Why I love my pets.

Everyone who knows me knows that I'm just absolutely in love with my pets. I'm an animal person through-and-through. I'm a vegetarian mainly because I just can't bear the thought of eating an animal. I get upset at the predatory nature of animals while watching Planet Earth. I fall in love with every dog I see at the dog park, every single time I go. I just adore animals, particularly the warm-blooded kind.

So, it's only natural that this love of animals would lead me to be a slightly obsessive pet-parent. I could seriously just sit and watch my cats chase a bug all day long. I could pet each of them until their hair fell out. I spend too much of my paycheck on animal toys, and Nathan has to drag me out of PetSmart every time we're there. I nearly had a breakdown when we brought Cohen into the family just because I was so nervous that the cats would be unhappy.

My pets are my family, in such a genuine way. I know their personalities. I know whose hairball that is, which cat is scratching at the door, what food they like (my cats don't like fish... weird, huh?), where they like to be petted (Fiero loves his butt being scratched), what makes them more excited than anything in the world (you should see Cohen's ears when I ask him if he wants to go on a walk), and  what kind of games they like to play.

I enjoy their company like nothing I've ever experienced. The affection of my animals is probably the most therapeutic experience I could ever have. Fi-fi sitting in my lap purring is all I need in this world to be happy. Somehow, when I feel like little in the world is good, including myself, my pets remind me that simply being with another life is enough. The goodness and gentleness of my pets brings me such peace and comfort, as well as joy and laughter.

Animals just have an incredible way of showing us what is good and real in life. They're not distracted by technology, opposable thumbs, and human drama. They enjoy the simplicity of life: food, a warm bed, cuddling, exercise, rolling in the grass. Sometimes I really need to be reminded to take a break from being a human.