24/7 Hotlines: Call or text 988 or text 741741

Media Room

Check out the latest features and share your news, artwork, poems, or videos.

International Cat Day 2022

Happy International Cat Day!! Today we celebrate our furry friends that help our mental health by decreasing stress, offering companionship, purring the pain away, and serving as a therapy animals!

Growing up, our family cat Treasure was quite literally my lifeline when my mental health was doing really badly. If I was having a bad day or crying, she was always there. She slept with me every night and I was definitely her person. She might not have known it, but she really saved me in so many ways. For years, she was my reason to keep living even when I really didn’t want to.

kailey and treasure
Me and my sweet Treasure Ann.

Today, I have three kitties to lift me up on those days when I’m really struggling. When I’ve having a really hard day where my depression and anxiety is crippling, I will go into bed and just snuggle and pet my cat Voodoo. She is really the one who is the snuggliest and she is super chill with me petting her, kissing her, and sometimes just burying my face into her as she purrs.

Snuggling baby Voodoo on a day where I was struggling to get through the day.

Our orange tabby cat, Moe, likes to stick to himself, but he definitely has a soft spot for me. My boyfriend got him before he even knew me, but I definitely seem to be more of his person. For years, he was not a purrer (unlike Voodoo) so when we heard him purr, we would be so excited. Now, I know how to pet him just right to where he’s purring and he does cute little chirps when I scratch his back! Petting him and even just looking at him is enough to lift my mood.

Sir Moe, how could I not love that cute little face!?

Our youngest kitty, Ash, we’ve had for about a year now. He has the same birthday as me so he’s my little birthday twin. He has such a personality and he always makes me laugh. Since he was a baby, he has ALWAYS had his tongue out and his teethies. It’s so funny and cute. Another bonus is he’s part Maine Coon, so he’s also really fluffy and calming to pet.

If you look closely, you can see his cute little teethies!

I am thankful to all of the cool cats in my life that bring me so much joy. They help my mental health without even trying. I’m so thankful to all of them for always being there to bring a smile on to my face!

If you’re looking to know more about how pets can help your mental health, check out my post Benefits of Pets on my Recovery Journey right here on TurningPointCT.org.

Also check out my video of me hanging out with kittens at Two Wrasslin’ Cats in East Haddam, CT!


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.