5 Ways Having a Cat is Good For Your Mental Health

For those of you who have followed my blogposts, you will now see me as a traitor.  In the past, I have written a blogpost about how having a dog is good for your mental health.  You would be correct, I am a traitor.  My alliance now is to my two cats who bring me a ton of joy and happiness. In fact, they inspired me to write this blogpost because they have helped to improve my mental health.  I believe that people can be both a dog person and a cat person but I am sure many of you will beg to differ.  For my cat people, caturday fans and cat lovers, this blogpost is for you.

1. Cats teach you to enjoy life’s finer things

My cats are finicky as all hell.  They only like “Temptations” treats.  They love the fancy cat food with all the fish in it. They need to have special kitty liter or else (you know what I’m talking about).  They serve as a good reminder that we need to take care of ourselves and enjoy the finer things in life.  Cats don’t care if the “Temptations” are more expensive, they like what they like and they are going to get it.  This is a great example for those of us who tend to put our needs aside.  You too can ask for what you want and get it.

2. Cats help you to cope during stressful times

A few weeks ago, I was really sick with a nasty cold.  Did you know my cat never left my side?  I moved to the couch and he moved with me.  I coughed and he looked at me with horror, wondering (one can only imagine) when I would get better.  When you cry, cats come running to give you love.  Cats intuitively know when their owner needs them and they definitely rise to the challenge.  

3. Cats show you unconditional and conditional love

Cats actually show us both conditional and unconditional love.  And it’s a great example for us on how something we love so much can provide us with inconsistent patterns of love and it’s all okay.  Cats love us when we give them treats.  And other times, they run away from us for no reason.  And at the end of the day, we, as the owners, get to practice unconditional love with something that can be fickle.  This can teach us to have patience with other people who are fickle but we need to love anyways.  

4. Cats do not give any *$%^&s

Anyone else reading this blogpost too concerned with other people’s wants and needs that you forget about your own?  Cats are only concerned (expect when you are sick) with their own needs.  See example #1 about the cat treats. This serves as another reminder that we need to take care of our needs sometimes and not worry about everyone else’s needs.  Most of the clients who come in to see me struggle with setting boundaries and taking care of themselves.  It’s time we adopted some cat mentality and start taking care of our own needs.

5. Cats don’t stand down from a challenge

New box in the living room?  You’ve got yourself a new squatter.  Toys put in a box on top of the fridge?  Cats will go to any length to get that box down.  Christmas tree ornaments put up high?  The cat will find a way to destroy Christmas for you.  Cats will do whatever it takes to overcome challenges.  They teach us that we too can overcome whatever challenges are put in our way.  We can go to the highest limits, stretch outside of our comfort zone and eventually fall back on our feet.  

Having a cat is something special and it brings together other cat people.  I love having cats.  I hope you find as much happiness and love in being a cat owner as I do.   

Amanda Patterson, LMHC, CAP , Mental Health Counselor of the Year by the Florida Mental Health Counseling Association,  decided to become a therapist while attending Nova Southeastern University. She saw the need to help people achieve the life they wanted to live, while creating a life of her own. She completed her master’s in Mental Health Counseling and started a career in the juvenile justice arena. Amanda has been a therapist for ten years and has a private practice in Wellington, Florida, specializing in depression, anxiety, relationship issues, and substance abuse in teenagers and young adults. Amanda is a believer in holistic treatment and she practices veganism, meditation and yoga in her life. Find out more about her practice here.

To schedule an appointment, call or text Amanda at 561-223-1066 or email her at amanda@amandapattersonlmhc.com