This is Caramel. She’s a 16 year old female Calico cat that has been in my life since 1995. I brought her home from the Animal Protective League in Cleveland while I was in my second to last year of nursing school. She was 7 months old and feisty.

Caramel has lived with me in a total of five different apartments since I graduated college. She consoled me through the end of a relationship, encouraged me with her approving meows into a new one, and she moved to New York with me while attempting to curl up under the brakes in the moving van. (I placed her back in her pet carrier!) She even laid next to my abdomen through a bout of food poisoning. Caramel and I have shared some sad and mostly happy moments.

I have witnessed time and again the relevance of a pet in a patient’s life too!

While a home care nurse in Ohio many years ago, I recall visiting a patient who lived alone. Her old German Shepherd would meet me at the door with loud barks, then suspiciously follow me to the patient while I checked her blood pressure and heart sounds. Once convinced that I was in the home to help her owner, the old dog would lay next to the hospital bed as a reassuring presence to the patient. As grouchy as the dog could be while I was there, I sensed he and the patient had a very long history of trust. The patient felt tucked in at night by her dog.

In my own family, my mom found herself alone in my childhood home after my father died… well, almost alone, if it wasn’t for Angel, her 16 year old German Shepherd/Doberman mix. Angel still provides my mom a sense of protection during the night and drive during the day to attend to her duties of feeding and caring for her. They sit on the porch together. They eat lunch at the same time, and I’m sure they reminisce side by side about my father. Angel’s health is as important to me as my mom’s. They’re a team! If Angel becomes sick, my mom may experience more loss. If my mom becomes ill, who will take care of Angel?

As health care professionals and caregivers we must understand the meaning of pets who bring comfort and companionship in our lives as well as the lives for those we care for every day. Pets are a part of our family, aren’t they? Sure! In fact, there are many health benefits to owning a pet as listed from the CDC website below. Pets can:

• decrease blood pressure
• decrease cholesterol levels
• decrease triglyceride levels
• lessen feelings of loneliness
• increase opportunities for exercise
• increase socialization

How have pets helped you or a loved one through illness or grief?