My cats are great stress relievers, too. We had Angel as a tiny kitten when 9/11 happened, and it was a relief to come home and play with her and tune out all the evil in the world in the process. The little kittens are so innocent, and cute and playful

Now with Shadow it's the same thing. If/when things are going badly, it is nice to be able to play with him, and watch him, and just forget about all of the stressors out there, just for a little while.