Everyone has those habits, foods and behaviours that bring them comfort when they’re not feeling 100%. Many of those comforts stem from experiences that have soothed our childhood illnesses, aches and pains. As a child, I remember being given chicken noodle soup in a mug, getting to snuggle up on the couch with a blanket while staying home from school, doted upon by a family member. While we didn’t have a lot of pets allowed inside, I do have memories of Fudge, my siamese cross, cuddling with me in the blankets.
As adults, we return to those familiar comforts on the days we're not feeling 100%. Personally, soup is still a goto, but it’s no longer Lipton-cup-o-soup, as my palate has evolved. Who else buries themselves in a blanket, turning on netflix to binge during our sick day from work is the adult upgrade of whichever VHS we were allowed to watch as kids? However, what do we do when that doting family member is no longer near you? Or is only availble via phone? Sometimes it helps to know that someone cares…
Those of us with pets turn to our furry, multi-pawed therapists for the doting that we need!
When we finally stop pushing ourselves and take time to rest, it’s reassuring how our pets come over to check up on us. The cat plods over, already “kneading biscuits’ to help ease sore muscles tense from stress or sickness. The dog snuffles in too, pressing a cool, wet nose against you (a canine temperature check perhaps), seeing if they can come up and snuggle in with you. Once everyone is settled, their rhythmic purrs and snores reverberate through you - a personalized prescription of sound therapy brought to you through your furry companions.
That purr-therapy literally is a form of sound therapy! Many of us tune into meditation programs, with their set sound vibrations known help us in a variety of ways. These frequencies are known as Solfeggio Frequencies. Examples you may have heard of are 174 Hz to help relieve pain and stress, 432 Hz for relaxation and grounding, and so many others.
Feline purrs have been documented between 40-200 Hz, with many of those
frequencies known to help heal tissues! Besides being a sound cats emit when they’re happy, it has been documented that injured or unwell felines will purr, as the purr vibrations promote healing and couldhelp ease pain. When your pet is purring against you, those vibrations actually have the ability to help your cells heal!
Did you know that there is a cat purr noise generator available online? For those of us without our feline therapists, this program allows you to manipulate tones within the generated “purr” to create that purr-fect soothing sound. Make sure to check it out: https://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/catPurrNoiseGenerator.php
As you reap the benefit of your cat's purrs, your body is also relaxing from the interactions while you pet the purr-box. Your blood pressure decreases, you begin to breathe easier. Your mental health begins to improve as well! These benefits have been noted in pet owners of other types of pets as well.
While purr-therapy is exclusive to cats, I classify paw-therapy as any behaviour demonstrated by your pets that makes you feel better! The encouragement to go out for a walk, that extra urge to play a little bit longer, to roll on the ground and savour the sunshine. The ear tilts, snuffles, bum wiggles, tail wags and antics that cause us to laugh, even when our hearts are crying. Even that persistent push for meals on the days that you may not feel like doing anything, or that you don’t have a purpose, is classified as paw-therapy. Paw-therapy is the human-animal bond at it’s finest!
What exactly is this bond? The Human-animal bond is defined by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) as, a mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and other animals that is influenced by behaviors that are essential to the health and well-being of both. The human-animal bond is being researched more extensively as the benefits of pet ownership on human health have become more apparent. Research groups such as Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), the Delta Society, and the International Association of Human-Animal
Interaction Organizations (IAHAIO) have repeatedly confirmed the anecdotal
evidence that we as pet owners know in our hearts: our pets are the purr-fect prescription towards a healthier, happier life.
There’s lots to explore in this area! The incredible bond we have with our pets can be used in so many ways: improving both mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health and wellness; changing behaviours and habits, encouraging better nutrition… the possibilities keep expanding. If you look at the lengths you go to for your pet's health, and compare it to the goals you have for yourself, what do you see? How would your pet react if they knew you might not be taking care of their human as well as they would want you to be? Interesting thought, isn't it? I hope you are here to explore this further alongside me!
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