hi everyone, ive been thinking about this and does anyone with pets find that they help you in ways with coping with ms? i know my cat murphy helps me alot, especially when im down or having a bad day, he will walk with me or get me up walking around (however slow it is), he will sleep with me on the settee when im really tired and follow me every where when im ill, he will also cheer me up when im sad and crying aswell, i know cats n dogs pick up things before we do, so does anyone else find that there pets can help in different ways?
Most days I’d still be in my PJs at lunch time if it wasn’t for my little dog.
No matter how I feel I take him out for a walk on my mobility scooter. Rain keeps me in because I haven’t cracked wet weather wear yet and I hate a pool of water in my lap but apart from that I go out every day.
Some days that little walk is all I do. When I get in I’m so exhausted I just have to take a nap but I feel as though I’ve done something.
Jane
have you tried waterproof trousers? mum is in a scooter (tank we call it) and in the rain she uses her waterproofs and when its cold she uses a leg bag, its like a sleeping bag with fur insides that goes up to her waist, that may help in the rain if you get caught and it will keep you nice and warm at the same time.
vicki
I really do think they help and I have heard that they help with anxiety so can’t see why not MS too.
I have had alot of animals since 2006 and the first 3 years of my MS was bad but the next was yes bad but I would not got through without them.
I have a Tortoise, Spiny mouse, Mouse, 2 rats and a dog which is the least animals I have had since I got my own house 2006.
I think I feel the animals give me something to live for and carry on, and since the Tort lives for 100 years or more it really is for life.
before i had murphy, i was bad with the deppression, i couldnt see the next day, so mum badgered me to have him, i said no coz i dont like being told what to do, but i gave up the day i saw him n he went running up to me n i picked him up and he started purring at me, now i cant imagine being without him, he deffinatly gives me a massive reason to keep wanting to wake up everyday, when i get that bad i feel like doing something, i look at his little face and start thinking, what will happen to him, wehere will he go, will he be looked after, and then i feel bad for thinking bout stupid things, hes saved me in alot of ways, hes my little angel in a fur suit
Whatever my problem my cat will allways make me feel better about it.
i agree, they always know dont they and one little purr and cuddle from them is like magic
Some years ago I used to ride a motorbike. I went to visit my then girlfriend and her cat peed in my helmet when I wasn’t looking. So that didn’t help! I was halfway home that night and nearly choked!
My parents had a dog when I was little. It shat on the stairs so when I woke up and ventured out I stepped in it. Barefoot too. So that didn’t help.
A friend also had a dog which shat everywhere. Luckily I was too boozed to notice that evening but next day was touch and go. So that didn’t help.
A few years ago I had a hamster. It bit me. So that didn’t help.
So my answer is ‘I doubt it’.
Mark
I love our cats! Millie ‘belongs’ to my son who has suffered from depression and sleeps in his room, I think she’s really helped him. Izzy (her brother) lives in my room with me and sleeps on the pillow next to mine. He is so affectionate and always seems to sense when I’m having a bad day and will snuggle with me.
Did I say I loved cats?
Mags xx
lol auntiemogs i think you may have mentioned you loved cats lol, mum and dad have 4 cats, magic is 14 and that laid back hes asleep most of the time, saphy whos nearly 3 shes a daddys girl, cleo whos 8 and shes a mummy girl, then theres fiona, whos 2, shes a daddys girl thru and thru, she has got her own cushion to sleep on in dads computer room, her own dishes upstairs n toys, she tells dad wen she wants something and dad goes running for her lol lol, but he says she hasnt got him wrapped round her paw haha i think she has, all the cats know when mum and dad are ill as they stay very close to them and follow them everywhere they go, the council told me wen my cat dies im not allowed to have another cat…i put 2 fingers up to that sentence lol
I hope he has a long and happy life Vicki, but should the unmentionable happen, you’ll just have to be discreet and get a Murphy lookalike!
i agree, cats are wonderful.
mark - your reply made me choke on my water!!!
Like Jane, l too know l have to get up and out of bed to let my dogs out - and never miss a day taking them out on my scooter.
l keep a cycling cape in the carrier to put on if it rains. lt does save me from the puddle of water that ends up in your lap.
Pets can be hard work as well. Yesterday morning l came down stairs - to discover that my dogs had reached up and got a tray of eggs [ 30] smashed them - then eaten them. Took me ages to clean up - the broken shells had stuck to the floor. l did not feed the dogs at all yesterday as they were making ghastly smells - gasing us. This morning l came down to find that they had messed everywhere - not on the tiled kitchen floor - but had managed to open the door into the living room and they had cr8pped all over the rugs and carpet. lt was just green slime. [apologises to any one eating their breakfast] l have done my best to scrape as much as possible up - then spray with carpets with vanish oxi-action spray. lf anyone has any tips on a better carpet shampoo - please let me know. l do put bicarb on wet stains on carpets as it absorbs and lifts the ‘moisture’ then you can vacuum it.
Yesterday, my OH decided to ‘surprise’ us -thats a couple of friends and our daughter and us - to a ‘retro’ dinner. Prawn Cocktails followed by steak and prawns [ surf and turf - not horsemeat] then Black Forest Gateaux. Very 70’s. All very nice - but with two large dogs with rumbling egg-filled tums - l had to light lots of scented candles to try to disguise the sulphurous stink.
Still, after a rude awakening this morning - Do l still think pets help ms - of course l do. lts a lovely sunny morning hear and l have the glass doors all open to let in the sunshine and fresh air!!!
F
Hello,
I purchased my baby a kitten Daisy last year and have never looked back except when she is climbing the curtains! I love her to death and stroking her hearing her purr is the loveliest sound ever and is so relaxing. If I am having a bad day her little beautiful face cheers me up straight away and that has got to be a good thing.
Love
Martina x
Yeh, they sure do! Our little toy poodle Lucy, knows all my moods and when I am upset is particularly watchful of me. If hubby is out in the garden or garage and i need help, shell bark in a way he knows hes needed.
And I`m absolutely sure she smiles at me quite often.
I love her to bits. She will be 14 in April and that worries me.
luv Pollx
I love cats and would never like to be without one. When my beautiful cat fudgey died at 7 with oral cancer I broke my heart and spent many days sobbing. My other cat, Lurch, would always come and nudge me when I started crying and he was never a cat to normally do that sort of thing so they definitely care when you’re upset. I didn’t have ms then and the cats I have now are affectionate towards me but I can’t see that they sense if I’m not feeling well. They’re always good company even though they can also be a handful at times.
I have three, furry, little men. Bailey, Dooley and Buddy. Bailey’s mammy was Stella and his Daddy was Guiness !! Dooley (toffee liqueur) and buddy (Budweiser) naturally followed. Bailey is 10 and the other two are 4 year old twins. They are all male, ginger tabbies. All house cats and all the most adorable, affectionate, gorgeous little fur balls. And yes they help me smile when I feel like I’ll never smile again and laugh when my throat feels too tight too. Xx
My little cat Tigga is my constant companion, people said (including my ms nurse) that cats are not as faithful as dogs, I must say that I’ve been pleasantly surprised at just how affectionate and faithful he is. Pets are brillant as far as I’m concerned.
Wendy x
My cat was diagnosed with toxoplasmosis last year. At that point I thought that pets were brilliant for people who need a boost. But then I wondered what effect catching tozoplasmosis from her would have on me.
I still think my cats have been invaluable to keeping my depression at bay, if you ignore the trauma when our kitten died. Having a pet doesn’t stop the ups and downs of life, but they can really help you live with it! I plan to always have a pet to help keep my spirits up!
I can’t really say whether my dog helps my MS, but he enriches my life and gives every day a purpose. He really is my best friend 