Cat - Can A Pet Help You Kick Depression?

Kicking depression can be a life-long battle for many sufferers, and people are always looking for additional techniques and options to help defeat it. Well, surprisingly enough owning a pet - especially a dog or cat can help you defeat your depression once and for all. There have been several academic studies that support the physical and mental health benefits of owning a pet. Owners moods have improved based on several factors. Exercise 1. Ask any mental health professional, and they will tell you the benefits of an exercise regime for relieving depressive symptoms. When you own a pet like a dog, you have to walk the dog, bathe and brush the dog, go to the store for the dog's food and other care items. It gets you up and moving. Something that many depressed people do not do. Affection 2. Giving your dog or cat affection such as stroking, hugging, brushing, rubbing etc. has been proven to help decrease stress in humans, therefore lowering blood pressure, and improving quality of life. Unconditional Love 3. A pet offers its owner unconditional love and affection. Pets simply want to be want to be loved and cared for and desperately want your companionship. This type of love without strings is very calming, relaxing, and pleasurable for most people - especially people who are depressed. Loneliness 4. The presence of a pet helps depressed people who are suffering from loneliness, whether they are actually physically alone in the world or whether they have created a self-imposed lonely world for themselves. A pet is there giving love, sitting by your side, and creating a presence in your home. Routine 5. The routine of caring for a dog, walking a dog, buying food, etc. is something that helps people with depression. Many depressed people no longer have a positive routine - but are "stuck" in their lives with mundane tasks, work, or perhaps do nothing at all. Being a responsible pet owner creates routine -- enabling someone who is depressed to get out into life. So now that you have been convinced-- what now? Well, it doesn't really make sense to buy pure breeds for hundreds of dollars unless you are planning to breed them - the perfect companion dogs and cats are ones up for adoption that are hungry for homes. Quick Tip: Try going to the The North Shore Animal League of America for information on how to adopt the right pet for you in your area. Lisa Angelettie, "GirlShrink" is a relationship coach, author, and online advice authority. Visit her at http://www.GirlShrink.com and learn about her exciting Relationship 911! Program. You can also grab the FREE report "3 Simple Ways to Save Your Relationship from Sabotage!" instantly when you go to: http://www.girlshrink.com/betterchoices.html ? GirlShrink Inc. The author grants reprint permission to opt-in publications and websites so long as the copyright and by-line are included intact and the article is not used in spam. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Angelettie Cat - Old Fashioned Flea Control Fleas have plagued dogs, cats, and their owners since time began so ways to kill or repel them has been a constant search. Today, with the shake of a can, the spray of a bottle, or a flea dip fleas are more easily controlled. But before these controls were available, pet owners were constantly on the lookout for a better way to free their pets of these disease carrying insects. The flea can cause many illnesses including anemia, tapeworms, typhus, and skin infections, according to veterinarians. The National Institutes of Health says that bubonic plague was, and still can be, transmitted by fleas. Rocky Mountain Fever and Lyme Disease are the most common illnesses caused by fleas. The last two diseases were thought to be transmitted only by ticks. Common foods and herbs were used to help keep pets flea- free. Brewer's yeast, sprinkled onto the dog's coat like flea powder is today, was used as a deterrent. Unlike flea powders, it wasn't harmful to the dog if the dog licked the brewer's yeast off. Internally, the yeast fortified the health of the dogs skin because it is high in B-vitamins. Keeping the skin healthy is necessary for good control of fleas. For more information on flea control: http://www.apluswriting.net/onlynaturalpetstore/fleacontrol. htm And more natural pet products for your dog or cat: http://www.apluswriting.net/onlynaturalpetstore/onlynaturalp etstore.htm REQUIREMENTS FOR REPRINT: You have permission to publish this article free of charge in your e-zine, newsletter, ebook, print publication or on your website ONLY if it remains unchanged and you include the copyright and author information (Resource Box) at the end. You may not use this article in any unsolicited commercial email (spam). You may retrieve this article by: Autoresponder: fleacontrol@getresponse.com Website: http://www.apluswriting.net/articles/fleacontrol.txt Copyright: 2005 Marilyn Pokorney Please leave the resource box intact with an active link, and send a courtesy copy of the publication in which the article appears to: marilynp@nctc.net ------------------------------------------------------------