I know there’s been some foofaraw about wearing furs. I feel like it fell out of fashion at some point, but never paid much attention to the debate. But I think now I understand.
I am dog-sitting for a friend who lives in a very small town (pop: ~1,000). She has two dogs and two cats and they are all incredibly affectionate animals. I can hardly sit down without being covered in a living, furry blanket.
Yesterday morning I was very ill and, after taking the dogs on a walk, I lay down on the couch. I was instantly covered in animals. Bella, the Jack Russell Terrier, prefers the crook of my knees:
Finny, the perhaps-not-very-bright-pug, likes to claw her way under my jumper and snuggle up against my belly:
Lulu the tabby cat tried sitting on my head…when I protested weakly, she moved to my shoulder, but only after whiskering me in the face for a few minutes.
And Jack was content to sit on my feet. He has excellent rolls of fat for maximal foot coverage.
So, lying beneath my fur blanket, listening to the bass rumbling purr of Lulu and the odd noises Finny makes when she is happy (a sort of wheezing burble), I thought, ‘Aha, so this is the attraction of furs!’
It was somehow comforting to be immediately accepted and unconditionally loved by these animals. I think their presence helped me to recover from my illness.
Indeed, there was just a study showing how beneficial to one’s health it is to have pets…it increases the lifespan of heart attack patients and decreases blood pressure. The newest study was showing how pets can increase oxytocin levels, the benefits of which are many, from improved social interactions to wound healing. And these benefits of having pets also seem to benefit the animals (mutualisms!). Here’s the National Public Radio digest I listened to from under a furry-purry cover: Pet Therapy: How Animals And Humans Heal Each Other.
So I guess borrowing my friends’ pets is the best I can do for my health until I settle down somewhere (unlikely).
I was ruminating on the comforts of wearing furs when Finny released one of the most foul odours I have ever smelt. I groaned, “Why, Finny, why?” as I was trapped under a pile of ‘chuffed’ animals.
So now I know why people don’t wear furs any more, in spite of all their advantages. Too stinky.
