Hello,
After a few failed attempt at medication, my psychiatrist has suggested that I get a cat for my overwhelming anxiety. I am 26, I live alone, and I believe I might need to stay this way. The idea of another living being in my home stresses me out. Granted, everything stresses me out. I do acknowledge the pros to petting/owning a cat :
- can reduce levels of cortisol
- can increase levels oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin
- sense of companionship
- unconditional love
- non-judgmental
- encourage playfulness
- might eat houseflies for you
- dusts secluded parts of your home
- being responsible for a pet also gives a sense of purpose
- probably more...
But I can't ignore the cons. Growing up, my mom used to breed show cats. She thought it would alleviate her own depression (it didn't). I understand these cons might only be relevant to me. But if anyone can relate to those cons, are the pros worth it ?
- affection: a cat, like any pet, needs affection and attention. As a result of my past, giving and receiving affection has become something very uncomfortable for me. And to a lesser extent with animals as well. And being always reluctant to give affection, I fear that living with me, might make any cat lonely, sad or unhappy.
- recluse: Though it does make my anxiety worse, I try my best to go outside in an effort to alleviate my depression. But having a lonely cat at home might give me a push in the wrong direction.
- missing items : people touching or moving my things makes me very anxious. This is why I would probably stress that any item, if left unsupervised, might get misplaced by becoming the cat's next toy. some cats even figure out how to open cupboards and drawers 
- furniture: kittens sharpen their claws on furniture because they don't know any better, sad cats do it for attention, upset cats do it to exact retribution, some seem to do it just fo fun. All very stressful.
- vets: going to the vet is not only mandatory and expensive, but probably terribly stressful for me
- fur: picking an outfit is sadly already a pretty stressful endeavor for me, I fear adding cat hair to the mix might make it worse. Also, dust everywhere makes me anxious but with depression weighing me down, vacuuming often feels pointlessly exhausting. I fear that having fur everywhere everyday, will worsen my anxiety and depressed-motivation.
- smells: I am not hypersensitive to smells, but most animal smells do stress me out. even happy, healthy cats naturally throw up hairballs wherever. cats might urinate outside of litter boxes if they are unhappy (mine possibly) and some peculiar cats might do it if you don't clean the box right between each use. Moreover, where I live, in an effort to encourage citizens to recycle, it is illegal to throw out trash without a specific very expensive trash bag. I don't have anywhere to store trash outside of my appartement. Google approximates 6 liters of litter per cat per week. The smallest 'state' trash bag comes in 17L. That makes the soiled litter sit in my apartment for almost 3 weeks. Will the litter absorb that kind of smell?
- commitment: getting a cat is not like getting a pair of shoes. If I made a wrong choice, I can't just send it back or get a new one. I find it difficult to agree to do something a week later, because I don't know how bad my anxiety/depression will be next week. A cat lives 10 to 15 years.
Cats are great. But will my cat feel lonelier than cared for? Will my cat sooth more anxiety than it gives me? Am I just thinking too much?
If someone shares the sames cons as me, are the pros worth it? What are your thoughts/experiences?
