How Does Having a Cat Affect Your Health?

Have you ever thought about how your cat might be affecting your health?

There are many studies into how dogs affect human health and how good they can be for our health. Just being around dogs and having them as pets can provide relief for various health problems. Unfortunately, nowhere near as many studies have been conducted into how cats impact health.

Let’s take a look at what we know about cats and their connection to human health. 

Calming and Soothing

Have you ever lost yourself in a sea of cat videos? Well, one study showed that just watching vat videos was enough to make people feel happier and be less negative. Watching videos of cats makes people better able to process negative emotions such as stress and anxiety. 

The author of the study, Jessica Gal Myrick, described the effect, saying;

“Even if [people] are watching cat videos on YouTube to procrastinate or while they should be working, the emotional pay-off may actually help people take on tough tasks afterward.”

So, go ahead and watch and share all the cat videos you want.

There’s more to it than that though.

Another study, this one from the United Kingdom, discovered that people who spend time with cats and kittens report feeling less upset and being calmer. 76% of the people involved in the survey said that their cats helped them cope with stress better. Which is pretty awesome.

How Cats Affect Your Body

Are you a cat person? If so, you’ll be happy to know cat people are naturally calmer and handle stress better than other people.

Maybe you should consider taking your cat with you to work!

Okay, in all seriousness though a study conducted by MNT showed that children who grew up with cats were less likely to develop allergies or become obese. So cats are good for the body.

How has your cat affected you? Leave a comment below and let me know!