The Healing Power of Pets

by Fran Hopkins | More from this Blogger

20 Feb 2006 09:42 PM

Just 10 days after my husband died, a week after my little son and I buried his Daddy, the two of us went out and bought our first pet: a nine-week-old kitten, dark gray with white feet, a white belly, and a bit of white at the tip of his tail.

I'd had cats as a child and thought that a kitten would be entertaining and cuddly and most of all, lovable. My husband had died very suddenly and there was this awful emptiness; not only in our hearts, but in our home too. Of course a kitten couldn't fill that void, but it could provide us with another living being to love.

So two days before my son's sixth birthday, we brought home a new addition to our family. I told my son that he could pick a name for the kitten. It didn't take him long to come up with one: Rainbow. Why "Rainbow"? Simply because my little boy liked the word.

It was apparent right from the start that opening our hearts and home to a pet was the right decision. I'd started keeping a journal right after my husband died and wrote this shortly after we "adopted" our kitten:

Rainbow is a darling. He is extremely affectionate and loves to be petted and scratched while curled up in our laps or arms. He follows us around the house and meows if he can't find us. In two days he has already made ----- laugh and be happy more than he's been since Johnny died. And honestly, I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying caring for him and cuddling him. I think there really must be something to "pet therapy," because Rainbow really does help ---- and me to feel better.

After awhile, though, my son and I felt that Rainbow needed a friend; he was alone all day while I was at work and my son was at school. So two months later we added another little boy kitten, an orange tabby that my son named Sunshine.

This is what I wrote about our felines in my journal:

The kittens have really been good for ---- and me. We love them and they love us -- they make us feel better. They're funny and distracting and I'm really glad we have them.

Unfortunately, though, things didn't turn out well for our first pet. Poor little Rainbow...less than a month after we brought his friend Sunshine home, Rainbow developed a devastating respiratory illness and I was advised to put him to sleep. At the time, I told my little son only that Rainbow had "died." How do you tell a six-year-old who's just lost his father that you "killed" his kitten?

Now, of course, Sunshine needed a friend, so we found him one a few weeks later: a black female kitten with white feet and white patches on her chest and throat -- a "tuxedo" cat. My son, in Rainbow's memory, named her -- what else? -- Rainbow.

Fast-forward 10 years to today. I guess you could say that my son and I really, really appreciated the difference that pets made in our lives. Sunshine and Rainbow are now 10 years old and still kittenish. They were joined three years later by Spice, a beautiful female tortoiseshell kitten.

Then we took the leap to the canine species, adding two Pugs -- Sandy, a girl, and Comet, a boy -- a year after that. Why two? Same reason as with the cats: Sandy needed a friend, so five months after her arrival, Comet came to live with us.

Sadly, our sweet Comet died of Pug dog encephalitis (a rare brain disease to which Pugs are prone) two years ago, at age three-and-a-half. We were heartbroken. I'd never had a dog before, so this was the first dog I'd ever lost. I hadn't realized how devastating it could be.

After vowing -- for perhaps three weeks -- that I'd never get another dog because I didn't want to go through that again, somehow another little boy Pug, a puppy we named Cocoa, found his way to our home. Cocoa's my baby -- he just turned two years old!

As if the cats and dogs weren't enough, we've had an endlessly chirping, cheery pair of parakeets named Snowy (white with a blue tinge) and Lightning (yellow with green markings) for nearly six years now. (There were a few goldfish along the way, but we never had much luck with them.)

Some might say we went overboard. (I'd even say we went overboard!) But I believe that my son and I owe so much to our pets, especially to our first few kittens. Those lively little bundles gave us a truly amazing gift: they showed us that it was possible to be happy again.

And the gang that followed? Well, every one of them is so loving and so lovable -- even the parakeets! They chirp "hello" to me every morning and when I play their favorite music -- love songs -- they sing along enthusiastically.

Yes, pets are work. Yes, they cost money. Yes, they tie us down. But in return -- with their puppy dog kisses, their peaceful purring, their naps in our laps and their chipper greetings -- they somehow manage to soothe our souls.

And that's why we cherish them.

Learn more about Fran Hopkins

Fran Hopkins is a Baby Boomer who just turned 50 and is trying to adjust! Prematurely widowed at age 40, Fran is a single parent to her 16-year-old son.

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Jaime Egan (2178) 21 Feb 2006 03:56 AM

I am sorry for your loss and your son's loss at such a young age. I agree that pets can help you to heal. After we had our cat Precious put to sleep when I was in college (she had breast cancer), my parents swore they would never get another cat. They now have two.

Aimee Amodio (11497) 21 Feb 2006 02:39 PM

Fran, I want to hug you!

It took me two dogs to replace my Miko, who passed away two and a half years ago. Letting go is incredibly hard, but the time we have together is more than worth it.

Heather Long (16954) 21 Feb 2006 03:15 PM

As the proud mother of five cats, five dogs and one horse, I can truly appreciate where you're coming from Fran. I rescued a kitten when I was six years old and I had him for 9 years. He was there with me through some very tough times. When he died, he took a piece of me with him. My current oldest cat just turned 18 and I've had him since he was a kitten. They are very much members of my family and my daughter refers to them as big brother and little brothers depending on their age in relation to her.

Heather Fitness Blogger. Marriage Blogger.

Kristyn Crow (2546) 21 Feb 2006 11:09 PM

I loved reading this! For some reason, I've been going a little crazy for pets myself. In the last six months, I've acquired four guinea pigs (incredible pets, by the way) two fish, one frog, one snail, and a cocker spaniel pup. This is in addition to my seven kids at home. You can imagine the energy at my house!