do any of you have pets? if yes, do they help with your symptoms or make things worse? if no, why?

we found a kitten today after i got off work. he's beautiful and sweet and i'd like to keep him, but i'm worried because i'm not sure i can handle the added stress. i don't know what he's going to be like tomorrow, or even tonight (it's 10:30pm). i'm sure he has fleas and/or worms so there's that, and i don't do well with parasites. he seems very attached to us already and it's only been a few hours. i just hope the novelty doesn't wear off and i'll want to get rid of him...

i also hope that we can afford taking him to the vet, because we need to make sure he's healthy. he's so skinny and underfed. it's very sad...

but this thread isn't about me, it's a topic for everyone.

do you have pets? if yes, talk about them! if no, tell us why!

I have two dogs and three cats. They're great company and I love them. <3

[UnderTheRose]

i have a dog and i often feel sorry for her because i am such a miserable *****. Im not bad to her, but.. just so unhappy. Luckily there are others here that are better than i am, so she isnt around a moody maniac like me all the time. :/ CATS though i think are easier. Dogs are needy, whiney, eating, pooping, chewing the walls sort of creature (or at least they can be, and that is always something watch for, the aggravation of bad puppy habits) My cats just climb on my head and lick my hair. Hard to not smile when they do that

[AnnaBegins]

I have a dog and honestly he's the only thing keeping me going right now. I feel like he's the only thing in my life that isn't judging me and finding me wanting. I never feel like I have to be "on" in front of him and he always wants to be around me, no matter how "off" I am on any given day.

[sugahorse1]

I have a dog and a horse. I have neglected my horse because I haven't been motivated to visit him.
My dog is a lifesaver. But if I'm in a really bad place, I have lost my temper unnecessarily with him

My Cici (dog) senses something is not right w/ me, she never leaves my side. It really does help me.

when i was little, i had a big black dog who was my companion. her name was Brandy and she was just a puppy when we first got her. we lived out in the country and she and i would go exploring the ridge. she killed snakes for us. she passed away gracefully at the age of 15 in 2007. after that, i moved out and adopted my special needs kitty Dustbunny. he was my little buddy and was awesome, even though he had no balance and was most likely deaf. the two years i had him were probably the least stressful years of my life. then my parents made me get rid of him when my husband and i had to stay with them for two weeks (TWO DAMN WEEKS and they make me take him to the shelter because he broke something ).

after that, we still had a second cat that i had adopted during the second year i had Dustbunny. i hated that cat, though. my parents loved it until they ended up keeping it and it yowled constantly because they wouldn't take care of him or play with him. but he was a very needy cat. he ended up disappearing.

then we had our dog Rosie, who we adopted after our daughter was a year old. they were supposed to grow up together but Rosie jumped the fence a few months ago and we haven't heard anything since.

and now this new cat. he has gotten so much better overnight from being fed and getting clean water. poor thing was probably dehydrated. i plan on giving him a bath later (yes i know, but i know how to handle kitties) and trying to get rid of the fleas he has until we can take him to a vet.

I have two cats and they're my babies. One is a gray long haired cat and she's nine and the other is a short haired tortoiseshell and she's about five. The younger one has always been skittish and I think she is picking up on my anxiety because she's developed her own nervous habit lately of licking the hair off of her belly and back legs. There's nothing I can do about it but try and reassure her by petting her and paying attention to her. The older one, I think, senses when there is something going on with me. She's always right by me. She's my little buddy.

I have a 16 yr old cat named Zonie. when my husband and i had first gotton together he had found out that he had cancer and she would lay on his neck where the cancer was at and lick the back of his head like she was taking care of him and bathing him. then she and I became very close and she knows when I am upset or crying she will come and sit on my lap and snuggle up, lick the back of my hair and be very attentive always letting me know she is there.She's very vocal and asked to go outside, or tells me when it's time to eat or if she wants the turned on.

[don'tknowwhattodo]

I understand your fears of maybe not being able to do right by an animal if you decide to"be their human". I had the same feelings 8yrs. ago when my husband and a friend found a pit bull puppy for me because I was missing another friend's dog that had been staying w/ me(for about 6mths.)and had just gone home to "mommy". Well,I almost missed out on the best friend that I've ever had!! Rosie has hung right w/ me thru 6 surgeries,major depressive disorder,anxiety,being declared disabled,finally being diagnosed BPD,the husband calling it quits after 24yrs.,and all my human friends falling by the wayside.I now live on my own on a fixed income of $710 a mth. and I'm able to make it work.There are organizations in just about every community that supply free(yes!!free!!)pet food for people that want to be a pet parent but need some help accomplishing it financially. I spend $15 a mth.on a good flea and tick preventative from PetLuv,make her toys out of old socks,and beg, borrow,and plead on the rare occasions when she's needed veterinary care. I do have to admit that most yrs.she's gone w/out Co. license and I feel the same as most of the other posters, w/ the guilt of being unable to give her 100% in any capacity.BUT... I conquer that w/ where would she be w/out me? (the people she came from were not animal lovers and she had no papers,so...)Take a chance,that kitty's love could be some of the sweetest you'll ever get;and your's might be the ONLY love that kitty will ever get. Good luck!!!

I have a bunny.
Honestly, I think having a pet has helped me more than anything. Taking care of her has given me something to do with myself and has managed to keep me busy so I don't fall off the wagon as often.
I also use her as a self soothe object. She's soft and snuggly and when I'm feeling overwhelmed, I just take a break from everything that I'm doing and I go snuggle and pet her.
Sometimes she does give me stress, but when that happens I just put her in her cage and walk away. Or I let her out in her room and give myself time to cool off.

[Ultra Darkness]

My family owns four cats. We just got the youngest last year, but the oldest was born when I was five, so I barely remember a time when she wasn't around. They can be frustrating sometimes, when I want to be alone and they keep meowing, but having grown up with cats, I can't imagine life without them.

update on our kitty...

we decided to name him Ignacius, or Iggy for short he has gained weight and has had a bath and flea protection. poor little guy is SO tiny, i can't stress enough how tiny this cat is. think of your average 12oz coffee mug, and this guy is only a little bit taller at the shoulder. but he's doing so much better.

It's a known fact that pets, especially cats and dogs have a positive effect on people, of every walk of life, disorder-afflicted or not. I think its good to have pets.

i don't currently have one due to restrictions of the place I live but I do plan to have a cat or two in the future when we move. I used to think I was a dog person but since my allergies have subsided with cats, and have had one, I finally understand the attachment people have with them. They are way better than dogs for me.

dogs are sweet but yes, i prefer cats. they aren't as needy. generally, as long as they have food, water, and a place to poop and sleep, they could care less what their people are doing :P

i do like a cat that is willing to cuddle, though. my Dustbunny would sit in my lap and lick my arm like he was cleaning me, but otherwise he was a giant lap cat. my second cat, Pepsi, would bite instead, and i couldn't stand that. he would come up and rub against me purring and next thing i knew he was chewing on me. ugh.

Iggy, so far, is very sweet. he only chewed on me while i was trimming his nails before his flea bath, and he's very careful about not scratching me, and he's great with the kids. no hissing or batting at them even though they scare him sometimes.

if things were different and i didn't have to work or take care of kids all day, and i could actually go for a daily walk, i'd like having a dog for a walking companion. i'd like to have a black or gray standard poodle someday. i like big dogs. and poodles have personality.

Dogs are too antsy. I didn't know this before but I kind of like a cat that will jump on your lap (even uninvited lol) and just lay there. Our last cat we had to give away, she would sit there on my lap for an hour sometimes while I was on the computer and somehow that's just nice, it's comforting... like a living warm pillow on your lap hahaha... yeah cats friggin rock.

[redbandit]

Originally Posted by AnnaBegins

I have a dog and honestly he's the only thing keeping me going right now. I feel like he's the only thing in my life that isn't judging me and finding me wanting. I never feel like I have to be "on" in front of him and he always wants to be around me, no matter how "off" I am on any given day.

Yeah I feel the same way about my dog when I'm going through rough times. Animals don't judge or expect anything, well except maybe food, etc lol unlike humans. I would like a whole house full of pets

[Luvmydog]

As you can tell from my PCname, I have a dog. He's a little chihuahua (was the runt of his litter), and has helped me rein in some of my emotions from time to time.

[UnderTheRose]

My dog stares at me. It's kind of creepy. and she is 7 months old.. so she is large enough to do damage but still at that REALLY tough stage. She is high maintenance and when my nerves are cracking and she is feeding off my chaos energy... NOT good. Not good at all. I love her but its like raising a large jumping, chewing non verbal ADHD child/crocodile.

[Ultra Darkness]

Chaos energy?

[UnderTheRose]

umm Chaotic? No, i am not into Chaos magic or anything.. it was simply a typo

[Ultra Darkness]

Ah. Okay.

[blackpearl86]

Originally Posted by AnnaBegins

I have a dog and honestly he's the only thing keeping me going right now. I feel like he's the only thing in my life that isn't judging me and finding me wanting. I never feel like I have to be "on" in front of him and he always wants to be around me, no matter how "off" I am on any given day.

I feel the same way about my dog.... My dog keeps me going, knowing I have to get out of bed to look after him.

[Achy Turtle Armor]

I have 2 young dogs now. One presently whining for me to take them for a walk. Anyway, the dog I had before these two was the only reason I didn't kill myself several times. I jus worried about what would happen to her.

My dogs make me so very happy. They never judge me and are always thrilled to see me. Even when I'm down they seem to understand and will cuddle up to me. You should see them right now! Ok, I better take them out before there is a mutiny. ;-)

new kitty Iggy is twice the size he was a week ago. it's pretty cool what a little good nutrition can do for an animal. he's now the size he should be for his age, and he is so playful. currently running around being silly.

Iggy is a good cat.