Bonding with your pet alleviates stress

This special kitty appeared to the author in a dream the night before she was found.

     It has been shown that petting a dog or cat lowers a human’s blood pressure after just minutes. The sound of cats’ purring actually helps broken bones and other tissues to heal. People who have animal companions tend to stay healthier and live longer, happier lives. What can we do to return the favor for our furry or feathered animal friends? Bond with them! Pet them, feed them, spend play time and quiet time with them daily. Help them groom, make sure medical needs are attended to, and reduce anxiety or stressors in the household.
      Common stressors that you might want to take into consideration include excessive noise or chaotic activity, unfamiliar people or animals, household dynamics between pets and people, and our own stress that we bring home. If neighbor cats like to antagonize pets through windows, keep blinds shut or plant catnip out of view of the windows. If there is a lot of excessive noise, find ambient down-tempo music to leave on to provide a buffer. Learn to turn the television off, and the radio to a sensible level. Remember their ears, noses, and sensitivities are much stronger than ours. If there is a lot of dust or pollution outside, get air filters. If there are arguments, whether real or on television, or other excessive noise from gatherings or stereos, be conscious of how the noise and frequencies of these things may affect delicate ears and psyches.
      Animals have amazingly keen perceptions. They will often mirror for us what we have going on internally. For example, if we are stressed, our dog or cat may be restless or agitated. Take time to listen to your pet, both their vocalizations and what they are telling you through their body language. Often an “annoying cat” (words I’ve often heard but would never use myself!) who sits on your paper that you’re trying to read, or gets under your feet all the time is trying to tell you, “Slow down! Pet me! You need to relax and I need some attention and affection!”
     Take time daily to connect at a heart level with each pet in your household. Animals love to be around people when we are emanating love from our heart centers. This means we have to let go of incessant mind chatter to focus on our hearts. Ways to help us learn to do this is through meditation, qi gong, yoga, creating art, listening to positive music, and play time. Notice what kinds of games your pets enjoy, and interact with them. Some pets have never learned how to play because no one has taken the time to engage them in play. Pets who have learned how to play and feel secure in a house will often create their own games. This is wildly amusing. I find that I have no need for a T.V. because my cat and dog entertain me endlessly!