My Cats Help Me Cope with Chronic Pain
/By Crystal Lindell
It is ironic that I was initially opposed to getting a cat because I have chronic pain.
I hate getting up early. I hate having to do anything right when I wake up. And I have no money.
Cats wake you up at 5 am, expect to be fed immediately, and keeping them alive is expensive.
But when the mother of my fiancé Chris moved into senior housing, she was only allowed to take one of her two cats with her.
Thus, her long-haired tortoiseshell cat – affectionately named Princess Diana – had nowhere to go but to our house.
Although I was initially reluctant, Princess D quickly won me over when, on her first visit, she ran over to me while I was sitting in a rocking chair. She stared up at me with the eyes of a cat looking for love, and jumped up into my lap.
I was hooked.
We became a one cat household.
Eventually, Princess D’s former sister Basil was also looking for a home, after Chris’ mom was no longer able to care for her either.
CRYSTAL WITH PRINCESS DIANA
Basil, a beautiful long-haired black cat, came with a pre-written warning for the vet, and lots of war stories. She was a scratcher. And a biter. If we hadn’t taken her, they were going to put her down.
Over the years, in the comfort and predictability of our home, Basil has softened. But just last week, she bit my arm because she got confused in the middle of the night.
We love her regardless.
After Basil came to live with us, we found our orange boy Goose and our brown tabby Goldie Hawn, outside.
And when we moved in with my relatives, two gray-haired cats, Gracie and Cinnamon, joined our crew.
Yes, that brings the total to six cats. Yes, I know that puts me into crazy cat lady territory. But the thing about being a crazy cat lady is that I love them all too much to care what you think.
Just as I feared, they do all wake us up at 5 am, asking for food. And it does indeed feel like I’m pulling myself out of cement to get out of bed, just so that I can open a can of Friskies for them at dawn.
Truth be told though, having a reason – actually six reasons – to get out of bed every morning goes a long way when you’re dealing with pain that never ends. They give me purpose, and in return, I give them treats.
Having six cats also means that at least one of them is always willing to nap with me whenever I’m having a bad pain day. And naps covered in cats are healing.
I confess, we do spend a lot of our money on our cats, especially after Princess Diana developed diabetes and almost died. We buy $140 vials of insulin every other month to keep her alive.
But she keeps me alive by giving me a reason to live, so really it all evens out.
In the end, our six cats give my life meaning, relieve stress, take my mind off my pain, and fill our home with love. All of those things go a very long way toward helping me cope with chronic pain.
In fact, there’s even data to back this up.
In 2019, a National Poll on Healthy Aging conducted by AARP and the University of Michigan found that pets can offer their owners a wide range of health benefits.
The people surveyed said their pets helped them enjoy life (88%), made them feel loved (86%), helped reduce stress (79%), kept them physically active (64%) and helped them cope with physical and emotional symptoms (60%), such as taking their mind off pain (34%).
For those who said their health was fair or poor, pet ownership offers the most benefits. More than 70% of older adults said their pet helps them cope with life’s challenges, and nearly half (46%) said their pets help distract them from pain.
I used to think that having chronic pain was why I could never care for a pet. But I’ve come to understand that caring for a pet is one of those things that gives more than it takes. It’s because of my chronic pain, that having a pet – or six of them – is so vital to my well-being.
