Alicia Pyke on the comfort pets can bring

With the world in such a confusing, upsetting way right now, I wanted to share a little of what makes me feel better, writes Brisbane News columnist Alicia Pyke.

Animal stories are my kryptonite. As a kid, I never saw Bambi the whole way through. Even the poster for Watership Down was too much for me.

As an adult, I forced myself to see Marley & Me. Insert crying face emoji.

Not sure why I put myself through it … maybe in the spirit of “anything that doesn’t kill me makes me stronger”, it was the emotional equivalent of doing a Tough Mudder.

Anyway, before we get much further, please know this isn’t a sad animal story.

With the world in such a confusing, upsetting way right now, I wanted to share a little of what makes me feel better.

CJ the cat.

It’s my cat CJ – a moody, grey tortoiseshell with an infuriating knack for waking me up exactly 30 minutes before the alarm is supposed to.

CJ has been part of our family for 10 years.

Guy had to convince me life with a cat would be a smart move.

I was worried about the loss of independence.

But he was absolutely right: life with a cat is a million times better than life without.

Ever since we saw CJ’s sweet little face at the cat adoption centre, we fell in love.

A decade on, we can’t get over the joy and silliness she continues to bring us.

Not that she’s perfect.

Our CJ has a terrible temper. She hisses as often as most cats meow.

She also growls rudely at the vet and once swatted me in the eye so hard I had a faint bruise. But that was my fault. For being asleep when she wanted breakfast. At 4am. Ugh!

CJ is quite famous in her own way.

When Guy had to give a big work presentation in Amsterdam he slipped in a few pictures of CJ to make sure his audience was paying attention.

It worked, won him plenty of laughs and soon everyone at the conference was adding pet slides to their talks.

Brisbane News columnist Alicia Pyke. Photo: AAP/Russell Shakespeare

Thanks to CJ, a dry IT conference dissolved into a competition for the cutest pet. She won, of course.

Anyway, there’s nothing wrong with CJ. She’s not ill, she has all four limbs and a proud stripy tail she waves like a flag-bearer at the Olympics.

CJ is amazing, just like your pet is amazing.

So give your furry family members an extra snuggle from me.

When everything else feels grim, our animal companions still know how to make us smile.