My Familiar. My Cat: Pets as therapy and companions

My cat, Earl, is my roomate. It is only possible for him to live with me in my apartment because I have a letter on file from my physician stating that a pet would be good therapy for me. He was talking about a companion animal to help with my high blood pressure, but my cat has been better for my mental illness.

Today, for instance, I am depressed and "in the basement" in energy and focus. Only the demand of the cursor keeps me on track to write. Even with that, I have to stop frequently to recover my train of thought and remember what it was I meant to write. I am trying to write anyway because 'in the moment' is the best time to discuss with meaning anything that really pertains to me.

The television is on, but I can't follow a story,and so it is tuned into something mindless. I can't listen to music because it would take too much energy to get up and change C.D.'s. I can't read right now; I lose my place, fail to comprehend and end up giving up.

But Earl, sensitive to my moods, is attentive to me. He curls up next to me and pats my face every now and then as though to check and see if I'm okay. When I'm manic he pays almost no attention to me and is very skittish and jumpy. I think he picks up on my energy as any familiar would do.

A familiar is defined as "n one well or long acquainted; a spirit or demon supposed to attend a person at call." Earl acts as my familiar - his spirit in tune with mine. In some traditions witches and holy persons had familiars. The definition of witch used here is someone knowledgeable about herbs and plants used in healing (for which they were burned at the stake). A witch is someone capable of moving between the metaphorical world and reality without getting the two confused, (even poetry was considered by the Celts to be white magic). The familiar often acted as go between between the spiritual world and this. And. He comes when I call him.

He serves as a companion as no human could: quiet always, never a sound to listen to aside from his purring. He is comforting when I am stressed,anxious, or depressed - playful when I am feeling good.

More research is being done to understand the widely known improvement in people with mental and other illness. But, I need no research to know.