog too, a Schipperke, and he was just like your dog - so devoted and understood when I needed a big sloppy kiss, always right beside me when I found myself alone. When I hear of animals who have been abused it sickens me, sounds like you saved your dogs life and for that he is showing great love and gratitude. Like I said before, we would all be very wealthy if we could bottle that kind of unconditional love we get from out pets - so healing - better than all my medicines combined I think sometimes. Take care. Blueroses. P.S. My cat is looking at the screen as I type this and she promised not to let it be known that your Rottie likes cats. She is very reliable that way - won't rat him out. lol.

bsiems said:

I love Lucy
I haven't been to this site for a long time and am spending time reading some posts when I came across this one about pets.
Going through chemo in the winter of 2005-2006 my golden retriever Lucy saved me. She was the only one who saw me with my bald head, and because of her I walked everyday. I couldn't see her stay home inside all day when she so loves her walks. She kept me moving and I truly believe that she made my treatments and side effects bearable. I won't ever see my pets as burdens with all they give me. Lucy is still with me and I got her a miniature daschund last summer to keep her young! It's working so far, she's 11 but plays like a youngster, I hope she's around for a long time yet, we went through a lot together.
Bless our furry friends.

Isn't that the truth
Hi Bsiems, I don't know what I would have done without my two cats either, throughout my treatments and ongoing problems with after effects. When I have a tough time, like now, I enjoy coming home to them and having a nap after all the stress of the days appointments/interventions. The cancer is long gone but it's the after effects that keep plaguing me. One of my cats loves to sleep right at my left side with her head on my shoulder all covered up with my arms around her. How she survives the heat I have no idea. The other one is a Himmy and very hairy but she tries to jump up first on the left to grab the spot just to tick off the other one who is a tortoiseshell - too funny, just like kids wanting what the other one has. They have such individual personalities - most of the time they are enduring, lol. Yup they are medicine for me and as I said before - if we could only bottle the positive things they do for us when we are ill it would probably put some pharmaceutical companies out of business. Blessings, Blueroses.

Pnktopaz10 said:

Pets
Hi Everyone!
What a great topic! I too have a pet that has been at my side through my cancer journey. Her name is Emma and she is 15. She is a Bicon Frise and so loving and devoted. She is elderly, almost blind but she knows exactly where I am. Once during a particularly bad time she was outside and knew I was in trouble and raced in the house. Remarkable as she can't really see and her hind legs are not working very well any more. As I write this she is at my feet. She lets me know~in no uncertain terms~when it is time to go to bed or to eat or get a treat. She is my constant companion and I love her dearly. Pets are so wonderful to have~unconditional love every day~who could ask for more! Great topic blueroses. Hope that you and everyone else is having a good day today! Pnktopaz10

Pets and special occasions
Hi Pink, Today is Valentine's Day and on special occasions and for those of us on our own with no one around they are almost life savers - emotional savers for sure. Special dates like this one can be very lonely and sad times and I think that Dreamdove said it all quite nicely under the thread here called 'confused and upset', on behalf of all who don't have that someone special on days like this and have been pretty much abandoned by others who they thought would be there. In some ways I am in that position too but when I awoke this morning I awoke to purring and a kiss on the forhead from my Himalayan cat. My tortoiseshell cat lay at my side both starring intensely at me as if to say 'good morning and Happy Valentine's Day - now give us our treats!!' lol. Hey whatever makes your day huh? lol. Anywho my point is that I truly can't say enough about how my two have kept me going through all the tough times, including the one I am going through now - nothing too serious but it has all piled up - many procedures waiting in the wings to be done - I'm numb. But with these two fuzzy friends their purring to me is like a mantra in meditation - calming me down and taking away the 'lonely' on special occasions such as this. They are a true gift from God with the job of helping us mere mortals through the tough times. My Himmy I named Angel for that exact reason and she has proven to be one in spades. They are so linked to my emotions it's unbelievable. My tortoiseshell knows if I am crying (even just a little) because when I sniff and take that breath in that you do when you cry she immediately stops what she is doing and comes over and meows and looks straight into my eyes as if to say 'I'm here'. The cutest is when she is laying by my side when I am lieing down, with her head on my shoulder facing away from me and if I start to cry a little she does her meow and bends her head totally backwards and up to look into my eyes - it's amazing - truly warms my heart. Okay I will shut up now, I could go on and on about how special they are - oops I think I already did, lol, sorry about that. Blessings, Blueroses.