Line #119 Main/FuzzTherapy


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8	->'''Leonard:''' I know what you're thinking, I've taken your asthma into account. There’s a feline geneticist in San Diego who has developed the cutest little hypo-allergenic calicos. I've been thinking about names, I'm kind of torn between Einstein, Newton, and Sergeant Fuzzy Boots.\
9	'''Sheldon:''' Leonard, do you really think you can satisfy your need for a relationship with a genetically altered cat?\
10	'''Leonard:''' Maybe, if it's a cute little cuddly cat.
11	--> --''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', "The Fuzzy Boots Corollary"
12
13	You've just had a bad experience: losing your job, your house, TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt is upon us, or [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking you've run out of]] [[TrademarkFavoriteFood chocolate ice cream]]. Whatever it is you've lost, it was very dear to you, and you want nothing more than to be relieved of this bad feeling. Unfortunately, no human will help you.
14
15	No ''human'' will help you.
16
17	That leaves plenty of room open for a furry friend — usually a cat or dog, but any other furry animal with a penchant for sociability can also suit the bill — to find you in your hour of need and offer a sympathetic body for you to channel your sorrow into. It works like this: you stroke the animal's fur, it responds with pleasure, and you feel better. You feel better because you have made your pet happy, and this success, however small, renews your own sense of self-worth and will to pull yourself back up from defeat.
18
19	In situations with [[BeastMan Beast Men]] or other "furry" characters, one of them could also serve this purpose, with the added level of sapience potentially allowing them to serve as a MoralityPet or MoralityChain as well.
20
21	TheAloner may want a pet specifically to make them happier because other humans just don't understand them. The TeamPet may also be the only person able to pull TheHero out of their funk if the task exceeds the capabilities of anyone else. Anyone who attempts to interrupt Fuzz Therapy engages in a simply JustForFun/{{egregious}} act of [[KickTheDog kicking the dog]].
22
23	----
24	!!Examples:
25
26	[[foldercontrol]]
27
28	[[folder:Advertising]]
29	* Implied in an ad for Pedigree pet food, where a little girl in a hospital expecting "more treatment" is instead met with a big, fluffy St. Bernard.
30	[[/folder]]
31
32	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
33	* In ''Manga/TheSummerYouWereThere'', after Shizuku became ostracized by the rest of her class for bullying Ruri, she isolated herself from others out of guilt, including her own family. Her mother and sister became worried about her and the former looked into animal therapy, then got a puppy named Shion from a relative who couldn't keep him due to having too many infants. Shion didn't fully cure Shizuku's issues, but it helped her start communicating more.
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder:Fan Works]]
37	* ''Fanfic/AbsoluteTrust'': It turns out that [[spoiler:Azula]] absolutely loves dragons, to the point where her relationship with [[spoiler:Iroh]] soured after [[spoiler:Ozai]] told her that she could never ride a dragon because Iroh killed the last one. In Chapter 35, when she wakes up after [[spoiler:Ozai tried to have her killed]], all of her rage and suicidal depression fall silent when she sees Ved and Druk on Zuko and Alec's shoulders, and she immediately turns docile and warm when they let her pet them. [[spoiler:When she receives Shaw's last egg, she decides to dedicate the rest of her life to returning dragons to the world.]]
38	* ''FanFic/CatchYourBreath'': Kakashi uses his summoned dogs as therapy animals, deploying them for his sake and for the sanity of his teammates during tough times.
39	* ''Fanfic/ExtraLife'': [[InvokedTrope Invoked]]. To help Chiaki overcome her depression, Izuru gets her a rabbit, specifically mentioning that pets are helpful for therapy because of this trope. Taking care of Yumigami, as she names her, petting her when anxious, and cuddling her when [[ShellShockedVeteran having flashbacks]] all prove very beneficial for Chiaki.
40	* ''Fanfic/LiveAHeroMHA'': Izuku does this for himself. After coming across a box of six abandoned cats, he couldn't bear to leave them alone, causing him to take them all home despite his mother's worries about the costs of feeding and caring for them. She ultimately relents after seeing how happy and relaxed they make him compared to his normal mental state, in which he struggles to avoid stabbing Bakugou after the latter bumped into him on the street. [[spoiler:They also calm him down after his overuse of his Quirk renders him temporarily deaf and blind, as their warm, fuzzy fur allowed him to recognize them instantly. It's heavily implied that he's attached to cats because his sister would call him "Kitten" to absolve him of his guilt for being forced to use her for target practice when throwing knives.]]
41	* In ''Fanfic/PlatinumPirate'', the friendliness of Lucas' Pokémon has a calming effect akin to petting a dog when they're resting. Even Marines as grizzled and cynical as [[spoiler:Zephyr]] can't help but show them affection. Vaporeon also drapes himself over the necks of others on hot days to cool them off.
42	* ''Fanfic/TheresNoRuleThatSaysAWolfCantBeAJedi'': When Anakin is stressed out by the challenges of being a powerful Jedi, he increasingly turns to Swift both for good advice and for the chance to stroke a huge dog's fur.
43	* ''FanFic/YesterdayUponTheStair'': Actively [[InvokedTrope invoked]] by Izuku in with his rescue cat Mika. Whenever Izuku notices one of his friends is having a rough time, he'll drop Mika on their lap and leave them alone with her for a while. Kirishima calls it a rite of passage in a side story due to how many people he's done it for. It also doesn't hurt that Mika is one of those animals that has a Quirk of her own- mainly, the inability to produce dander, which is what makes people allergic to cats in the first place.
44	* This becomes the role of the baby selkidomus, aka [[ALizardNamedLiz Selki]], in Chapter 20 of ''Fanfic/TheSilverRaven''. Whenever someone in the Owl House is troubled, she often cuddles or nuzzles up to them in order to ease their worries. She first does this with Amity when she suffers from some bad memories, and Lilith affectionately pets her while she's struggling with apologizing to her former student. Drying her off together also helps Amity and Lilith while they talk, letting them finally begin to make amends.
45	[[/folder]]
46
47	[[folder:Film]]
48	* ''Film/MyDogSkip'' is all about the beneficial effects of the eponymous dog on Willie's life.
49	* ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish'' has an aspiring therapy dog in the form of Perrito, whose first meeting with Puss has him insist that he rub his belly. Later on, however, this trope is shown in full when [[spoiler:Puss is suffering from a panic attack thanks to another encounter with the Wolf. Perrito is able to calm him down by laying his head on his belly as Puss pets him, generally being there for him when he really needs him]].
50	* In [[WhatCouldHaveBeen an earlier version]] of ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', Mei would have been used as a sapient version of this for hire by her mother as a way to raise funds for her family temple.
51	* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsFriendshipGames'', Fluttershy sees the Crystal Prep version of Twilight Sparkle down on herself and hands her a bunny, citing holding one always makes her feel better after a bad day. At first Twilight denies it, but when the bunny nuzzles her head, she [[CutenessProximity gives in to the cuteness]].
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Literature]]
55	* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': In her first book, Rachel morphs into her friend Melissa's cat to spy on her house (she's the daughter of the school's assistant principal and local leader of the Sharing, the Yeerk recruitment front). When Rachel sees Melissa crying over her parents ignoring her (although Yeerks are able to perfectly judge what their host would say/do in any situation, they only bother to do so when necessary), she goes up to comfort her.
56	* Inverted in ''{{Literature/Discworld}}'', where a form of torture involves locking a prisoner in a spikeless iron maiden with several kittens. If the torturer drops by and doesn't hear contented purring, he gives the box a few good whacks.
57	* Light novel ''Literature/FelineTherapy'' starts with someone trying this to deal with their anxiety. [[spoiler:However, they end up ''becoming'' a cat.]]
58	* She may be feathered, but ''Literature/HarryPotter''’s owl Hedwig does function as his only friend during his annual weeks of summer torture with the Dursleys. [[spoiler:It saddens him greatly when the Death Eaters kill her during his permanent farewell to Privet Drive.]]
59	* ''Literature/TomcatBlueEyesDiaries'': Blue Eyes and his owner often cuddle. Blue Eyes likes to be petted or brushed and enjoys purring into his human ears. In one chapter, CatUpATree incident led to Blue Eyes' human getting injured very badly and being taken to hospital. Blue Eyes was left alone, crying sadly the whole time. At the end of the chapter, the human is brought back home and Blue Eyes cuddles with him in his bed. Therapeutic for both of them!
60	* Rachel Lindt of ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' starts trying this trope with her dogs after her CharacterDevelopment, loaning them out to various villains and heroes in need of comfort but who cannot or are unwilling to talk to a person about it. She also hands out puppies to orphan children.
61	* A bittersweet version occurs in the [[Literature/WorldOfTheFiveGods Penric]] story ''Knot of Shadows.'' The feel of the soft fur of a bunny saves the ghost of little boy from being BarredFromTheAfterlife.
62	[[/folder]]
63
64	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
65	* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'':
66	** In early season one episode "The Fuzzy Boots Corollary", Leonard pines after Penny, his attractive newly-moved-in neighbour, and he sees her kissing another guy which gets him depressed. He tries to date someone else, but it doesn't work out. He starts listening to sad emo music and wants to get a cat. He gets a scratching post and starts thinking about names. He doesn't get the cat in the end as he invited Penny for a date (though she doesn't realize it was a romantic gesture).
67	** When Sheldon breaks up with Amy for an episode, he gets about a half dozen cats, whom he plays with affectionately. He denies that he's compensating for the loss of Amy's companionship. When they get back together, he "sells" the cats (actually gives money to people to take them).
68	** Related in thought: whenever Sheldon feels sick or depressed, he asks Penny to come over and sing a song called "Soft Kitty" to him. It was a song that his mom sang to him when he was sick as a kid.
69	--->Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur
70	--->Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr, purr, purr
71	* ''Series/{{Eureka}}'': In "Friendly Fire", Fargo undergoes counselling to work through his grief for Holly. The counselors try him on "bunny therapy," which is exactly what it sounds like.
72	-->'''Fargo:''' Seriously?\
73	'''Grief Tech#1:''' Bunny therapy has been rigorously tested. It's proven beneficial in 64 percent of trauma cases.\
74	'''Grief Tech#2:''' We tried it with kittens, but there were... injuries.
75	* ''Series/TheMuppets2015'': In the series finale, Rowlf reveals he's become a licensed therapy dog and invites Kermit the Frog to pat his head when Kermit is feeling anxious.
76	* In an ImagineSpot on ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' relating to the physiological symptoms of severe depression, a doctor cures a crashing patient by dumping a box of kittens on him.
77	** " [[SideEffectsMayInclude Side effects of kittens may include]] sneezing, tiny scratches, and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick erectile dysfunction]]"
78	* ''Series/SueThomasFBEye'': In "The Leak", a leak of classified information leads to Myles being shot during a raid (luckily, in his bulletproof vest). When he starts having a panic attack after it catches up to him, Sue's hearing-ear dog, Levi, puts his head in Myles' lap to help him calm down.
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
82	* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' [[TropeNamers named this trope]]. After having what he describes as a "rotten day," Calvin comes upon a sleeping Hobbes, gets the inspiration to rub his belly, and sparks what seems to be a wonderful dream in the tiger. The last panel of the strip sees Calvin walking away, a smile on his face, declaring that "fuzz therapy" has cured his mood. Hobbes' expression makes it clear that he appreciates such moments too.
83	* This comes up in ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' occasionally, with Snoopy being the fuzz and usually Charlie Brown or Linus as the person needing the therapy. "Happiness is a warm puppy."
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Video Games]]
87	* The Houndsmaster in ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' has an Irish Wolfhound who he can have relieve stress by nuzzling up their companions or licking wounds.
88	* The Cat class in ''VideoGame/{{Miitopia}}'' learns a skill named Playful Antics, where they rub against another Mii to restore some of their MP.
89	** With the UpdatedRerelease on the Switch, even the Horse can get in on the cuddly act, as reaching a high enough bond with the Horse will unlock Cheek Rub, which also restores MP. Unlike Playful Antics, it doesn’t take up a teammate’s turn, but it’s up to the RandomNumberGod whether the Horse wants to use it or not.
90	* ''VideoGame/FateSamuraiRemnant'': As Iori and his Saber-class Servant traverse around town, they can often find stray cats and dogs to pet, which will also restore some HP to them both.
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
94	* The sequel to ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth'' has a prison that gives each prisoner a pet if they don't already have one. They even let infamous blind assassin Sirhan Dogen, keep his seeing-eye dog Anubis, even though Anubis was known for helping Dogen in his "work".
95	[[/folder]]
96
97	[[folder:Web Comics]]
98	* In one ''Breaking Cat News'' [[http://www.breakingcatnews.com/comic/the-woman-is-feeling-under-the-weather/ strip]], two of Georgia's cats provide FuzzTherapy while she's [[SickEpisode lying on the couch feeling ill]].
99	* ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'': After [[spoiler:his non-immune cousin gets wounded by a Plague Zombie]], Lalli withdraws from the rest of the crew to come to terms with what just happened. The TeamPet kitten, with which Lalli has a one-sided SitcomArchNemesis relationship, eventually joins his side to escape the shouting of two other members of the crew, and he ends up picking her up and hugging her in an OOCIsSeriousBusiness moment. The next thing Lalli is seen doing a very short amount of time later is slapping a bunch of papers on Reynir's lap and asking him to come up with a variant of his first working rune that does not catch fire when it activates.
100	* Parodied in ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' with the [[https://www.egscomics.com/comic/2010-07-07 serenity spell]] used to break Susan out of an [[UnstoppableRage angst-induced (magic) awakening]]. The spell provides tactile illusions in the form of small animals to keep her occupied until the spell wears off.
101	[[/folder]]
102
103	[[folder:Web Original]]
104	* [[http://www.cracked.com/article_20150_5-amazing-ways-animals-can-control-their-bodies_p2.html This]] ''Cracked'' article "5 amazing ways animals can control their behaviour" brings up that, with cats, this could be a TruthInTelevision.
105	** [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/8-tiny-things-that-stopped-suicides_p2/ Another]] article has a heartwarming example. A war vet is about to pull the trigger when his puppy licks his ear...
106	* [[WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony]] got himself a lively little puppy to help with his mental health issues after a messy falling out with other online reviewers he'd been working together with for years.
107	* The team of ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'' made a very chill dog named Henry a regular feature of the show's Q&A after-show ''Talks Machina'', specifically so he can be cuddled by the cast. [[Creator/LiamOBrien Liam]], who is quite open about his struggles with depression, especially makes use of this. (Henry, while being a TeamPet, officially belongs to Brian W. Foster, the host of ''Talks Machina'', who has also made comments suggesting that he still deals with the psychological scars of having in the past been a member of some cult-like religious group.)
108	** Liam's Campaign 2 character Caleb Widogast has a {{Familiar}} named Frumpkin who usually takes the form of a cat. Caleb first encountered Frumpkin after a particularly traumatising incident in his past and uses the cat as an emotional support animal. He gets very agitated whenever Frumpkin is [[TheyKilledKennyAgain unavailable to him]] and casts the spell to summon him back at the earliest opportunity. He occasionally lends Frumpkin to other members of the party if they're upset or in need of comfort.
109	[[/folder]]
110
111	[[folder:Western Animation]]
112	* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'': In "Room For Growth", Captain Freeman takes the Engineering division to a spa for some badly-needed R&R. The spa offers relaxation in the form of a room of puppies to pet, including one in a dog wheelchair. Kittens are also on offer, although that's treated as a kink. However, Freeman [[NoSell No Sells]] ''even the bunnies'' when the Engineers' inability to relax unless working causes her to have a breakdown.
113	-->'''Spa Director:''' The Puppy Play Pen is one of our most popular offerings! For the more ''deviant'' among you, we also have kittens! No judgements!
114	[[/folder]]
115
116	[[folder:Real Life]]
117	* There is both substantial research and evidence of the benefits of pets for autistic children. Autistic children with pets are documented as being much more social and able to open up when compared to those without.
118	* Many hospitals (and some nursing homes) have animal therapy, where a small dog or cat (more rarely, other animals such as rabbits will be employed in this role for folks who are afraid of or allergic to cats and dogs) is brought to a ward with a handler and visits the patients' rooms, where the patients can pet and visit with it and generally feel comforted in their illness.
119	** Some colleges and universities also bring in therapy dogs at exam time to help ease students' stress. This can be particularly enjoyable for students living in dormitories, who generally aren't allowed to keep pets.
120	* There is scientifically-backed evidence touting [[http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/features/5-ways-pets-improve-your-health numerous health benefits to owning and petting a fuzzy animal.]]
121	* Cats have also been used by prisons to [[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/13/pendleton-correctional-facility-shelter-cats-inmates_n_7055384.html help in the rehabilitation of criminals]].
122	* CrazyCatLady:
123	** It happens in RL that a lonely (often older, unmarried, or widowed) woman comforting herself with a bunch of cats.
124	** Inversely, it can be a specific manifestation of various mental illnesses, such as OCD, addiction, dementia, etc. This makes it more of Fuzz Symptom rather than Fuzz Therapy.
125	* Studies have suggested that the frequency of a cat's purr accelerates healing. While obviously evolved for the cat's sake, it does extend. A cat purring on your chest is more than just comfort.
126	[[/folder]]

Context Main / FuzzTherapy