This week (8th to 14th May) is Mental Health Awareness Week
Many of you will know that Mum has struggled with depression on and off for most of her life. And if you've read her memoir The Cat Years: How My Cat Soulmates Saved Me
, you will know that what helped her the most throughout her struggles was having a cat by her side.
Cats, and indeed any pet, make life so much better, as many animal lovers would agree!
Here are 5 Ways Cats Are Great Therapy for Depression & Anxiety
Purring is healing...
Purrs soothe and can undoubtedly help to alleviate any stress and anxiety. In our case, I'm there for Mum when she needs me and I will purr extremely loudly because I am quite the purring machine. I love to see the affect I have on her. She feels calmer, happier, and loved. It makes me calmer and happier to see her like that.
Mum not only struggles with depression but also suffers from social anxiety and sometimes a little agoraphobia too so she has to stay at home and is unable to work. That's why she wants to work from home as a writer and blogger. She doesn't mind sharing this info on this blog as mental health problems should be discussed openly and not stigmatised. Raising awareness for mental health issues and animal rights is something she truly believes in and nothing will stop her in helping these causes that are dear to her heart.
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| The love of a great cat |
Unconditional love...
My mum knows that I love her unconditionally. Yes, I rely on her for my food, but that's not the point. I don't judge her. I understand her. I know what she's all about. I know her soul deeply. She's the same with me. There is nothing she will not do for me.
Animals don't care what you look like, what you wear, what car you drive, what you do for a living, how much you earn or whether you're single or married. We love you for YOU!
Just look into our eyes and you will see true
love radiating from our eternal soul. Nothing else. No judgement. Just pure love.
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| Look into my eyes |
Stroking soothes...
I don't mind Mum stroking me and kissing me if she needs to. I very rarely disapprove. If I don't feel up to it, I'll soon let her know with the thrashing of the tail.
As she usually wakes up in a bad mood, seeing me on her bed staring up at her with love, her face always lights up and she will begin stroking me and then will be kissing me until it's time to get up. I let her have this precious time for both of us and then it's straight downstairs for breakfast or else!
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| The love of a great cat works wonders on the soul |
Funny feline antics...
I have many sides to me. I can be an elegant goddess or cat model posing for my fans one minute and a clown the next. In this playful mood, I do silly things that make Mum laugh. I can be ridiculously hilarious. Sometimes I don't know what comes over me, and this is with no catnip involved! Mum has captured my crazy antics many times and they are available for all my public to see on my YouTube channel.
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| I'm a little crazy but so what? |
Inspiration...
Cats are muses and inspire humans to get creative. My mum is already a creative soul, but with depression comes a creative block and she loses any desire and passion for creating. She doesn't write books anymore, but when we met in 2011 she had been preparing to self-publish her novels. I'm happy that she achieved this in 2012.
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| A writer needs a cat |
With the novels finally published, I then inspired her to write her memoir. After that, we wrote A Forever Home For Athena
together, which is my rescue story, some of it fictional, to help raise funds for the charities we support. Mum also wrote another cat story, The Snowflake Pendant 
featuring the fur daughter before me, Suzy, who crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 1998.
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| Suzy, the star of The Snowflake Pendant |
Mum is too busy to write other books right now as she has to maintain two blogs (again, it was I who inspired her to start pet blogging) And she's also found a new passion in life - photography. No need to guess who set that passion alight, hey?
With my photogenic looks, she has the purrfect model to keep that passion burning (as long as it's only me she photographs 😸
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| I am so photogenic |
I also inspired her to take up afternoon napping. We nap together for a couple of hours in the afternoons to recharge our batteries. Before anyone remarks that Mum is lazy, don't forget that she's always up at 4:30 am to feed me!
My Mum's memoir
(available from Amazon in paperback and for Kindle)
, you will know that what helped her the most throughout her struggles was having a cat by her side. 
together, which is my rescue story, some of it fictional, to help raise funds for the charities we support. Mum also wrote another cat story, 
featuring the fur daughter before me, Suzy, who crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 1998. 
