Depressed Guy Adopts A Cat, Illustrates The Ways It Helped Him Over The Past 2 Months
It’s been tough for Yash Pandit. The artist from Mumbai, India has been battling mental health issues, and even though he’s worked really hard to get everything under control, he still needed a little help. A special someone to support him. A cat.
“I chose Bagheera because I always wanted a dark-colored cat,” Pandit told Bored Panda. “There’s always this stupid superstition surrounding dark cats about them being bad luck, so not many people wanted him anyway. But mostly because out of all of the kittens there, he was the one I connected with, he was very calm. loving and always looking to cause some mischief. I fell in love with him the moment I saw him.”
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Image credits: anlyin
Yash said Bagheera is a true weirdo. “He will convince you that he’s sweet and calm, and then pounce on you when you look away. He’s the most friendly cat I’ve ever seen, has no problem in loving and greeting anyone new. He’s smart enough to pretend that he’s fallen asleep but also thinks his shadow is another cat and starts pouncing on it. He loves to watch Fresh Prince of Bel Air with me, and won’t fall asleep until I put on Frank Ocean songs, in which case he will hug my phone and go to sleep. I love him with all my life.”
Pandit was diagnosed with Type 1 rapid cycling bipolar disorder, along with depression and anxiety. “The latter were only by-products of my primary disorder,” he explained. “I have a therapist and a psychiatrist, and I have a strict regime of therapy and medications that I follow religiously to keep my disorder under my control.”
“It is absolutely important to seek proper health for mental health disorders. A lot of people mistook this comic as my cat being the sole reason that I’m out of my depression, which is not true. I had to work hard, get therapy, take my medication on time. My cat helped me get out of my bed, have a workout routine, eat healthy when I feed him, wake up on time, etc. But I attribute my getting better largely to the strict regime of medication and therapy.”
People loved the honest comic
My doggo is always so helpful when I'm falling apart. She comes up to me and bumps me until I pet her, then snuggles up next to me and falls asleep. Glad to see the kitty is helpful. <3
my rescue cat has rescued me more times than he'll ever understand. he's very calm and understanding during panic attacks and make me get up to play or pet or feed him. yours looks like a good boy too.
cats are amazing creatures to have as a therapy animal, i used to cry and my cat would walk up to me and check on me. i cried cause my cat was super sick and i couldnt help him but even when sick he came up to me and rubbed on me.
Cats seem to know when you need them...our cat we had growing up had great dignity and was rather aloof, but if I was crying he would come to me, and not only allow me to pet him but even let me hug him (although he hated hugs)
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In "A Streetcat Named Bob" the writer kicks his heroin addiction because he realized his cat needed him. It's a wonderful book.
You and your cat are wonderful. I have two cats. Love your art! I find it amazing and cheerful.,,and spot on. I have some situational depression, and I know how they comfort and help me. Kudos to you and your recovery "schedule". You are wonderful
I love this!!! My kitty does the exact same thing, and I love her for it. She's always talking to me, makes sure I get enough sleep and stuff, and is just all around amazing.
I often struggle with thoughts of suicide, but knowing that one of my cats would take it badly if I wasn't there keeps me going. The other one, not so much lol.
I love how Bagheera's nose in the drawings and real life are heart shaped. Sometimes, my cat is one great big heart, and sometimes she acts like she's just taken a hit of PCP. She's a goof and I love her to pieces.
Drawings are so lovely and full of life, totally captured the nature of kittens! I have two cats and they are completely different and they have their own personalities. It made me realise that animals are much more than we ever thought they are. Anyone who lives with dog, cat, bird or any other little creature knows how precious they are.
The same happened to me 7 years ago when I got my Cat. Since then my house is clean and tidy, the Cat is fed and groomed, and my clothes and me stay neat and well. With my Cat I learned to ignore my depression, to pretend it isn't there. And somehow it did help. Apparently, some outside changes may spread to the inside with time :-) The cat and you are both lovely! Wish both of you a good life together!
It iwell known that being in a situation where you MUST do something, such as a regular routine, helps against depression. Having pets is a good idea generally, but especially so for the depressed.
I feel like managing mental health requires at least three parts -- physical/biochemical (meds, nutrition, maybe sunlight, maybe exercise for some people), habits of thought and attitudes (therapy, meditation, mindfulness), and environment/situation (reliable food, shelter, time for relaxation, friendship, hobbies -- not an exhaustive list). Cats absolutely can help with, really ANY part of that, even maybe a little bit the biochemical part -- petting animals releases oxytocin and serotonin and all that stuff. Having a beast which accepts you helps you change your own habits of thought. And maintaining an environment and situation in which your kitty can be healthy requires you to maintain an environment in which you can be healthy, too. Pets are good.
Oh my gosh I love this so much! The illustrations are beautiful and expressive! And both dad and kitty are so handsome.
All things aside, your art is amazing! You capture so much personality and perfect cat anatomy in simple line drawings. :)
Kudos to you, Yash, for being so open about your ailment. I hope this will help people with mental health issues ignore the stigma some ignorant folks still attach to it. It is just like any other ailment. Our minds and bodies are inseparable. And thanks for letting people know that an affectionate and nonjudgmental friend like Bagheera can be a great source of support.
Since childhood i have had different pets in my life and understand the value and companionship of living along with non-human companions in a house. At present my two Persian cats "Matahari" and "Matata" keep me fit and active mentally through their "CAT ANTICS" as i run my "OFFICE" from home in Mumbai .As a Traveller/Blogger the maintenance of my cats prove expensive but they compensate by preventing me from "WRITERS BLOCK" syndrome. DSCN1785-5...9444b6.jpg 
I feel good for both of them. Keep it up Cat; you're doing a great job !!
You are a wonderful person and Bagheera is a beautiful cat in more ways than one.
Man, my cat was like that for me during my last semester at college. If I didn't get out of bed to feed him before 8 AM he would pounce, and one time I didn't get up, he bit my nose (not hard, no blood, but message received)! He also loved his adoring public, at the dorm's main office, so I would get out and socialize because he wanted to see his fans and play with them.
Animals do change our life's! So happy you found this little guy) we truly don't deserve animals
My Weimaraner forces me to get up and go for a walk. He hates it when I'm upset and does such silly stuff to make me laugh. He knows when I'm in pain, when I'm sick and when I need help just to stand up. He will come and stand beside me if I'm struggling to stand, put his back right next to me, and slip his head under my arm. Animals are necessary for mental health and a fantastic way for everyone, no matter how grounded, to be healthy and show love. I'm so very thankful for him!
I had a dog who saved me after a horrible auto wreck. It would have been so easy to give up on physical therapy and stay in bed. He made me get up to go for walks a few times a day. Our nightly walks to the dog part forced me to socialize with other dog owners. And of course he filled a void with laughter and love. I still miss that good boy 20+ years later.
Really nice illustrations. It is harder than people think to get so much expression and life into such a "simple" looking line drawing. Brilliant work.
It's actually nice that we don't have to PAY cats for what their "good work" is WORTH! I had just lost my almost-20-year old best-kittyfriend (3 years ago) when "the current baby" came into my life: a MAYBE 3-month-old tiny, filthy, starving, flea AND tick infested (I didn't know CATS even GOT ticks) "throw-away" kitten that had learned to be terrified of PEOPLE. I didn't think I ever WANTED "another cat"...i didn't GET "another cat": what I GOT was a loud-mouth, bossy, and the fattest, MOST-GORGEOUS absolutely-the-best-cat-i-could-ever-want QUEEN who taught me I "needed to fix HER way more than I needed to mourn my dead cat".
My 21-year-old cat passed away last August. I adopted a pair of kitties just after Christmas. Cats are a necessity in my life. After Boo died, I moped around for a while. While some people might think that I adopted too quickly, my new cats grew my heart to make room. I still mourn Boo, just like I mourned all of the kitties who came before her. Those 3 months were the first time that I had been without a cat since I adopted my first one, 30 years ago. I smile more and cry less when I have a feline friend nearby.
You are doing a great job in taking care of yourself and your life and of the kitty! Keep up with it and continue to draw those adorable sketches, you have a talent!
...my mother bought a cat from the RSPCA (the Royal Society for the Protection and Care of Animals... I remembered that! Hooray! I couldn't remember that the last time I mentioned them!) for me to come home from hospital to... I'd had a stroke... My cat can get me out of bed by yowling... and sitting just out of reach... so I get up and feed her! But she will do the same at other times, and I'll pat the bed and say "hop up!" and... she'll jump up, curl up beside me, and start purring... :-) Also... when I have a splitting migraine? And I stay all day in bed as a result? She'll again jump on my bed and settle beside me, and glare at me when I start moving... *chuckles* And when I'm feeling well? She'll ask to go outside, but go out, and then stand out there and glare at me until I open the door further, and go out myself and join her! And then she'll take me on a brief walk, and collapse and roll on the grass and ask for belly scratches! My cat is perfect for me... ;-)
Cheers to you for seeking professional help. Way too many people in the world think they should "tough it out" and just suffer needlessly.
The OP was ready to begin to heal and sought out another soul for the journey. I hope they are both blessed.
This is one reason why I introduced my father who lives alone (suffering grief and trauma and then depression after my mother died) , to a rescue dog I was fostering. I paired the 2 together and matters have improved, because my father isn't alone at home and has Kipper to care for. Kipper also cares for him.
I tell people "I'm not a CRAZY CAT LADY...my crazy has nothing to do with loving cats but loving cats is what keeps me from letting my crazy take over." They NEED me and if I don't take care of myself they won't be ok. I am suffering SAD really bad right now and it could seriously slide into depression so easy, been there, done that too many times. Today I didn't want to go pick up.my meds refill but I needed to get them food. I got manic earlier and spent too much and had to struggle for their litter and food a bit so I realized I needed to stick to a budget because I can eat oatmeal for a week but they can't.
You are such a handsome man! I'm sorry you've been given this "wet blanket." That's my description of the depression and anxiety that I fight every day. Give that sweet puss a scritch from me!
Same story, except my dog found me on the streets and followed me home. I say to this day that it is she that rescued me, not the other way around... And after 14 years of caring for her, I brought her here to Canada (because it was unimaginable to leave her just because we moved) to be killed by stupid vets' from emergency hospital not giving a f**k to provide an urgent surgery for stomach torsion and wasted entire night, while I was begging and crying my a*s off and watching her suffer and dying in pain. "They have been burned before", they said, so my dog paid with her life. If it was a human that was sick and, for example, black and this happened, it would be racism (judging all because of one that gave them bad experience).
We gave a lot of money (after exhausting even more on the move and settling in) for her teeth surgery two weeks before that (which I have no doubt has contributed to the issue), so we didn't have the entire amount to give them in advance, which is why they didn't move a finger until we gave them the money (the following morning we had borrowed from several friends). So much about Canada being "welcoming" to immigrants.
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I will totally vouch for this: my adorable little cat Hana (it means Happiness) snuggles up to me all the time when I’m in bed and she will wait until I can get up and feed her - and when she’s eaten, she will come back to check on me. Your Bagheera (cool name !) is a beauty, and the cartoons are funny. Good luck!
Who does laundry every day (even if not depressed)? Who "bathes" a cat? And how does he "clean" his cat each day after the cat poops?
The art is ADORABLE (love the style and message), but I do have these questions.
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You are awesome, both, but please, don't bathe your cat, they can keep themselves clean. Just help him with his fur by brushing him every now and then. I wish you both a long and healthy life together.
My doggo is always so helpful when I'm falling apart. She comes up to me and bumps me until I pet her, then snuggles up next to me and falls asleep. Glad to see the kitty is helpful. <3
my rescue cat has rescued me more times than he'll ever understand. he's very calm and understanding during panic attacks and make me get up to play or pet or feed him. yours looks like a good boy too.
cats are amazing creatures to have as a therapy animal, i used to cry and my cat would walk up to me and check on me. i cried cause my cat was super sick and i couldnt help him but even when sick he came up to me and rubbed on me.
Cats seem to know when you need them...our cat we had growing up had great dignity and was rather aloof, but if I was crying he would come to me, and not only allow me to pet him but even let me hug him (although he hated hugs)
Load More Replies... In "A Streetcat Named Bob" the writer kicks his heroin addiction because he realized his cat needed him. It's a wonderful book.
You and your cat are wonderful. I have two cats. Love your art! I find it amazing and cheerful.,,and spot on. I have some situational depression, and I know how they comfort and help me. Kudos to you and your recovery "schedule". You are wonderful
I love this!!! My kitty does the exact same thing, and I love her for it. She's always talking to me, makes sure I get enough sleep and stuff, and is just all around amazing.
I often struggle with thoughts of suicide, but knowing that one of my cats would take it badly if I wasn't there keeps me going. The other one, not so much lol.
I love how Bagheera's nose in the drawings and real life are heart shaped. Sometimes, my cat is one great big heart, and sometimes she acts like she's just taken a hit of PCP. She's a goof and I love her to pieces.
Drawings are so lovely and full of life, totally captured the nature of kittens! I have two cats and they are completely different and they have their own personalities. It made me realise that animals are much more than we ever thought they are. Anyone who lives with dog, cat, bird or any other little creature knows how precious they are.
The same happened to me 7 years ago when I got my Cat. Since then my house is clean and tidy, the Cat is fed and groomed, and my clothes and me stay neat and well. With my Cat I learned to ignore my depression, to pretend it isn't there. And somehow it did help. Apparently, some outside changes may spread to the inside with time :-) The cat and you are both lovely! Wish both of you a good life together!
It iwell known that being in a situation where you MUST do something, such as a regular routine, helps against depression. Having pets is a good idea generally, but especially so for the depressed.
I feel like managing mental health requires at least three parts -- physical/biochemical (meds, nutrition, maybe sunlight, maybe exercise for some people), habits of thought and attitudes (therapy, meditation, mindfulness), and environment/situation (reliable food, shelter, time for relaxation, friendship, hobbies -- not an exhaustive list). Cats absolutely can help with, really ANY part of that, even maybe a little bit the biochemical part -- petting animals releases oxytocin and serotonin and all that stuff. Having a beast which accepts you helps you change your own habits of thought. And maintaining an environment and situation in which your kitty can be healthy requires you to maintain an environment in which you can be healthy, too. Pets are good.
Oh my gosh I love this so much! The illustrations are beautiful and expressive! And both dad and kitty are so handsome.
All things aside, your art is amazing! You capture so much personality and perfect cat anatomy in simple line drawings. :)
Kudos to you, Yash, for being so open about your ailment. I hope this will help people with mental health issues ignore the stigma some ignorant folks still attach to it. It is just like any other ailment. Our minds and bodies are inseparable. And thanks for letting people know that an affectionate and nonjudgmental friend like Bagheera can be a great source of support.
Since childhood i have had different pets in my life and understand the value and companionship of living along with non-human companions in a house. At present my two Persian cats "Matahari" and "Matata" keep me fit and active mentally through their "CAT ANTICS" as i run my "OFFICE" from home in Mumbai .As a Traveller/Blogger the maintenance of my cats prove expensive but they compensate by preventing me from "WRITERS BLOCK" syndrome. DSCN1785-5...9444b6.jpg
I feel good for both of them. Keep it up Cat; you're doing a great job !!
You are a wonderful person and Bagheera is a beautiful cat in more ways than one.
Man, my cat was like that for me during my last semester at college. If I didn't get out of bed to feed him before 8 AM he would pounce, and one time I didn't get up, he bit my nose (not hard, no blood, but message received)! He also loved his adoring public, at the dorm's main office, so I would get out and socialize because he wanted to see his fans and play with them.
Animals do change our life's! So happy you found this little guy) we truly don't deserve animals
My Weimaraner forces me to get up and go for a walk. He hates it when I'm upset and does such silly stuff to make me laugh. He knows when I'm in pain, when I'm sick and when I need help just to stand up. He will come and stand beside me if I'm struggling to stand, put his back right next to me, and slip his head under my arm. Animals are necessary for mental health and a fantastic way for everyone, no matter how grounded, to be healthy and show love. I'm so very thankful for him!
I had a dog who saved me after a horrible auto wreck. It would have been so easy to give up on physical therapy and stay in bed. He made me get up to go for walks a few times a day. Our nightly walks to the dog part forced me to socialize with other dog owners. And of course he filled a void with laughter and love. I still miss that good boy 20+ years later.
Really nice illustrations. It is harder than people think to get so much expression and life into such a "simple" looking line drawing. Brilliant work.
It's actually nice that we don't have to PAY cats for what their "good work" is WORTH! I had just lost my almost-20-year old best-kittyfriend (3 years ago) when "the current baby" came into my life: a MAYBE 3-month-old tiny, filthy, starving, flea AND tick infested (I didn't know CATS even GOT ticks) "throw-away" kitten that had learned to be terrified of PEOPLE. I didn't think I ever WANTED "another cat"...i didn't GET "another cat": what I GOT was a loud-mouth, bossy, and the fattest, MOST-GORGEOUS absolutely-the-best-cat-i-could-ever-want QUEEN who taught me I "needed to fix HER way more than I needed to mourn my dead cat".
My 21-year-old cat passed away last August. I adopted a pair of kitties just after Christmas. Cats are a necessity in my life. After Boo died, I moped around for a while. While some people might think that I adopted too quickly, my new cats grew my heart to make room. I still mourn Boo, just like I mourned all of the kitties who came before her. Those 3 months were the first time that I had been without a cat since I adopted my first one, 30 years ago. I smile more and cry less when I have a feline friend nearby.
You are doing a great job in taking care of yourself and your life and of the kitty! Keep up with it and continue to draw those adorable sketches, you have a talent!
...my mother bought a cat from the RSPCA (the Royal Society for the Protection and Care of Animals... I remembered that! Hooray! I couldn't remember that the last time I mentioned them!) for me to come home from hospital to... I'd had a stroke... My cat can get me out of bed by yowling... and sitting just out of reach... so I get up and feed her! But she will do the same at other times, and I'll pat the bed and say "hop up!" and... she'll jump up, curl up beside me, and start purring... :-) Also... when I have a splitting migraine? And I stay all day in bed as a result? She'll again jump on my bed and settle beside me, and glare at me when I start moving... *chuckles* And when I'm feeling well? She'll ask to go outside, but go out, and then stand out there and glare at me until I open the door further, and go out myself and join her! And then she'll take me on a brief walk, and collapse and roll on the grass and ask for belly scratches! My cat is perfect for me... ;-)
Cheers to you for seeking professional help. Way too many people in the world think they should "tough it out" and just suffer needlessly.
The OP was ready to begin to heal and sought out another soul for the journey. I hope they are both blessed.
This is one reason why I introduced my father who lives alone (suffering grief and trauma and then depression after my mother died) , to a rescue dog I was fostering. I paired the 2 together and matters have improved, because my father isn't alone at home and has Kipper to care for. Kipper also cares for him.
I tell people "I'm not a CRAZY CAT LADY...my crazy has nothing to do with loving cats but loving cats is what keeps me from letting my crazy take over." They NEED me and if I don't take care of myself they won't be ok. I am suffering SAD really bad right now and it could seriously slide into depression so easy, been there, done that too many times. Today I didn't want to go pick up.my meds refill but I needed to get them food. I got manic earlier and spent too much and had to struggle for their litter and food a bit so I realized I needed to stick to a budget because I can eat oatmeal for a week but they can't.
You are such a handsome man! I'm sorry you've been given this "wet blanket." That's my description of the depression and anxiety that I fight every day. Give that sweet puss a scritch from me!
Same story, except my dog found me on the streets and followed me home. I say to this day that it is she that rescued me, not the other way around... And after 14 years of caring for her, I brought her here to Canada (because it was unimaginable to leave her just because we moved) to be killed by stupid vets' from emergency hospital not giving a f**k to provide an urgent surgery for stomach torsion and wasted entire night, while I was begging and crying my a*s off and watching her suffer and dying in pain. "They have been burned before", they said, so my dog paid with her life. If it was a human that was sick and, for example, black and this happened, it would be racism (judging all because of one that gave them bad experience).
We gave a lot of money (after exhausting even more on the move and settling in) for her teeth surgery two weeks before that (which I have no doubt has contributed to the issue), so we didn't have the entire amount to give them in advance, which is why they didn't move a finger until we gave them the money (the following morning we had borrowed from several friends). So much about Canada being "welcoming" to immigrants.
Load More Replies... I will totally vouch for this: my adorable little cat Hana (it means Happiness) snuggles up to me all the time when I’m in bed and she will wait until I can get up and feed her - and when she’s eaten, she will come back to check on me. Your Bagheera (cool name !) is a beauty, and the cartoons are funny. Good luck!
Who does laundry every day (even if not depressed)? Who "bathes" a cat? And how does he "clean" his cat each day after the cat poops?
The art is ADORABLE (love the style and message), but I do have these questions.
Load More Replies... You are awesome, both, but please, don't bathe your cat, they can keep themselves clean. Just help him with his fur by brushing him every now and then. I wish you both a long and healthy life together.
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