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It has been known and scientifically recognized that owning a pet has countless benefits, from providing loyal companionship to improving your mental health. I, myself, grew up with a lot of cats and I have known from my own experience that when you give your pets the love, care, and protection they need, they will love you back and keep on loving you unconditionally. It’s just the way it is with pets.

I spent, however, almost 10 years of my adult life without owning a cat or any other pet for that matter. I was worried that I wouldn’t be physically able to take good care of my cat when full-blown Vertigo’s attacks would strike. Again.

For the last couple of years, I have been struggling with the question of whether I should or shouldn’t own a pet when coping with my chronic illness. Thankfully, I have always been able to take care of myself without any help, which means that I am also capable of and willing to take care of a pet, in particular, a cat.

Before adopting my cat from the local shelter back in November 2014, I compiled a check-list with the requirements, pros, cons of owning my future cat. Cats are generally more independent than, let say, dogs.

And just like dogs, cats do need their own structure and daily routines, especially when it comes to their feeding time. Having said that, my check-list also includes the following main requirements:

1. My cat needs to be an indoor cat

Two of my previous cats are killed in a road accident, which has left me with fear of losing my cat to the “cat’s outdoor world.” So, owning an indoor cat is one of the must-have requirements on my check-list.

I live downtown and don’t allow my cat to go outside without me. Surprisingly, he seems to be very content with his own “me time” looking at the birds and busy traffic through his windowsill. In fact, he doesn’t even seem to have the need to go further than our own balcony.

2. My cat needs to be a litter-free cat

There is no way around that providing a fresh, clean litter box comes with the daily responsibilities of owning a cat. However, it doesn’t have to be a “conventional” litter box and indeed, it doesn’t necessarily involve a cat litter at all. Scooping my cat’s poop and having Meniere’s attacks simply won’t do.

So, my cat followed his cat toilet training from day one using his Litter Kwitter. As expected, there were several setbacks and toilet accidents but with love, patience, praise and a lot of snacks, my cat already became a litter-free cat before he reached the age of 7 months old.

3. My cat needs to be able to feed himself

There are times – especially during and right after my Vertigo attacks – when I am almost completely bound to my bed. That’s why, it is vital that my cat is able and gets used to feed himself using his PetSafe’s pet feeder when needed.

Besides, setting the pet feeder’s timer at 04.00 a.m. enables my cat to have his early breakfast and it also allows me to sleep until about 06.00 o’clock.

My ginger cat and I have been together for almost 10 years. In contrast to what I have been saying about “owning a cat”, the fact is that my ginger cat owns me, and I love him to death for it.

So, my answer to the question of whether you should or shouldn’t own a pet when coping with chronic illness is YES, provided that you are (still) capable of and willing to take good care of both yourself and your pet.

Do you own a pet when you are coping with chronic illness yourself? Share your story in the comment section below. Thank you.

Bonus tips:

• Click to order the Litter Kwitter Cat Toilet Training Kit from Amazon US, Amazon UK, or Amazon DE (Germany).
• Click to order PetSafe’s Pet Feeder from Amazon US, Amazon UK, or Amazon DE (Germany).