a few years ago i had a gerbil who seemed to always know when i was at my worst, he would somehow escape his cage, jump off the table, go under the living room door, climb the stairs...yes climb the 15 steep stairs, come into my bedroom and climb up my duvet onto my bed for a play! best medicine ever. even now my gerbils still stop my loneliness, give me a purpose to live and a reason to get up each day. Although they are tiny creatures compared to a cat or dog, they still give the same love and fill the house with their presence. i would hate to live in a house without pets.