The Positive Effects Of Taking Care Of An Animal

 "A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal, but even the compassion of the wicked is cruel" -Proverbs 12:10 


As some of you may know, I am a big time cat-lover. During my 30-year life I have owned plenty of cats as pets even though currently I do not own any pets. I have found that there are plenty of positive effects of taking care of an animal so I would highly recommend to anyone struggling with any kind of mental illness to own a pet because it will greatly benefit your mental health. Some of the positive effects of taking care of an animal are the following: 

1) Companionship 

2) Responsibility 

3) Purpose 

Keep in mind, this is not meant to be an exhaustive list so if you can think of any more benefits towards having a pet please feel free to let me know in the comments below. These are just some of the benefits I have found to have a positive impact on my mental health. However, everyone is different and so everyone has their own reasons for owning an animal. In this blog, I will talk about each of these points and explain how they serve to help positively impact mental health. At the end of thos blog, I hope that I will have convinced you to go out and get a pet today! It does not matter what kind of animal you have because what I am going to say will apply no matter what kind of animal you prefer. However, cats are the most superior of all the animals! 

Companionship 

I have found that in my life animals make wonderful companions. Whether you are happy or sad or angry, animals can sense your emotions and they will come around you to show you love and compassion. Animals do not care about you race, ethnic background, religion, political affliation, gender, or anything else that may divide human beings. They will show you true unconditional love no matter what. In my life, whenever I would be dealing with Depression, my cats would come near me and bring me such joy and comfort. I was always thankful for them. However, I will always say that having an animal should never replace human companionship. We were created to be in community with other human beings. So, having an animal is only a supplement for companionship not a replacement for being around other human beings. 

Responsibility 

Animals that you own will be completely dependent on you for their very existence. This means you must make sure they are fed and that they have water to drink and that they have their shots too. Also, you may have to clean their cage or litterbox or take them out for daily walks. All of this serves to help you become more responsible because you know that this creature depends on you. This will cause you to budget your money for food, shots, litter, cages, etc. This will also cause you to think more about how your actions effect your animal too. That is important because animals have feelings just like humans and when we do certain things it does make the animal either scared or happy. 

Purpose 

When we own an animal who is completely dependent on us for their sustenance and existence, it does give us a sense of purpose. It may not be an ultimate purpose however it does give us a sense that we are actually needed in this life. When we realize that our actions effect our animals, it creates in us an awareness that our creatures actually need us. This is important because people with mental illness have a tendency to feel like we are not needed in this life. That concept of feeling like we are not needed can be deadly. So, when we have an animal it really helps us to fulfill the purpose of helping us feel needed. Again, this should never replace our need in the Body of Christ. People in the Church are in desperate need of what we have to offer them so do not think that since you have a pet you can just pour all your love and attention into your pet and disregard your family in Christ. Our brothers and sisters in Christ need us just as much, if not more, than our pets do. 

I hope that this blog helps you understand how owning an animal can have some positive effects on your mental health. Do you own a pet? If so, please let me know what your favorite animal is and how they help you with your mental health. I thank you for reading this blog and I hope that it was a blessing in your life. May the God of grace bless you abundantly in the name of Jesus Christ. 

My Adorable Kittens!

-David Lee Chu Sarchet

Christian Mental Health Advocate 

For 24 hour peer support, please call the Christ-Centered Mental Health ministry line at 567-343-3727 or email me at christmentalhealth@gmail.com 

Lydia Sarchet: mrssccmh@gmail.com  

Britton Garleb: britaingabriel@protonmail.com 

Joe Roman: Twiztedmembrain@gmail.com  

Scott AKA Johnny Kangaroo: scottsoconmhs@outlook.com  

Dwayne McLeod: psyconatics@gmail.com  

Veronica Talbot: vtalbot747@gmail.com  

Amber Williams: shayneedm18@gmail.com  

Chuck Ward: wcw50@aol.com

Sarah Olivia: sarahjesseolivia@gmail.com   

Amber Marie: amarie0193@gmail.com  

Zachary Uram: Netrek@gmail.com  

Joseph McDermott: jpmlovesjesus@live.com 

Roselyn Morgan (Christ-Centered Mental Health Christian Counselor): RoselynMorgan53@yahoo.com

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