History Main / FuzzTherapy

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 FuzzTherapy engages in a simply JustForFun/{{egregious}} act of [[KickTheDog kicking the dog]].

* 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]].

* In ''[[WesternAnimation/EquestriaGirlsFriendshipGames]]'', 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]].

* In an ImagineSpot on ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'', a doctor cures a terminally ill patient by dumping a box of kittens on him.

->'''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.\\

* ''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!

** It happens in RL that a lonely (often older, unmarried or widowed) woman comforting herself with a bunch of cats.
** Inversely, it can be a specific manifestation various mental illnesses, such as OCD, addiction, dementia, etc. This makes it more of Fuzz Symptom rather than Fuzz Therapy.

* From ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'':

* ''Fanfic/LiveAHero'': 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.]]

* Light novel ''LightNovel/FelineTherapy'' starts with someone trying this to deal with their anxiety. [[spoiler:However, they end up ''becoming'' a cat.]]

[[folder: Advertising]]

[[folder: Fan Works]]

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live-Action TV ]]

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]

[[folder: Video Games]]

[[folder: Visual Novels]]

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* ''Series/TheMuppets2015'': In the season finale, Rowlf reveals he's become a licensed therapy dog and invites Kermit the Frog to pat his head when Kermit is feeling anxious.

* ''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.

* In ''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.
* Actively [[InvokedTrope invoked]] by Izuku in ''FanFic/YesterdayUponTheStair'' 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.
* Izuku does this for himself in ''Fanfic/LiveAHero''. 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.]]
* [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] in ''Fanfic/ExtraLife''. 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.

* Studies have suggested that the frequency of a cat's purr acceleraes healing. While obviously evolved for the cat's sake, it does extend. A cat purring on your chest is more than just comfort.

* Implied in an ad for Pedigree pet food, where a [[IllGirl little girl in a hospital]] expecting "more treatment" is instead met with a big, fluffy St. Bernard.