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My latest column for HealthCentral talks about the benefits of pets when you have rheumatoid arthritis and shares tips for what you need to consider before getting an animal:

“MY LAP HAS been the domain of quite a few animals over the years. Some enjoyed the cuddle only for a short time, while with others I felt like my life was akin to that of a mother of a young child, learning to do everything with my fur baby glued to my body. For a four-legged cuddle monster that loves a lap, my being a wheelchair user is the ultimate dream. Pets have been part of my family for as long as I can remember. I grew up with dogs, then made the shift to cats when I moved out on my own and discovered that it is entirely possible to be both a dog and a cat person. Research tells us that pets help ease feelings of loneliness and depression, as well as improving heart health by lowering stress hormones and blood pressure. Pets can also be unique contributors to you creating a better life with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

My own most-obvious example of this was during a horrendous year-long increase in RA inflammation that gradually ate my life. It’s the only way I can describe the relentless erosion of ability and debilitating pain that left me close to suicide. It is not an overstatement to say that the one thing that kept me going during those awful months was my cat—a bossy, long-haired tuxedo named Mojo. During a time when I was isolated and depressed due to illness, my cat gave me love and at least one daily laugh. When the pain made me want to curl up in a ball, Mojo gave me a reason to get up—she needed to be fed, have a daily brush, and some playtime.

Over time, and with biologic medications controlling my RA now, I am still aware of the significant physical benefits of having an animal around. When I said goodbye to Mojo and found myself temporarily without a pet companion, I felt my strength deteriorate. Soon thereafter came Lucy, the white-and-orange tabby I affectionately called my Barnacle due to her tendency to stay on my lap for as long as I’d let her. I started to regain my footing both emotionally and physically. Hauling Lucy around helped my leg muscles to get stronger. (Supporting 14 pounds of cat on your lap for hours every day turns out to be excellent strength training.) Being a full-time wheelchair user made that kind of exercise impossible before, but the physical requirements for handling my heavy feline gradually made it easier for me to transfer between the bed and my wheelchair or the wheelchair and the toilet.”

Read my column on having pets with chronic illness on HealthCentral.