A few years back my daughter who at the time was working in Austin in Texas contacted me asking if it was ok she sent a kitten she had rescued from a garbage dumpster to me, as she already had two cats.
I said ok and a few days later picked up Pumpkin, as she had named that kitten, at the Vancouver, BC airport.
Since then Pumpkin has become an important part of my diabetes management. She is my de-stressor.
First thing in the morning she jumps up on my bed and gently paws my face, saying it is time to wake up. In return she gets a 10 minute stroke.
As I am sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper and drinking my tea she is up in my lap, scoring another half hour of strokes.
Later in the day she follows me around and often strokes up against my legs.
Overall, I could not imagine a better antidote to stress than my Pumpkin cat. And as we know, stress is a contributing factor to high blood sugars for anyone diabetic.
I’ve spent most of my life without a pet in the house. As a working adult I considered getting a dog many times but didn’t think it was practical or fair to the dog to leave him/her alone at home while I spent 8-10 hours each day at work during the week. When an opportunity to get a service dog who I could bring to work presented itself, I chose to pursue, uncertain if I could make it happen.
Well it did happen and after many years of living alone, I now had a warm furry being in my life, one that could help me with managing my blood glucose. Norm proved very useful on the hypo-alert front and his presence surprised me with my sense of increased well-being. I had always heard this about pets, that they provided much comfort and companionship. This was not in any of my consideration when I decided to adopt a service dog in my life, but the depth of emotional and psychological comfort he brings surprised me.
I think it’s not just the mere presence of a loving dog or cat that gives comfort but also me meeting all his needs for food, exercise, and loving touch that delivers a palpable benefit. A good animal companion gives you a sense that they are totally with you in the time you share. They are not distracted by what happened this morning or even five minutes ago. They are zen masters of now!
Congrats on having the good sense to accept your daughter’s gift! I’m glad it’s working for you.
In addition to the companionship you mention there are other advantages to a service dog. Depending on their size they could add to your safety when you go for a walk. And some have even been trained to detect when their owner is hypoglycemic and act appropriately. The only real downside with both cats and dogs is their relatively short lifespan compared to a human.
I’m so glad you have your pumpkin cat… you’re both very lucky. I’m missing my babyboy beyond terribly… he passed about three months ago- he was with me for 16.5 years and he was probably about 18 years, I rescued him from outside by accident. He loved me beyond belief. Long before diabetes all my furbabies have given me unconditional wonderful, wonderful love and I feel sorry for people that have never experienced that incredible love. He was my rock and got me through so many things, it is so hard to live without him He helped with the diabetes tremendously too as did/do they all.
Meee, perhaps enough time has passed and you could consider adopting another furbaby?
Meee, I understand the sense of loss you must feel. My wife had a cat for 22 years and is still grieving the loss after the cat passed away 10 years ago. I do agree with rgcainmd that adding a new cat or kitten to your household might be a timely solution, particularly now that you have your diabetes and would experience solace with a new furry and loving friend. I am sure that in addition to your local SPCA there are rescue organizations in your area that would be more than pleased to let you see the selection of felines they have that are ready for adoption.
If you’re not ready to adopt, you might enjoy helping socialize kittens at a local shelter. Nothing like a pile of playful kittens for relieving stress!
PS. My oldest is 20 and I am grateful for every day we share. 
i
my sil runs a shelter here in northern NJ. you have no idea how much they need volunteers to help out (walk dogs, spend time w cats,etc). another thing they need is for people to foster dogs and cats on a temp basis.
I too, have a cat named Pumpkin, he’s orange and white. He is an emotional support animal. Because of that designation I did not have to pay a pet deposit at my apartments. Like your cat, My Pumpkin is affectionate and he helps me with my anxiety. he even knows when I am having a hard time breathing due to sleep apnea and he wakes me to put my CPAP on.
I did have to pay a pet deposit for my pumpkin. And I was extremely fortunate that I live in one of the few apartment rental buildings in Vancouver that allows pets. Normally only condo owners get to have a pet while renters are usually denied that right here, regardless of whether it is a service animal.
We had cats and dogs almost my entire youth. From the time I was about six until I was 30, I had a cat or dog continuously. My cat lived for 18.5 years—from the time I was 11 until I was 29, and we also had two dogs during that period, and I also had a guide dog for a couple of those years. I so badly want to get another cat (I’d feel too guilty getting a dog while working full-time, although if I ever get another guide dog I’d like it to be a dually-trained guide and diabetes alert dog). But I can’t get a pet because I’m so allergic to cats and dogs now. By the time my cat passed away I couldn’t pick him up without breaking out in hives and having my eyes swell up, and I couldn’t pet dogs for 30 seconds without having sneezing fits and being itchy and congested. Even with no petting and extra medication, I start reacting if I’m in the same room as cats or dogs for more than a brief time. I continued to react to a computer chair my cat loved to sleep on every time I sat at my computer for years after he died until I finally got a new one when it wore out. It’s the thing I hate most about all my allergies, being so allergic to animals. 
@Vancouversailor, I’ve been renting in two apartment buildings for the past five years and both have initially not allowed pets but then changed their policy to allow cats and small dogs (with a pet deposit). So maybe the no-pets trend is something that’s beginning to change (or maybe I’ve just been lucky).
Thanks everyone, I’m just not ready yet. Too much going on with me healthwise and I don’t feel able and don’t want to stress out a poor cat with my health issues, but I think it will happen eventually. We still have Syb our other kitty too and she is very territorial so adopting will not be easy necessarily. I have done a lot of volunteering over the years and I would like to do that at some point again, but I need to get myself more stabilized first before I try to take that on. I have done fostering but I get very upset when I have to let them go and Syb would be stressed out by that. I have my own personal rescue at our home where I feed several strays/ferals who I have spayed/neutered vaccinated. 
ps. I have a question for if/when I do adopt again- it will probably be a kitten. I remember someone saying their kitten chewed their pump tubing and I wonder if I can cover the tubing with something to stop that from happening?
You are in my thoughts and I hope your multiple health issues get sorted out soon. I’m relieved to hear that you still have at least one kitty in your home. IMO, no home should be cat-less!
One of my “de-stressors” bumped the Humalog pen tip just as I was depressing the plunger!! 
Wondering how much insulin I got (if any)…
Pets are the best stress reliever out there!!! We had a wonderful lab for almost 15 years and had to put her down earlier this year. We were all crushed. The house was quiet and empty and sad. It took a few months when we realized we needed another dog. So 2 months ago we got ourselves another lab puppy. And the fun is back in the house. It is a lot of work but the laughter makes us complete again. She does jump and chew, so yes I need to be very careful of my pump and CGM sensor. But got through the first puppy without her chewing or eating any of my diabetes equipment and hopefully I will get through his puppy’s chewing phase with equipment in tact. It takes a while to be ready for a new family member but I wouldn’t let fear of tubing being chewed stop the fun. Hope you get to a good point soon because it is so much fun having a baby(puppy/kitten) in our lives!
I have a little kitty (not so little anymore, but always my baby). Her name is Muffin (Muffy for short) and she’s an adorable black cat with very faint tiger stripes. The support she gives me is amazing, however, for a different reason. She’s a butthole. A mean, a real jerk of a cat! It really is, wonderful, however, having her to get my mind off of my disease for a while. The other day I got home from work and opened the cupboard to get out a wine glass. I turned my back for a second, and she was inside the cupboard refusing to get out! She also has discovered that mommy cannot reach her on top of the microwave (it’s on the fridge) and likes to jump up there and meow in all her glory. Muffy is constantly doing weird, funny things. I have a water pitcher that I water my plants with. Whenever i pull it out she cries and follows me around while I carry it. Also, if I have a plate of food sitting on the floor or on the couch, she tries to “bury” it for me. Every morning i wake up with her above my head on my pillow, and a bed full of her cat toys.
Wow, okay, now I’m just blabbering. I love my kitty, and I think animals are amazing supporters!
Thanks for sharing your experiences with your kitten, MissMargie.
I remember seeing a study done among seniors living alone that showed that those that had a pet not only ended up with fewer visits to the doctor or to emergency, but also had a longer life expectancy. So the comfort of a pet companion can work wonders whether you have diabetes or not, but is extra valuable given how stressed many people with diabetes are.
I’ve seen those studies, too. Muffy is an exceptional cat and has never learned to be afraid of anything. There are a few residents at the nursing home I work at who love a visit from my kitty. Unfortunately, she can be known to bite so this isn’t an option.
In my hometown of Vancouver here in Canada someone recently opened what they call a cat café. They did so in cooperation with some local cat rescue societies. The purpose is partly to allow people who are considering getting a cat but have no experience with animals to get a “sampler” and partly to pair up people interested in a cat with adoptable ones from the shelters. So the cats wander among the tables and choose which patrons to cuddle up to or, if a guest sees a cat he likes that is not getting attention he can approach it. All the cats are strays that have been taken in to the shelters, given veterinary care and their required shots. So far it has been a big success as the turnaround is quite fast, the average cat being adopted within a week of moving from the shelter to the cafeteria. The cafeteria provides food and a safe place to sleep while the cats are there and in return gets publicity and visitors who normally would not be there.
I was just talking to my mom about this cat café today! I thought that you could just walk in and buy a coffee, but apparently it’s so popular that you have to make a reservation weeks ahead of time to get a spot. I’m so tempted to go, but I’m nervous I’d end up in emergency being surrounded by so many cats; although, I don’t know—it might be worth it for the cuteness!!