Guest blog by our friends at True Nature Wilderness Therapy!
I was lucky enough to grow up with cats in my household. My parents rightfully believed that connection with other beings would help us better understand, appreciate, and honour life. So, we fostered pregnant cats from our local Humane Society, who would give birth to their kittens in our home. I remember one Easter dinner being interrupted by just such an event, much to the dismay of my Grandfather!
It became impossible not to adopt some of the tiny beings, so we soon found ourselves the happy owners of cats. At the time, we lived next to a forest, so my other Grandfather installed a pussy-port (he should have trademarked the name!) to allow our cats to move freely between our home and the outside world.
When I left the home I grew up in, I travelled the world as an international tour guide, flight attendant and adventure-keen backpacker and went for 20 years without pets in my household.
A couple years ago, inspired by my therapist friend who shared how much it had improved her life, I decided it was again time to adopt a cat. The right cat found me, and when we went to pick him up, my partner insisted ‘no brother left behind’! Which is how we came to adopt tiny kitten brothers Chimi & Changa ☺
As it turns out, The Humane Society recommends doing exactly that, as cats are social beings who thrive with companionship.
Prior to crossing the threshold with Chimi & Changa, I’d had no idea how much joy they could bring me. My life is infinitely better this side of that choice. And it’s not just joy they bring, but so much more: companionship, comfort, love. And a sense of safety.
Nervous System Co-Regulation: We’re Wired for Connection
I noticed a dramatic difference in my overall sense of well-being once Chimi & Changa came to join our family.
As I read up on it further, I realized there are a lot of really amazing reasons for this. Have you ever experienced how being near a cat can make you feel calmer? That isn’t just in your head—it’s your nervous system co-regulating with theirs. According to Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory and Peter Levine’s incredible field of work in Somatic Experiencing (whose work I study to support and enhance my counselling practice at True Nature Wilderness Therapy), our bodies are wired for connection, constantly scanning for cues of safety in our environment.
While we usually think of co-regulation happening between humans, animals—especially cats—play a huge role in helping us settle. In researching it further, I learned that cats have an innate ability to sense energy shifts, attune to stress, and provide a stabilizing presence. Their rhythmic purring (at 25-150 Hz) has been shown to lower cortisol, reduce anxiety, and even promote healing in bones and tissues! (Muggenthaler, [2001])
Their steady presence, rhythmic breathing, and predictable routines act as anchors for our nervous system, gently nudging us from fight-or-flight into a state of rest-and-digest. In the same way, nature itself is a powerful co-regulator, offering the grounding rhythms we crave but often forget we need. Whether it’s time in the woods, the steady purr of a cat, or a moment of connection with someone who just gets it, our nervous systems thrive in relationships—human, animal, and wild alike.
Animal-Assisted Therapy
I found it incredibly beautiful and fascinating upon bringing Chimi & Changa home, how they’d be constantly together. They slept together, ate together (as we ate!) and even used the litter box together!
AND, every time I offered a virtual counselling session, they’d position themselves on my lap, or as near to me as possible, purring, co-regulating and supporting both me and my clients. I’ve never had better co-therapists!
No pros and cons list could have measured the joy these beautiful beings brought to our lives. Nor could I ever under-rate, nor quantify the impact and privilege of being able to love another being so fully, deeply, and unconditionally, for exactly who they are.
Shortly after his 1st birthday, our dear Chimi got sick and died, leaving this physical world. We buried him in the care of an ancient cedar outside our bedroom window.
We weren’t sure how his big brother Changa, who’d always been our aloof, ‘bad boy’ would react, but in his grief (and ours), he stuck close to us, becoming more playful and affectionate than ever. He continues to purr on my chest through the night, keeping me company through the dark times, and whatever may have taken place the day before.
And each morning as we wake, Changa steps onto the window sill, looking to the ancient cedar, as he purrs a morning hello to his little brother.
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