The photos 馃摳 are my entry to the #monomad contest from 
Greetings hivers 馃樇
On occasion I have seen how some medical authorities use animal assisted therapies to improve mental health in different ways, easing pain simply by touching a horse, puppies, or even dolphins.
But there is one exercise in particular that has always amused me. It is when they arrive with a box of kittens and release them all onto a patient lying in bed.
Suddenly their eyes light up with joy, as if the brain had disconnected the pain option and activated the happiness algorithm.
Or children. How they jump with excitement when they see a couple of kittens on the street. How they grab an entire little group and squeeze them into a big hug, as if they were plush toys, while adults look on with their hands on their heads and rush to take them away hahaha.
The truth is that pets are an immense source of relaxation and happiness. For some people they have become their only company, and they love them as much as their own family.
In Cuba, over the last decades, there has been a sustained emigration that in the past five years has become almost uncontrollable. Usually the youngest members of the family leave, seeking an economic stability that is impossible here, in order to later help those who stayed behind with food and resources that cannot be obtained through a regular job. This unfortunately leaves the older ones alone. As time goes by, the absence weighs heavier.
People who spend years without seeing their children or grandchildren, a situation that would affect anyone psychologically. And that is where these furry ones come in, these walking plush toys that make waiting and loneliness easier to bear.
I hope you enjoy this small series of street plushies. I am reading you.
Saludos hivers 馃樇
En ocasiones he visto c贸mo algunas autoridades m茅dicas utilizan terapias con animales para mejorar de alguna forma la salud mental, aliviando padecimientos con solo tocar un caballo, cachorros o incluso delfines.
Pero hay un ejercicio en especial que siempre me ha dado mucha gracia. Es cuando llegan con una caja de gatitos y los sueltan todos sobre un enfermo en la cama. De pronto su mirada se enciende de alegr铆a, como si el cerebro hubiera desconectado la opci贸n dolor y activado el algoritmo de la felicidad.
O los ni帽os. C贸mo saltan de emoci贸n cuando ven un par de gatitos en la calle. C贸mo agarran una manada entera y los aprietan en un gran abrazo, como si fueran peluches, mientras los adultos miran con la mano en la cabeza y corren a quit谩rselos jajajaja.
Lo cierto es que las mascotas son una fuente inmensa de relajaci贸n y felicidad. Para algunas personas se han convertido en su 煤nica compa帽铆a, y las aman tanto como a su propia familia.
En Cuba, durante las 煤ltimas d茅cadas, ha habido una emigraci贸n sostenida que en los 煤ltimos cinco a帽os se ha vuelto pr谩cticamente incontrolable. Generalmente emigran los m谩s j贸venes de la familia, buscando una estabilidad econ贸mica que aqu铆 es imposible, para luego ayudar a los suyos con comida y recursos que no se pueden obtener con un trabajo regular.
Esto, lamentablemente, deja atr谩s y solos a los m谩s adultos. Con el paso del tiempo la ausencia pesa m谩s. Personas que pasan a帽os sin ver a sus hijos o a sus nietos, una situaci贸n que da帽a psicol贸gicamente a cualquiera. Y es ah铆 donde entran estos peludos, estos peluches andantes que hacen m谩s liviana la espera y la soledad.
Espero que les guste esta peque帽a serie de peluches callejeros. Los leo.
"All photos were taken by me 
Technical data:
Nicon camera: Nikon D700
Nicon lens: 50mm f1.4 p-ais; 105mm f2.5 p-ais; 55 f1.2; 35mm f1.8 G
Translated by Deepl free version.7