I am a huge animal lover. My cats, a 6-year-old Tortoiseshell female named Devin, and a 2-year-old Tuxedo male named Vincent, are incredibly loved and very, very spoiled. To give you an idea of how spoiled, we have an extra bedroom in our house and it has basically been the cat’s bedroom since we moved in last February. It is where their litter box is, their food and water dishes, and a few toys–the rest of their toys are scattered around the house, naturally. I would gladly fill my house with all sorts of different pets, and I have been thinking about getting a puppy for a few months now, but I really don’t think Devin would like us anymore if we did bring a puppy into the house; it took her long enough to begin to tolerate Vincent’s presence in her home.

My cats bring me an immense amount of joy and happiness just by being here, and it’s not just because I’m a “crazy cat lady.” Animals actually increase serotonin levels (the feel-good hormone) in humans. Adding a pet to the family is prescribed by some therapists to people living with depression, and spending just 15 to 30 minutes with your pet is guaranteed to make you feel less anxious and stressed.

Even considering all the ways in which pets make humans’ lives better, an estimated 4.3 million animals enter into shelters each year, which just breaks my heart. Check out the following infographic for more information about how good people and animals are for each other, and how you can potentially help a small fraction of the animals who find themselves living in shelters.

Courtesy of Carlton Hobbs Antiques

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