The Healing Power of Pets

While compiling this issue, I had the privilege of chatting with several pet owners about their furry companions. Despite how different some of their stories were, nearly all of them uttered the same phrase at some point during our conversations — “the healing power of pets.”

I was surprised to hear the phrase repeated more than once, but should I have been? After all, I’ve experienced these “healing powers” firsthand. How often has my mood brightened after running into a dog at Starbucks or the park? How many stressful days has my own cat, a beautiful tuxedo named Dolly, helped me endure? Too many to count.

Dolly loves spending time with me, but she’s never been a lap cat. She’ll sit beside me on the couch or lie at my feet in bed, but she rarely wants to cuddle; she just wants to be close by. That said, you can imagine my surprise when, a few weeks ago, she jumped into my lap while I was working.

I assumed she was using me as a bridge to get from one chair to the next (cats, am I right?), but no — she sat down and curled up for about 10 minutes before abandoning me for another, more comfortable nap spot. It was sweet, and yes, definitely out of the ordinary, but I didn’t think much of it. That is until it happened the next day, and the day after that, etc., etc.

Worried, I called my parents and told them I thought something was wrong with Dolly. Was she sick? Was she anxious? I closely monitored her food bowl and litter box for signs, but nothing else appeared out of the ordinary. She was still eating, drinking and playing like normal, so why the sudden change?

But then I remembered something Dena Coukoulis and Cara Fleischer told me during their interviews, that their dogs would often comfort them when they were feeling sad or anxious. “Am I anxious?” I asked myself. Between traveling, taxes and various work deadlines, I’d had a busy few weeks, and naturally, my stress levels were higher than usual. But could Dolly really sense that?

According to the U.S. Service Animal’s emotional support animal registry, some research suggests that not only can cats interpret human emotions, but they also change their behaviors correspondingly due to the attachments they form with their owners. In other words, cats can sense when their owners are upset and will do things like snuggle or play to boost their spirits.

Dogs, meanwhile, can actually smell stress in humans and will give their owners attention in an attempt to cheer them up.

Research has also proven that the simple act of petting an animal can lower cortisol levels, so each time Dolly hopped on my lap and allowed me to pet her, she was helping me in a small but impactful way.

My schedule has since slowed down and I’m less stressed, so Dolly has returned to sitting beside me rather than on top of me. And while I hope my life and schedule remain manageable, I’m comforted knowing that Dolly and her special healing powers will always be there when I need her.

Sara Santona, Editor
ssantora@rowlandpublishing.com