Good news! The sciatica pain flare-up I recently experienced is now just a memory thanks to water therapy at the YMCA and good old-fashioned ice packs—not to mention the toe-tapping pleasure of listening to classic jazz. In addition, I am soothed by the memory of my first kitten. I got Winky when I was seven years old, and he comforted me through most of my tumultuous childhood years.

Maybe my experience with Winky is why I’m enjoying a fascinating book about another way to manage chronic pain (Link to an article about pets and pain below)—finding the right pet companion. My Beloved Monster: Masha, the Half-Wild Rescue Cat Who Rescued Me by Caleb Carr. The book is a memoir about the seventeen years he and his rescued Siberian Forest cat, Masha, lived together.

                                                                         Book Cover [/caption]

It is little wonder that Carr considered Masha his spirit animal. They both loved classical music, they were both intensely independent, and they both lived with chronic pain resulting from childhood physical abuse.

You may recognize Carr’s name. He was the author of best-selling historical novel, The Alienist, recently made into a Netflix TV series.

Carr also wrote non-fiction based on his research into military history and foreign affairs. His research background allows him to give the reader an intimate and clear-sighted description of Masha’s feline temperament—her need for freedom, her loving care for his pain, and her violent side.

It became Carr’s mission to give Masha the best life possible in his spacious home near Misery Mountain in Cherry Plain, New York. Masha died in 2022, and Carr died in 2024. Both died of cancer. They were a match some would say was made in heaven.

Check out this humorous video of a woman walking her Siberian cat (or not): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkkchU85PC8

On the serious side, check out what research says about petting a purring cat and pain management. https://www.keppelhealthreview.com/spring2022/pets-pain