Question:

I've had numerous animals all my life. At one time, I had three cats, eight kittens, four hamsters, two dogs, a tank of fish and a canary. A while back, I came home from the doctor's office with an ear infection. The doctor had poked around in my ear, making it worse. After I got home, my cats and I went to bed with one cat on either side of me and one at the top of the bed. They kept rotating and softly purring until I was completely relaxed. I felt so much better. Another time, my dogs Chubby and Bear stayed next to me all night long after I came home from a surgery. They wouldn't let anyone near me, except for my uncle and son, who were taking care of me. The dogs could sense when I wanted to get up and out of the recliner and would get help. Chubby and Bear also were caregivers when my uncle was dying of cancer. They would take turns alerting me when he would wake up.

J.H., Park Hills, Mo Oct 03, 2010

Answer:

Thanks for the vivid descriptions of your cat and dog attendant "nurses." It is remarkable how attuned animal companions can be to the suffering of their human family members. Several readers have shared similar experiences in their letters about their caregiver dogs and cats that leave no doubt about animals' ability to empathize and express loving concern, even facilitating the comfort and recovery of their loved ones. Our body language tells them we are suffering, as well as our tone of voice, our crying and possibly even the changes in our body odor and normal routines.

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