Pets make people feel good. But there is more to owning a pet than just the feel-good factor. You will be surprised to know that there are many works of research that link owning a pet to improving your overall health and well-being. On the occasion of National Cat Day, we enlist the ways a pet cat can make you feel healthy:
1. Natural Mood Enhancers
If you spend only a few minutes with your pet cat, you will feel less anxious and less stressed. The physical changes that your body goes through during that time, i.e. lowering of cortisol level, a hormone associated with stress, and increasing production of serotonin, a chemical associated with well-being, make you feel less tired and less stressed.
2. Heart Health:
Owning any pet is good for your heart. A research found that the presence of cats has been associated with lowering of stress and blood pressure and thus may also reduce the risk of heart diseases. Another study also indicates that in pet cat owners, the risk of a heart attack is reduced by nearly one-third.
3. Fewer Allergies
Research shows that when children grow up in a house with a pet cat, they are less likely to develop allergies. For example, infants at risk for asthma, who grew up with cats at home, were significantly less likely to develop asthma as they got older.
4.Stronger Immunity
Children who own any kind of pets, including cats, have higher levels of certain immune system chemicals, and therefore, they have a stronger immune system. This will help keep them stay healthy as they get older.
5.Relieve Depression
A new study suggests that unmarried women who live with a pet cat are better able to cope with depression. One of the reasons could be that having a pet cat in the house is the emotional equivalent of having a romantic partner, as per a study. Discovery news reposts that studies have shown that cats will remember kindness shown to them and return the favour later.
