Getting A Kitten & How She Helped My Mental Health (Despite The Unexpected Injury)

in animals •  7 years ago  (edited)

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I’ve always loved cats, but was never able to have one as a child as my mum is highly allergic. We even tried hypoallergenic ones, but still had no luck and ended up giving them to my aunt.

A few years ago I moved in with my now ex-boyfriend who lived in an apartment block that allowed pets. I went shopping for a goldfish and came home with a beautiful ginger kitty, and later added a little grey tabby to our family. After we broke up I had to let the cats go, but I’ve missed them ever since.

Finally, I am in my own permanent home and I’ve been able to get a new kitty. A big part of this decision was down to my mental health. I suffer from anxiety and depression and I felt that I’d been able to manage my mental health a lot better when I previously had cats, so hoped that getting another furry friend would help me in times of distress. While this was a big part of the decision to get a new kitty now, I’d always planned to get my own cat when I had a place of my own. It was only a matter of time.

On June 4th I picked up Cookie. An 8 week old female who was everything I had imagined.

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Things haven’t all been smooth sailing though. About two weeks after I got her, Cookie fractured her leg. She doesn’t sleep in my room so I can only imagine how it happened, but I remember the sinking feeling when I went in to feed her one morning and she was only walking on 3 legs. I was already going through a rough patch, so the stress of this didn’t help.

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Nevertheless after about 8 weeks of being stuck in a dog crate and 2 operations, Cookie recovered. We can’t be sure of the vet’s success yet though, as there is a chance her leg may not grow from one end. However Cookie seems happy to be out and about again and I’m very glad she’s okay. When she first got injured, I felt immense guilt as I’d not let her sleep in my room (as she was trying to play at midnight). I also feel in some ways I missed out on the most important time in her development, but the ordeal hasn’t seemed to have had much of an effect on our bond.

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I have found my anxiety is a lot better since I got Cookie, even when she was in jail (the dog crate). Having a cat has also given me the push I needed to quit smoking and sort out aspects of my life I'd neglected, including simple things like getting my place sorted and buying a sofa (despite living here for almost a year, I hadn't yet gotten round to it).

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You can follow Cookie on Instagram if you want to keep up with her progress @CookieMonster.jpg

You can also find me on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat & YouTube.

Do you have any pets? Have you found they've helped with you mental health?

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She is adorable. Omygosh, yes... I can relate to the anxiety picture. Almost five years ago now, I had a serious mental breakdown. I noticed right away that I did not want any of my animals near me - it was a red flag and continues to be, when my stress level overwhelms me. I got a puppy maybe a year after the breakdown... my daughter rescued him from a really bad situation in the neighborhood and while he drives me just a little bit nuts at times, I have to admit he is a bright spot in my life and at times has given me the incentive to hang in there. Great post and God Bless.

Sorry to hear about what you've been through but I'm glad things are looking up!

Same for you... thanks.