Actress Shailene Woodley says adopting two rescue cats has ‘changed her life’

Actress Shailene Woodley has said her adopted rescue cats have “changed her life” and remind her what is “important in life”.

Woodley, 33, best known for starring in The Fault In Our Stars and the Divergent film series, rescued her two cats, Pharrah and Bear, around a year and a half ago and said they are like her “emotional support animals”.

The actress has since teamed up with the pet care company, Mars, and the mental health organisation, Calm, ahead of Global Adoption Weekend on October 3-5, to raise awareness of the impact pet adoption can have on both the animal and the owner.

Shailene Woodley (Mars/PA)

Speaking to the PA news agency, she said: “I was able and lucky enough to rescue my two little kitties, and they’ve changed my life so dramatically just having them.

“I call them like my emotional support animals, even though they’re not, they just give me a sense that everything is going to be OK.

“My two little ones help me relax and remember what’s important in life.

“I think the beauty in life is that when we make a decision to be in service to something that’s outside of just ourselves, and then that exchange happens where, seeing how much my life was impacting them, but also seeing how much they were impacting me.

“They remind me to breathe. They reminded me to slow down and be present in the moment and life adapts to the decisions that we make.

“There isn’t a day that I’ve looked back and wish that I hadn’t made the decision that I’d had, regardless of how busy and overwhelming life can be.

Shailene Woodley is celebrating pets’ positive impact on mental wellbeing and how pet adoption can change lives (Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Mars/PA)

“Everything’s easier because they’re here and because they’re with me.”

According to a report by Mars, there are around 16 million dogs and cats in shelters globally waiting to find a home.

It is now hosting its second annual Global Adoption Weekend from October 3-5 in the UK to support prospective pet owners through partnerships with shelters around the country.

Woodley added: “I think the stress before choosing to adopt is often higher because of all of the ‘what ifs’, and if you do have a home and you’re in a position where you can welcome another creature into your life, then all of that stress, from my experience, is immediately replaced with gratitude and a comfort because of the exchange you’re having with the animal that you have chosen to adopt.

“I can’t remember what my life was like before they were there.”

Shailene Woodley joined forces with pet care company Mars and Calm ahead of Mars Global Adoption Weekend (Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Mars/PA)

Mars Global Adoption Weekend sees the organisation partner with shelters across the UK including Battersea Cats & Dogs Home, Mayhew Animal Home, Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare, Leicester Animal Aid and Woodgreen Pets Charity, Manchester Dogs Home and Edinburgh Dogs & Cats Home, to spotlight pets looking for a new home.

Mars will offer adoption boxes packed with food, treats, expert advice and access to a free online beginners training programme from Kinship for anyone welcoming a pet from one of these shelters during October.

As part of the campaign, Woodley also recorded a Sleep Story on Calm, titled Finding Four-Legged Friends which was inspired by her own experience of welcoming pets into her life.

Woodley shot to fame after starring as Amy Juergens in the hit teen drama series, The Secret Life Of The American Teenager.

She went on to star in Big Little Lies alongside Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon.