Press Releases

The British Psychological Society

A virtual pet could be an important element in the use of visual imagery to treat cancer. The method is described today, Thursday 5 July 2001 in a poster presented by Dr Maureen Burke of The University of Queensland, Australia at the European Congress of Psychology held in London.

The benefits of visual imagery in the treatment of disease and its contribution towards general well-being have been documented, as have the benefits of having a pet. While it has been reported that some people do find it difficult to visualise scenes and situations effectively, it is argued that using an animal can help in this process.

Dr Burke asked patients, currently being treated for different types of cancer, to listen to an audio cassette. The tape included both relaxation and visual imagery scripting accompanied by the enthusiastic participation of a Siamese cat named Buddy. The patients then answered a questionnaire about how effective this approach was compared to other complementary treatments.

Feedback showed that participants reported gaining benefit from listening to the tape BUDDY TARGETS CANCER. Although all methods of treatment were seen as beneficial, they said that the Buddy tape was easy to listen to, enhanced visual imagery and provided the sort of intimacy that made the patients feel good.

Dr Burke said: "The results of this pilot study were particularly promising. Patients had reported wanting to get on with their lives and felt immediate benefits from listening to this tape (which lasts for just under half an hour) and in going from a tense to a relaxed state in such a short time."

Media Release, The British Psychological Society, Monday 18 June 2001

Brisbane Extra

For psychologist, Dr Maureen Burke, losing her husband to bone cancer made the future seem like a dark abyss…until something new and special came into her life.

“Six months later I got Buddy as a little kitten and I realised how important he was in my life. You know, just someone who was there when I came home from work.”

Maureen has no doubt Buddy, the Siamese cat, made coping possible.

But it was when a friend was diagnosed with breast cancer that Maureen realised Buddy, the Siamese, could perhaps do more than just help her.

When, as a result of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, Lyndy Rackley's hair fell out and she got sick.. making it a difficult and stressful time.

As a psychologist, Maureen had made tapes for friends who'd suffered from distressful things such as depression or anxiety. She had made tapes especially for them and wondered how she could articulate this using Buddy.

“The first time I said, ‘do you want to help Lyndy in her recovery?’. I just put the microphone to his face… he went Meow!”

So Maureen went about creating a tape so Lyndy could visualise beating her cancer with Buddy's help. Maureen put Lyndy into a relaxed state and asked her to mentally picture the cancer cells with Buddy helping because he thinks of those cancer cells as weak and confused…perhaps like vermin!

For Lyndy, the positive thinking and watching Buddy in her head did help.

It was so successful in helping Lyndy feel better and getting her on the road to recovery.. Maureen tried it on other cancer sufferers.

“I did a small study with just 12 people who were suffering from cancer. I asked them to listen to this tape over a period of 2 months as often as they wanted.” said Maureen.

The response was similar to Lyndy's, most felt better. While the idea, even Maureen admits, sounds humorous, it’s gained credit from other psychologists.

“I went to the European Congress of Psychology earlier this year and presented this as a paper. There were psychologists from all over the world and people came up to me and said how interesting it was.”

Maureen is hopeful proceeds from the sale of the tape can go to the University of Queensland to help fund research into a cure. She's already thinking about Buddy's next recording!

Media Release, Brisbane Extra, Thursday 20 September 2001

ninemsn

Cancer patients find a new Buddy

A cat who "mews on cue" is helping cancer patients recover, according to his owner, psychologist Dr Maureen Burke.

A clinical counsellor at the University of Queensland, Dr Burke believes she is the first practitioner to combine traditional relaxation and visualisation techniques with pet therapy.

Her Siamese cat, Buddy, who "talks" patients through therapeutic visualisation exercises, is the star of a unique self-help audio cassette.

The tape was produced initially for a friend of Dr Burke who was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"As a psychologist I had made a number of cassettes as relaxation therapy for people with anxiety, for people suffering bereavement and for those being counselled after rape," Dr Burke said.

"I decided to use Buddy to help my friend visualise successful outcomes for her chemotherapy."

On the tape, Dr Burke encourages patients to imagine Buddy as a predator stalking "vermin", which signifies their disease.

"I don't equate the cancer to a rat, because some people like rats and keep them as pets," Dr Burke said.

Patients are then told to visualise their own white blood cells coming in to finish off the "vermin".

Dr Burke, Director of Student Support Services at UQ, recently presented a case series of 12 patients, who have each used the BUDDY TARGETS CANCER tapes, to the European Congress of Psychology in London.

Eleven of the patients reported feeling empowered by the material, and believed it had contributed to their treatment.

"This is a complementary therapy," Dr Burke said, conceding that some colleagues were sceptical of its value.

Pet therapy has been demonstrated in studies in hospitals and nursing homes to have health benefits.

Buddy, a five-year-old chocolate-point, was an ideal partner in the therapy as his responsiveness facilitated making the tapes, Dr Burke said.

"He mews on cue just about, so the first one for my friend in which I used her name only took two takes to make," she said.

In the professionally produced generic tapes which followed, Buddy's miaows were added post-production.

Dr Burke acquired Buddy as a kitten, following the death of her husband and her former cat within a fortnight of each other.

Buddy has a website at www.thebuddytapes.com.au and is working on a self-esteem tape called BUDDY TARGETS FEELING GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF.

Media release, ninemsn, Thursday 13 September 2001

The Sunday Mail

Buddy, the cancer-killing cat, is special - just ask his patients.

The feline is the latest weapon in the fight against cancer, as the star of an audio tape titled BUDDY TARGETS CANCER. The tape features the vocal talents of the "mew-on-cue" chocolate-point Siamese introduced by his owner, psychologist Maureen Burke.

On the 30-minute "relaxation and visualisation" tape, Dr Burke asks patients to imagine Buddy destroying the "vermin" or cancer cells within their body.

Dr Burke, University of Queensland's Director of Student Support Services, conducted a study of 12 cancer patients who had used the tape and presented her findings at the European Congress of Psychology in London. She said patients reported feeling better after a dose of Buddy. "It's about being in control, about being more assertive and participating in your own recovery. It's so important to believe you can recover," she said.

"On the tape, I tell people to imagine Buddy going after the vermin and killing it. They are asked to visualise the treatment they are receiving like chemotherapy or radiotherapy and then imagine their white blood cells coming in and finishing off the job. I say that Buddy goes about killing the vermin methodically, with consistency and that he wants to kill it because he doesn't like what it is doing to their body."

"Whether or not it alters their prognosis we don't know but, if it makes people feel better and helps with the stress of coping with the disease, then that can only be a good thing."

Dr Burke said she was inspired to share the healing powers of Buddy after the death of her husband from bone cancer in 1995.

"Buddy was there to greet me when I went home, demand attention and generally adore me. It was unconditional love."

Media release, The Sunday Mail, Sunday 7 October 2001

Cat calls aids cancer treatment

A cat who "meows on cue" is helping cancer patients recover, according to his owner, psychologist Maureen Burke.

A clinical counsellor at the University of Queensland, Dr Burke believes she is the first practitioner to combine relaxation and visualisation techniques with pet therapy.

His Siamese cat, Buddy, who "talks" patients through therapeutic visualisation exercises, is the star of a unique self-help audio cassette. The tape was produced initially for a friend of Dr Burke who was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"As a psychologist I had made a number of cassettes as relaxation therapy for people with anxiety, for people suffering bereavement and for those being counselled after rape," Dr Burke said. "I decided to use Buddy to help my friend visualise successful outcomes for her chemotherapy."

On the tape, Dr Burke encourages patients to imagine Buddy as a predator stalking "vermin", which signifies their disease. Patients are then told to visualise their own white blood cells coming in to finish off the "vermin".

Dr Burke, Director of Student Support Services at UQ, recently presented a case series of 12 patients who have each used the Buddy Targets Cancer tapes to the European Congress of Psychology in London. Eleven of the patients reported feeling empowered by the material and believed it had contributed to their treatment.

Dr Burke conceded that some colleagues were sceptical of its value.

Pet therapy has been demonstrated in hospitals and nursing homes to have health benefits.

"Buddy was an ideal partner in the therapy as he meows on cue", she said.

In the professionally produced generic tapes which followed, Buddy's meows were added post-production.

Buddy is working on a self-esteem tape called BUDDY TARGETS FEELING GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF.

Media release, Cairns Post, Saturday 15 September 2001

Catty Comment on Cancer

The taped vocals of a Siamese cat have been credited with boosting the spirits of cancer patients.

University of Queensland psychologist Maureen Burke said patients listening to the tape were told to visualise the cat killing vermin representing their cancer and then visualise the treatment they were getting destroying cancer cells.

Media release, West Australian, Saturday 29 September 2001

Vermin Therapy

There are unusual medical stories, and there are very unusual medical stories. This one is about a Siamese cat enlisted to the fight against cancer, depression and anxiety.

University of Queensland psychologist Dr Maureen Burke has produced a recording of her chocolate-point Siamese, Buddy, claiming the resulting "relaxation and visualisation" tape has already produced positive reactions from cancer patients.

Buddy Targets Cancer features meowing from the cat while, according to a university press release, "Maureen's skills as a psychologist are used to guide the participants through the tape in an empowering way". The listeners are asked to visualise Buddy killing vermin representing their cancer.

A university spokesman told Spike tapes called BUDDY TACKLES DEPRESSION and BUDDY TACKLES ANXIETY were to follow.

Media release, Sydney Morning Herald, Wednesday 19 September 2001

Consider a Cat for Cancer

A cat who "meows on cue" is helping cancer patients recover, according to his owner, psychologist Dr Maureen Burke.

A clinical counsellor at the University of Queensland, Dr Burke believes she is the first practitioner to combine traditional relaxation and visualisation techniques with pet therapy.

Her Siamese cat, Buddy, who "talks" patients through therapeutic visualisation exercises, is the star of a unique self-help audio cassette.

Media release, The Queensland Times, Friday 14 September 2001

'Buddy' the Cat gives Hope to Cancer Patients

A visualisation tape with a Siamese cat on backing vocals is proving a hit with Australian cancer patients.

University of Queensland psychologist and director of student support services, Dr Maureen Burke, produced the tape. She included 'Buddy' the Siamese cat's meowing on the visualisation tape following a close friend's diagnosis with cancer.

The result is BUDDY TARGETS CANCER, where patients are asked to visualise Buddy killing vermin representing their cancer. They are asked to visualise the treatment they are receiving destroying the cancer cells and then visualise the white blood cells finishing the job through eliminating any remaining cancer cells.

Dr Burke presented findings of a pilot study involving the use of the tape by 12 cancer patients at the Seventh European Congress of Psychology held in London in July.

"Of 1200 papers delivered from all over the world, our paper was among just 20 selected for media release", Dr Burke said.

The University of Queensland's School of Veterinary Science Associate Professor, Judith Blackshaw, said the health benefits of having animals in nursing homes and hospitals was well documented. "Even though it is difficult to quantitatively measure the benefits, what matters is that people say they feel better after listening," she said.

Dr Burke said while some members of the medical profession were sceptical about the use of complementary therapies, the pilot study results were promising.

"Patients reported going from tense to relaxed in under half an hour. All said the tape had helped them in their resolve to recover," she said.

Media release, Australian Pharmacy Trade, Thursday 4 October 2001

Buddy mews-on-cue

Researchers are reporting a serenading Siamese is proving a hit for cancer patients.

Queensland University psychologist, Dr Maureen Burke, says patients have reported feeling better and more empowered after listening to the cat, Buddy, doing backup vocals on a relaxation tape.

According to Dr Burke, Buddy's meowing was included in a relaxation and visualisation tape she had made following a friend's diagnosis with breast cancer.

"Buddy "talked" to my friend and was imagined in a visual imagery exercise "killing" the vermin which was her cancer," she says.

"After her positive feedback I realised a generic tape for all cancer sufferers could be produced and would hopefully be equally as beneficial for them".

Burke says Buddy had also helped ease her own pain associated with cancer. "Buddy came into my life six months after the death of my husband from bone cancer. As time passed I realised how much Buddy had contributed to my well being and the psychologist in me wondered how I could articulate this to help others".

Veterinary Science Associate Professor, Judith Blackshaw, says the health benefits of having animals in hospitals and nursing homes are well documented.

"Even though it's difficult to measure the benefits, what matters is that people say they feel better after listening", said Dr Blackshaw.

Part of the proceeds from the sale of the tapes will go towards cancer research.

Media release, 50 Something, the National Seniors Magazine, December/January 2002

Feline good about yourself

Having already tackled cancer, UQ's resident singing cat is now targeting self-esteem.

Buddy, the carolling Siamese cat, has returned to the recording studio to put the backing vocals on a self-help tape made by his owner, Dr Maureen Burke, UQ's Director of Student Support Services.

Buddy's back-up miaowing proved a major hit on the couple's first collaboration last year, a relaxation and visualisation tape for cancer patients entitled BUDDY TARGETS CANCER.

The tape was not only a hit with cancer patients. Buddy's personal appearance with Dr Burke at a seminar for animal therapy students from Japan ended up with a photo session. "They were excited about this aspect of therapy and also the chance to get pictures of Buddy in the Great Court," Dr Burke said.

The seminar was organised in conjunction with the Institute of Continuing and TESOL Education (ICTE). Further seminars using the cancer tape will be offered during 2003 with ICTE.

Now Buddy and Dr Burke have turned their attention to another important topic, self-esteem, and released an audio-cassette called BUDDY TARGETS FEELING GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF.

Dr Burke, a psychologist, said that low self-esteem was often the underlying cause of patients seeking counselling for issues such as anxiety, depression and stress. "Having a positive self-esteem is a particularly important foundation block for both our physical and psychological well being," Dr Burke said. "People with positive self-esteem are more likely to be successful, be in control of their lives, make good decisions, deal better with life's challenges and cope with inevitable change."

Media release, UQ News, November 2002

Singing cat tapes again

Buddy the singing cat has released a tape helping people feel good about themselves.

The tape BUDDY TARGETS FEELING GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF is Buddy and his owner Dr Maureen Burke's second foray into the recording studio having put together a self-help tape for cancer patients in 2001.

While Dr Burke - a University of Queensland psychologist and student support services director - did not expect the tapes to be chart toppers, she said they had helped people with cancer reclaim their independence and self-belief.

"They imagine Buddy looking at the cancer as vermin he must go and kill," Dr Burke said.

"Then they imagine (chemotherapy) and blood cells doing the same thing. It is about empowerment and control."

Dr Burke and BUDDY TARGETS FEELING GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF aimed to build self-esteem. Low self-esteem was often the underlying cause of patients seeking counselling for anxiety, depression and stress.

Dr Burke is running a seminar on self-empowerment at UQ open to the public on April 5.

Media release, South West News, 22 January 2003

Cat Tapes

The therapeutic power of pets has long been recognised by the medical profession, but it's being taken a step further by a Brisbane psychologist and her cat who have found a way to help people fight disease and get on with life.

Buddy's a cat who has a lot to say for himself, and what he has to say is helping a whole range of people overcome problems in their lives. Buddy's human is Dr Maureen Burke, a psychologist at the University of Queensland, who badly needed a psychological boost of her own seven years ago. After her husband died and she lost her 22 year old Siamese cat within two weeks, she was at an all time low until Budy came along. She wondered whether his healing powers could be used to help others.

She recorded every utterance of her very vocal feline on a tape, then added her own words on the power of positive thinking, to produce a tape for people fighting cancer. The first to use it was a close friend who is well on the road to a full recovery from breast cancer. Then the tapes were trialled on another twelve cancer patients.

"Eleven of the twelve people said listening to the tape had made a positive contribution to their recovery. They felt much more empowered," Dr Burke says.

Her findings are creating enormous interest among psychologists around the world. Dr Burke and Buddy have just finished a second recording - "Buddy Targets Feeling Good About Yourself".

Margaret Smith wasn't feeling so great about herself after being overlooked for promotion. She attended one of Dr Burke's courses and began using the tape. Since then Margaret hasn't looked back. She's obtained a better job with greater challenges and is ready to tackle anything.

"I just needed something to get myself feeling and thinking logically about myself again and to get me feeling good about myself again and I do," Margaret says.

Buddy's recording career is far from finished. He and Maureen have already started a new tape to target another major health issue in Australia, depression.

The next course on feeling good about yourself is in April. Contact the Queensland University Institute of Continuing Education on 3365 1111.

Media release, Channel 9 Brisbane, Extra, Monday 27 January 2003

Buddy Therapy

Pets can help with cancer. Dr Maureen Burke, counselling psychologist at the University of Queensland, has teamed up with her Siamese, Buddy, to help people undergoing cancer therapy. Designed to be used as an adjunct to conventional treatments, an audiotape entitled BUDDY TARGETS CANCER has shown promise in a pilot study, and has attracted interest from overseas health professionals. "It was only a small study, but 11 of the 12 participants said the tapes made a positive contribution to their recovery," says Dr Burke. "People suffering from cancer often feel afraid, insecure and confused. What the Buddy tapes do is help them relax, give them back a sense of control and help them to believe that they really will recover."

The tapes feature Buddy's "meow" and Dr Burke's voice encouraging listeners to visualise their cancer cells as "vermin" being stalked by the cat, then to visualise the treatment they are receiving, either radiotherapy or chemotherapy, attacking the cancer, and finally their own white blood cells coming in to finish the job. Other offerings from Dr Burke and Buddy include BUDDY TARGETS FEELING GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF and, due out late this year, BUDDY TARGETS DEPRESSION.

Media release, Good Medicine, May 2003

Buddy Helps Cure Cancer

Meet Buddy! He's a feisty feline who's taken the medical world by storm with his unique ability to help patients recover from cancer. The chocolate-faced Siamese with big blue eyes is being hailed a hero by his proud owner, Dr Maureen Burke, and those he's treated.

Maureen, a respected psychologist at the University of Queensland, believes the power of pets is unlimited which is why her beloved moggy is featured on her self-help audio tape BUDDY TARGETS CANCER.

On the 30-minute tape, Maureen encourages the listener to lie back and relax while Buddy - who responds with a series of meows - "goes on the prowl".

"I tell the patient to imagine Buddy is slowly stalking and killing the rogue cancer cells in their body," explains Maureen. "And then they're asked to visualise their own treatment - like chemotherapy - and watch as their white blood cells finish off the job. It's all about being in control. It's so important to believe you can get better."

Buddy agrees. During our interview with Maureen, the eight-year-old cat gave his side of the story several times with discerning meows.

"I'm telling you, he is a special and wonderful cat," says Maureen, 60, who conducted a study of 12 cancer patients of varying ages and levels of sickness who listened to the tape. Her research was the first of its kind in the world. In fact, she was asked to present her findings to last year's European Congress of Psychology in London. She told the packed gathering all but one of the patients thought Buddy had contributed to their recovery.

Maureen says, "They said the tape enhanced their ability to visualise and attack the cancer and believed it really empowered them to do something for themselves. All felt more relaxed."

"Cancer is a life-threatening disease and dealing with it is a serious matter. So it's rather special and entertaining, in a sense, to use Buddy, who has a distinctive meow, to talk to participants and engage them in activity. If there is some humour attached to listening to the tape, then that's a good thing," adds Maureen, who watched helplessly as her husband of 11 years, Phil Hack, died from cancer in 1995 aged 72.

"I was devastated. It was so unexpected and tough to deal with," recalls Maureen.

But her life took an upward turn when she met Buddy six months later. "A friend told me I should get an animal to help me through the ordeal. That's when I first laid eyes on Buddy as a new-born kitten. He was lying in the basket and, when I held him, I instantly felt his warmth and love," explains Maureen of her feline friend. "One of the great joys about having Buddy was there was a living creature in the house again, somebody who needed and loved me, someone who communicated with me in his own way and made me laugh - reminding me there's joy in life."

But it wasn't until a few years ago that Maureen decided to try to place Buddy's talents on tape in order to help a close friend, Lynda Rackley, 53, after she was diagnosed with life-threatening breast cancer. "As a psychologist I had made many relaxation and visualisation tapes in the past so I took it a step farther and used Buddy on the tape. This was a one-off and only intended to help Lynda. "I put the microphone to Buddy's face and asked if he would like to do his part to help our friend Lynda and he went 'meow' straight away!"

Says Lynda, whose cancer is in remission, "I knew pets had been used for therapy but certainly not in this fashion. I was glad when I received the tape from Maureen because I was going through a really stressful time with the chemotherapy. "I listened to the tape daily and I found it so helpful. Hearing Buddy's voice made me relax and feel at peace through such a trying time. As Maureen encourages on the tape, I imagined that Buddy was attacking the cancer - and it seemed to have a positive effect. I'm not saying Buddy healed me but he certainly helped," says a grateful Lynda.

And, according to Maureen, that's the main aim of the tapes featuring the sleek feline. "BUDDY TARGETS CANCER is not a miracle cure," she insists, "but rather another weapon in the fight against the disease."

Since that first, friendship-inspired tape, Buddy has been back in the studio working on a follow-up. He now features prominently on Maureen's new motivational tape, BUDDY TARGETS FEELING GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF.

She points out, "Low self-esteem is often the underlying cause of patients seeking counselling for such things as anxiety, depression and stress."

Media release, Woman's Day, 12 May 2003

A Certain Age - Pet Therapy

Buddy, the singing Siamese cat, whose voice has been used against cancer and low self-esteem, is set to return this year in a bid to fight depression.

Buddy's owner, psychologist Maureen Burke, says the couple's first tape, BUDDY TARGETS CANCER, proved a major hit among cancer patients. Sound a bit strange? Not really, experts say.

While difficult to quantify, the positive health effects pets have on humans have been the subject of research for several years. The American Journal of Preventive Medicine cites Australian, British and American studies that respectively claim pet owners have: lower blood pressure; significant decreases in minor health problems within one month; and fewer visits to the doctor.

More recently Japanese researchers devised a system to measure the relationship between having or not having a pet and general well-being. Following interviews with 340 people aged 65 and over, researchers found disability levels among pet owners were around 50 per cent lower than those of people without pets. In the lives of older people, many of whom find themselves alone, pets provide companionship and increased levels of activity, while acting as catalysts for person-to-person interaction.

Warwick University researcher June McNicholas highlights the role pets play in helping seniors maintain routines such as eating regular meals, keeping up adequate room temperatures, and going shopping.

Helen Hopkins, 59, says her hearing dog, Buffy, a mixed breed, rescued from an animal shelter, transformed her life after the death of her husband. "After my husband died I became agoraphobic, as I couldn't hear and had no one to help. Then Buffy came and now we're out almost every day," she says. "He hasn't left my side in six years and when I'm in hospital he lifts the morale of the whole ward. I feel like I have something to offer others now. Buffy gives me confidence and security."

The downside to seniors becoming too attached to pets is having to give them up in the move to more appropriate accommodation. McNicholas, a strong advocate of allowing pets in care facilities, says keeping a pet may be one of the few things residents can do to retain links with their former lives.

The good news is many retirement villages recognise the value of pets and their companionship. The Retirement Village Association's official line is that as long as pets don't infringe on the quiet enjoyment of other residents they're welcome. But the ultimate decision to allow pets lies with individual villages. Some villages may allow small dogs that can't be replaced once they've passed on, while other villages exclude pets completely.

Helen's village has a no-pet policy, but legislation allows dogs specially trained for people with hearing and sight impairment access to all places open to the public. Consequently, Buffy is the darling of her village.

Considering the positive health effects and companionship animals bring to their owners, it's surprising more retirement villages don't allow them. I'm sure Buddy would have something to sing about that.

Media release, The Weekend Australian, 12-13 July 2003

Why we love our pets so much

Dr Maureen Burke, psychologist and Director of Student Support Services at the University of Queensland, has her own pet project involving "Buddy", her chocolate-point Siamese cat.

Buddy entered Maureen's life six months after the death of her husband and helped her through the grieving process. Maureen says, during this time Buddy loved and accepted her whatever mood she was in.

"It's the sense of being needed," says Maureen. "They welcome you home and you have to feed and look after them. It's that, and the unconditional love that they provide in return."

After experiencing how Buddy helped her through her own difficult time, Maureen compiled a relaxation and visualisation tape featuring Buddy to help a close friend who had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

"She found it so helpful she suggested I prepare a generic tape for other people, so we developed 'Buddy Targets Cancer'," explains Maureen.

Using the tape, Maureen ran a small study with 12 people to investigate how Buddy could help in treating other cancer patients. Her findings were presented at the European Congress of Psychology in 2001 where she advised the results of this pilot study were particularly promising.

"It's about helping patients to feel good about themselves and I think that cats particularly have a strong sense of who they are," says Maureen.

"A sense of belonging is very important to people, particularly with the number of Australians living alone; it's terribly important to have a pet."

Maureen says being able to respond to a pet is very important particularly with illnesses such as depression on the increase.

"Pets make us laugh, they show loyalty, they love us, they need us, we have to be responsible for them - these are all good attributes."

But WHY are these attributes important to us? I ask the biggie: WHY do we love our pets so much?

"I think we love them because they mean so much to us," she says. "We have a relationship with them and in any relationship - human or animal - you give and you receive. And we receive so much from our pets.

"That's why we love them so much because they give us so much."

Finally, I had found the meaning of life with pets.

But there's more. "If you take life today, the pace is very fast, things are constantly changing; whereas there's something about a pet that is constant," adds Maureen.

"Maybe a pet can provide that sense of security that we are all looking for."

So does this explain the millions of dollars Queenslanders spend on pet care? Is it simply one way of expressing our love?

"If you love a child or animal, you want to give them something," says Maureen. "And if you can find little presents that make you happy, and you can, well you do it."

I take it one step further and ask: are our relationships with pets replacing our relationships with people?

"I think, for some people, developing relationships may be difficult so they are happy with the relationship they have with their animal," Maureen says. "And, if they get what they want from that, then who are we to criticise?"

Media release, your pet magazine, Issue 1, March/April 2005