Pets and Mental Health: Comfort for Someone Who is Grieving

The loss of a loved one can be devastating with the grieving process sometimes being very difficult to get through. Many people try to find ways to comfort someone who is grieving, but pets seem to just have the natural ability to comfort a grieving person. It is well known that pets are good for our physical and mental health, so it's not surprising that pets can also be a source of comfort to help ease a person's grief.

Pets Seem to Know When Something is Wrong

Pets, especially cats and dogs, can often tell when something is wrong with their human companions. Pets often seem to be very in tune with the fact that their owner is grieving. Many will faithfully be by their owner's side trying to comfort them. I experienced this with my cat when my mom died. He would often come sit with me, meow at me, and touch me with his paw as if to ask what was wrong. Then he would lay on my lap and purr like he was trying to comfort me. My cat also faithfully slept next to me every night.

A Living Connection to the Person that Passed Away

If a pet was given to someone by the person who passed away, that pet often becomes a living connection for the one who is grieving to the loved one they lost. Because the pet is a living gift, the pet can help the grieving person feel like a part of their loved one is still with them. I also experienced this with my cat because he was a gift from my mom given to me the year before she died. His living presence was very important to me because it really did seem like a part of her was still with me.

A Pet will Let You Get it All Out

Sometimes the most important part of grieving is the ability for the grieving person to get it all out. Having someone to talk to can be very beneficial and healthy and sometimes that someone may actually be a pet. A pet can offer the opportunity to feel free to express feelings and pain without fear or restraint since the grieving person doesn't need to be concerned about what the one who is listening will say back or think. A pet can also be the someone a grieving person just holds in their arms as they cry. Everyone knows it's not good to hold all of those feelings in, so you could say it's like free therapy.

The emotional bond between humans and their pets is often very strong. It is known that pets help relieve depression and stress, so it only seems natural that pets can also be a source of great comfort for a person going through the grieving process. Pets can truly be beneficial to our mental and emotional health.

Sources:

WebMD.com - Pets for Depression and Health