Every chance I get I mention how important my wife was/is in my treatment and infant recover process (6 weeks out of treatment) but she just looked at me and asked "and what about the cats?". She's right, we have 7 cats and a bunny. The two times I had to stay overnight in the hospital, she reminded me that they all waited by the back door and didn't sleep with her. When I was home they were always on the bed with me and they did make me feel better. If you have a pet they will comfort you during this trying time and if you don't have one you might want to think about getting one. JMHO.

David

Hi David,
I cried when I read this. I would have never made it through my treatments without my beloved cat, Skippy, who slept curled up in my arms the entire time I was having radiation. After week 2, I hit the bed for about 20 hours a day and he was always there to purr me asleeep or to keep me warm. Unfortunately, this beautiful virbrant feline got felled by pancreatic cancer this spring. One month he was healthy as horse, romping around the backyard at age 14, the next he simply stopped eating. The tumor was inoperable so no chemo. They gave him steroids which gave another good 6 weeks, but then it was time to say goodbye. I miss him so. I have two others but none will replace him. Pets are marvelous creatures and can really be a confort when you are ill. They seem to sense our needs.

Take care,
Eileen

I would have never made it through this without my dogs - I had 4 Bichon Frises. I had to put one down to colorectal cancer last year ("Angel" was 16). One of my boys had a rare form of skin cancer and was operated on for that. The surviving girl and my first Bichon (who is approaching 17) has had a tumor removed and has been going downhill for some time - arthritis, kidney failure, etc., but not ready to leave yet. The boys learned very quickly how to get out of the way when I had to run to the bathroom and not to jump on my stomach. They were very protective and loving and knew the gravity of the situation. They also knew when I was freezing to snuggle up, and on the correct side, to allow me to quickly depart when need be.

I had the unique blessing of raising them from birth. They have lived in the same house all of their lives.

I had cats for years who were great sick bed companions but they had both died when I fought my cancer battle and I often wished one of them was there to curl up with me. We can't adopt new cats because we adopted my grandfathers elderly beagle/mix when he died and she is a cat-chaser (even though she is deaf and partially blind so a smart cat could sneak around her without too many problems). She was a good companion to me when I was sick in her own way, but she tends to prefer to sleep in areas where people won't be walking around her at night (I believe my grandfather must have tripped on her sometimes) and I was up so much at night, she mostly slept in the other room. She did come and put her chin in my lap once in a while during the day in a very sweet way, though.

I would have missed her if I had decided to not be treated at home. Wanting her presence around, wierd though it seems, is one of the reasons I decided to be treated locally.

Nelie

We have two very large German Shepherds, whose best gift to me was to get me out walking after I was coming back from no white cells and precicous few red ones. These big, strong dogs walked as slowly as I needed to, and when I had to sit down, they stood by to let me hang on to them to pull myself back up. They were as happy as I was when we resumed running. Except when away at school, I have always had pets and I cannot imagine life without them. A cat has come to live with us, so the animals outnumbering the people, we are now officially a zoo.

My wife is a collector who believes all the cats in the world are hers and most are on loan to other undeserving people. It is not uncommon for me to open a room that we seldom use only to find a new addition that she hasn't told me about. Some she is more bold in bringing home like our newest addition...she found a kitten at Walgrens sitting outside in the pouring rain a few nights ago. She picked him up and he was soaking wet. We took him to our vet and they told us he was totally deaf so that was one lucky kitten. She saved his life for sure and he will now spend his life as royalty. I wish I was one of our cats. LOL

Loved these stories - heartwarming and true, as animals do tend to "feel" our emotions. I hope to hear a few more. JaneP

Hey, this is fun, so I'm gonna introduce our 3 dogs. Punkin, the oldest is a Lhasa Apso,an anniversery present from John to me. She's 12 now and has always been my dog. Scooter, a Shitsu\poodle mix,[11 yrs. old] weighing in at about 10 lbs, but definitely King of the Hill, is John's dog- follows every step he takes and never leaves his side if possible. Biggest problems we have with Scooter is that he doesn't want anyone but him and John on John's bed and when John is out of the house, he sits by the front door waiting for him to return. And then there is Tanq-no one knows what mix of breeds he came from.{he's pretty funny looking] A friend found him, not yet weaned, wandering down the road in August 1998. Just so happened that we went to their house for dinner that night and after plying me with two Tanqueray and tonics, she plopped him in my lap and naturally he's been my dog ever since. All 3 are house dogs and their fun blends in very well with the dust. We love them almost as much as the grandkids. Amy

I KNEW there was a reason I liked you Amy! Suckers recognize each other! Warmly, JaneP

We have our three Standard Schnauzers -- Bulwinkle, Shamu and a new puppy, Cory -- I have had this breed since 1959 and have bred them since 1962. I agree dogs and cats are wonderful to boost your spirits and hgive you cofort when you are ill or "down" for any reason, I know they were a big comfort to boyh Barry and me during the last year.

We lost our beloved Stubby in July due to a rare cancer which the veterinary oncologist said was due to environmental exposure to a carcinogen -- makes you wonder what we are doing to ourselves and our environment. I do a newsletter for our dog club and was just given an EU report on the effects of bisphenyl A-diglycidyl ether ("BADGE") which is used in the linings of pop-top cans and has been found to be an endocrine disruptor at very low concentrations and may be involved in the increase in hormone-related cancers.

Another warning for dogs -- Xylitol gum, which many OC patients chew to increase mouth moisture and reduce tooth decay, is quite poisonous to dogs.

Gail