Leah Brette
My cats are the therapists everyone needs
When my husband and I started our fertility journey to try and become parents, we didn’t realize the struggles we would face. As with most couples, we felt it would be a straightforward journey and we would have a bouncing baby soon enough. This obviously didn’t happen, and I spiralled into a world of depression and anxiety. I was told I needed an operation before starting IVF to help make things easier for the process. Unfortunately, I suffered some complications following the operation.
Throughout this difficult time in our lives, we had fostered a cat called Jasper who was 2 years old when we brought him home. Jasper was a pale orange Tom cat who looked constantly angry, but he was such a softy and loved people. During the time I was healing at home from the operation, he sat by my side constantly. He laid next to my stomach and gently put his paw on my stomach as if he was helping me to heal.
His unconditional love and care helped me to relax and felt everything was going to be ok. Sadly, the IVF didn’t work, and we were unable to conceive our own child. I saw a counsellor who was great and really helped me, but Jasper provided us with funny moments, something to nurture and care for and be responsible for as well as so many hugs.
Sadly, Jasper passed away in June 2022 at 10 years old with stomach complications, he was such a big loss in our lives and we both felt empty. We didn’t get another cat straight away as we felt we needed some time to miss Jasper. Some people couldn’t understand why we were so upset, but our cat was our rock through very hard times. He helped us emotionally heal from the loss of our fertility.
We then fostered Little Miss Chloe and Mr Whisky in January 2024. They bring so much into our lives, don’t get me wrong, they are trouble, but they are so playful, fun and entertaining. Chloe and Whisky are there at the door when we come home, wanting to be fed and fussed. They are there when we get ready on a morning, fussing around you when you’re cleaning or cooking. They talk to us all the time and love it when we get the fluffy mouse toys out to play with. Our beautiful kittens give us so much, they show us unconditional love, how to care for one another and distract us when we feel it’s all feeling too much.
Our pets are so important to us, they help us find a way to navigate the CNBC difficulties and challenges we face every day. They give us someone to come home to and talk to helping us process the emotions we are feeling. They are vital to our mental health and wellbeing, and you simply can’t put a price on that.
