Feeling anxious and stressed? Your cat can help; spending time with your cat can benefit you emotionally. Research shows that spending time with your cat can reduce their owner’s heart rate and lower their systolic and diastolic blood pressure. In fact, “a study by the University of Minnesota found that cat owners are 30 percent less likely to die from a heart attack'”.
Just having a cat in the house isn’t enough to reap the benefits. Petting, cuddling, playing with, and taking care of your cat are the way to reducing stress and anxiety.
Other perks of being a cat lover include:
- Cats boost your mood – cat owners say their cats have a positive effect on their mood
- Cats help you cope – research shows that cats reduce stress and anxiety levels and help with resilience and coping with everyday life
- Cats give you a purpose – cats help you create a routine and help you have a sense of purpose since you need to spend time devoted to feeding, playing, brushing, and petting your cat each day. As most cat lovers know, your cat will demand the attention they need each day!
- Cats keep you connected – research shows that cats can alleviate loneliness, which reduces the risk of depression. They provide companionship and help give us a sense of security. This is especially so during the pandemic, while many people started to work remotely – having their cat beside them every day as their “coworker” helps with our sense of connection.
Your cat isn’t just benefitting you! They seek out the same comforts from humans, so a mutual relationship blossoms and grows stronger each day.
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