No one wants to be home sick, especially not this flu season.
But if you do have to stay home, who is your best buddy? Often times, it is our Pets. Pets cannot fetch our cold medicine, but they do put up with any whining. Pets also do not care if we aren’t at our freshest either because of a missed shower or if we forgot to brush our teeth that morning.
I have yet to see a Pet snub their nose at a trail of tissues leading up to their sick owner. If anything, dogs can take the mess as a sign to party and might even use the tissue trail as toys, and cats will daintily brave the trail of tissues to cuddle closer to their owner and provide nose nuzzles.
Many Pets are good at keeping kids company while they are sick in bed. Pets may not be at the top of the kid’s list like Mom or chicken soup, but having a Pet hang out while being stuck in bed is good for comfort and distraction.
As adults, our Pets keep us on the mend by helping us stay active. Even when we are sick, we still have to get up to feed them, give them water or go out for a walk/potty break. And you still need to go out and get Pet food when you have run out—even if you are sick.
Pets are not only great for comfort for when you are feeling under the weather, but they can also be beneficial for your overall health and help you avoid illness all together! WebMD offers a slideshow that includes some reasons on why Pets are good for us.
Some of these health benefits may seem obvious, such as companionship, exercising with your Pet, or Pets who help their disabled owners live a more independent life than they would without Pets. These day-to-day activities, which seem obvious to helping Pet owners’ health, can also contribute to the prevention of more serious illnesses. Pet owners have a statistically lesser likelihood to be prone to deliberating illnesses such as heart disease, strokes and depression. Pets can also help children adjust better to such conditions such as the ADHD, allergies and autism.
You may have just thought that Pet snuggles were good for the soul, but they are good for mind and body too!
Here’s to Pets, the unsung heroes on our sick days, second only to the person that brings us chicken soup and picks up all the tissues that did not make it into the trash.
