Cats and Covid-19: My Quarantine Story

I was never a cat person.

I did not like them. But when our city government declared an enhanced community quarantine, many people not only in my city but in the entire country, have bought and adopted pets in response to the strict isolation rule for emotional support. And, I have got my own experience with felines to share with you.

Societal Pause

Prior to the lockdown, I worked an eight-to-five regular office job. I could not prepare myself, emotionally and mentally, for the quarantine days and had no idea how the Covid-19 pandemic would cause a major change in my family.

It was on January 30, 2020, when the first Covid-19 case was reported in the Philippines. She was a Chinese national on vacation in our country. Just for the record, she survived.

Personally, I did not take the issue seriously, or at least did not think it was only the beginning of darker days ahead. Not until 633 suspected cases were reported on March 1. Hearing the news, I could not stop myself from thinking about all the negativities this pandemic would cause in the coming days.

On March 5 at 07:30, my youngest son’s teacher called and informed me that the school was letting all the students go home right away. I had to call in late for work to pick up my three sons first, all in grade school. Their teachers also informed us, parents, that it would be the last day of school as abruptly ordered by the Philippines’ Department of Education. Schools are closed until further notice.

I could not exactly describe my feelings at that moment but it was like I was drowning in anxiety. Many questions ran around my mind such as “What will my sons do at home all day without somebody they could talk to or at least a pet they could play with?”, “Are they going to be okay at home with no adult supervision?” “What if my son’s asthma attacks?” “What if I just work from home, will my manager allow me to?”

Thankfully, on March 18 my manager called for a one on one meeting. I was given permission to work remotely, considering the situation I was in. I felt so much grateful and relieved.

My city was placed under general community quarantine on March 14 and the next day, the first Covid-19 case was reported in Davao Region. She was a 21-year-old Filipina who had a travel history to the United Kingdom and Manila. Five days later, Davao City announced that all business establishments and private offices except the very essential ones are required to shift to online work and implement a work at home scheme.

The first few weeks of the quarantine were dreading and felt like forever. My kids’ new school year was about to start in June 2020 but the news was suggesting an academic freeze. The situation got worse and worse since I had to work at home all day with only one day off and at the same time do the house chores, watch over the kids, prepare their snacks and breakfast, make their worksheets to answer, lesson plans to study, and all the other activities a mother does at home. All were driving me insane.

Until I could not take the stress and anxiety anymore. I decided to quit my job in May of 2020. I rested for a couple of weeks and spent the time homeschooling my sons and learned baking. Then I started a part-time remote job with a flexible schedule. The decision has made the situation better but my worries kept lurking at the back of my mind.

Cats arrived!

All the while my brother has rapidly grown his new cat breeding business. If there was a panic buying of essential goods, there was also a panic buying of pets. Many people may have realized that cats are the perfect companion in the pandemic, while others may have only followed the trend.

His place could not hold any more cats so some of them (that are not for sale) were moved into my place. My kids could not be more excited! At first, there were three cats, then two more came, and three more!

Mood-booster Felines

I thought it was only the kids who are so fond of them. Later on, I realized improvements in my mood. It was like getting pet therapy benefits by adopting my brother’s felines. Not only me but also my eldest son who is at his adolescent age. He used to be easily annoyed by his younger brothers and did not want to play with them but with the cats around, he became a gentle big brother and is now literally present. Our furry friends indeed became our family’s social support during the difficult times.

Best Outlet

Normally, I do not share my real feelings with other people because I fear being judged after. Then one day I found myself talking to one of the cats and surprisingly, it was easier to talk and has made me relieved after.

Healthier Heart

When my brother spoke to me about bringing some of his cats to my place, my first worry was “Ugh! There is going to be another house chore to do!” I was wrong. I noticed that cats do not require so much attention and effort. They know exactly where to poo and pee, they are self-reliant, and best of all, they are not noisy. So they do not cause me any stress at all! They calm me instead. In doing my research about cats in order for me to understand them better, I read cat owners were 30% less likely to die from a heart attack or stroke than non-cat owners. Amazing, right?

Fewer Allergies

The most significant thing that we benefit from having cats in our house is that I and my son now get fewer allergies. Both I and my middle child son are Asthmatic. Our condition is usually triggered by dust mites, petrichor, smoke from vehicles, and animal fur. Although the cats came along with an air purifier machine, the first couple of weeks did make a little trouble for us. But for some reason, we were anxious to go to the hospital. So we got a few asthma attacks but not for long. Later on, we noticed we do not get as many allergies as before the cats came, even when we turn off the air purifier for many days. In fact, we have not got asthma attacks for almost a year now which was one of my worries during the first wave of the pandemic.

Wrapping up

Furry-friends-turned-family-members, our cats have been our guardian angels and mood-boosting creatures. Letting them live with us was one of the best things in 2020 for my family, especially for me in the coronavirus pandemic.

Are you a cat parent too? Love to read your responses. Thank you for reading!