Inquiry question: How does a pet impact and benefit an individual’s mental health?
Why this is a question of interest: Mental health is a struggle for everyone. As a student, I find that my mental health wavers whether it’s a result of personal matters or my classes and stresses at school. I’ve never had a “real” pet before. I’ve had 3 aquatic frogs that are similar to how beta fish act. So, there’s no real comfort or many things to do with them. As an animal lover, I’ve always read about emotional support animals and the overall effects of having a pet and service animals. It’s really quite incredible how much they can benefit us.
Since dating my boyfriend, I’ve been around pet’s a lot more as he has four. Jesse his dog and Yoko his cat is my favorite. I slowly started noticing that I would be really excited to go to his house only to see his pets. On days that I felt under the weather, he would bring his cat to me and I would instantly feel better. I noticed that taking care of them brought me joy and made me feel better overall. This led me to begin to wonder what life would be like if I had my own pet.
Yoko made a huge impact on me and I really enjoyed being around her. Since coming to the realization that pets made me feel better and that I leaned more toward cats, I began to want one. A couple of months later my boyfriend bought me a cat. Since having my cat Kiko I’ve noticed my mood is a lot better. It’s harder for me to be stressed out, he motivates me and he keeps me calmer. Not only that but I enjoy taking care of him and he allows me to do things I haven’t before. I’ve started to go outside more for his walks, to play with him more, and to feel less anxious when I’m home alone.
He’s impacted my mental health greatly and for this I am thankful. As a first-time pet owner, I want to research the impacts that pets have on other individuals’ mental health to see how other people’s experiences with pets help their mental health compared to mine.
Hello Itzel,
Amazing and well-thought-out blog post! Keep up the great work!
I’ve always wanted to have a pet since I can remember, and I think a pet accompanying them does sound great to most people and will definitely help them with their mental health.
Here are some websites that you might find helpful during your research!
https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/well-being/pets-and-mental-health/
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/7-ways-pets-improve-your-health
Good luck with your project!
Hi Itzel!! Your post caught my eye because we are researching similar topics. I will 100% agree with you, ever since having a pet, it has changed my life for the better. It is like these furry creatures are a new chance for living life the way it should be lived. Having a cat specifically is the best because they tend to be calmer, and they are the funniest to be around (sometimes), and your cats name is adorable!
I found when I was looking for my own research question, this article was very inetresting, and the main thing that made me really want to do a similar topic in the first place.
https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2018/02/power-pets
I hope this helps you in your research! And hope to be seeing more about your topic!!
Hi Itzel,
Your question is so interesting! I’ve also noticed the same positive impact when dealing with pets. They definitely make mood better, I instantly smile whenever I see them. I listed a few links that might help.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjp85Lp9t_6AhVIHTQIHb3DAo4QFnoECAcQAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsinhealth.nih.gov%2F2018%2F02%2Fpower-pets&usg=AOvVaw19YiZhdl5sLj8O5r9-9M19
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjp85Lp9t_6AhVIHTQIHb3DAo4QFnoECFMQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cancer.net%2Fblog%2F2015-04%2Fwhy-do-pets-make-us-feel-better&usg=AOvVaw3tmsnwiHMUWKIyZRnopvyF
I hope these help and I am excited to see your work!