I don’t suppose too many people remember in the old Peanuts cartoons when Lucy would put up a stand that said something like “Psychiatrist 5 cents”. I have my own personal therapist and she’s free.

Lucy (my cat, not the cartoon character) gives me free therapy sessions. Usually at the end of the day, I will be on the couch and she will crawl up onto my lap and fall asleep there. She will stay as long as I don’t get up for anything or make any sudden movements.

She’s not much with the advice. She’s mostly a listener. She’s also the only therapist who could get away with sleeping on the job. But Lucy’s 11, so I cut her some slack.

Pets are good that way. They are always so happy to see you and they love being around you and they make you feel like somebody, even on those days when it seems no one else even knows you’re alive.

I am a fan of both cats and dogs. They’re different, but they both have ways of showing affection. Cats are lower maintenance, but they’re both good.

Usually, after five minutes of my therapy with Lucy, I feel my blood pressure going down and the stress leaving my body. Whatever seemed so threatening and so urgent doesn’t seem all that important any more. I’m able to see things with a better perspective.

I recommend some form of pet therapy, whether it be a cat in your lap or a dog at your feet or even a hampster doing whatever it is that hampsters do. We all need down time and some kind of stress-relief. Pets are really good for that.

Oh, and it helps to have a good book thrown into the mix. A cat in my lap and a C.S. Lewis book make for a good time. You should try it.