Many cat owners believe that owning a cat can have many health benefits, and can even help you live longer. We decided to find out if this is actually true and the answers may surprise you.
In addition, this article explores what are the health benefits of owning a cat, whether or not owning a cat could maybe help you live longer and because we are interested if there is any truth to this. So let’s have a closer look at the facts that we have researched.
What are the factors of owning a cat that will help a cat owner live longer?
Health Benefits Of Owning A Cat
Cat owners with busy schedules or those that work long hours notice this more than most, but after a long day at work, petting or stroking a cat actually calms the nerves. This, in turn, helps us relax, giving a calming effect and even putting us into a state of tranquility, which also allows cat owners to get a better night’s sleep. Furthermore, by alleviating tension and helping us relax, it means that cat owners are less likely to suffer from stress and anxiety.
For an even more surprising effect, there is an amazing fact about the cats purring, because a purring cat has some great health benefits. When a cat purrs, which is often when sitting on its owner’s lap, it puts out a very low frequency between 1.5 and 5+ gigahertz, which just so happens to be the same frequency used in the treatment of arthritis.
After a long day, having a cat purr on your lap can be extremely beneficial because, it can actually slow the heart rate, reducing blood pressure and therefore lowering the risk of heart disease.
All these health benefits of owning a cat can even extend to speeding up the process of healing broken bones, which is pretty amazing. There have also been many reports of cat owners who have lost a loved one being able to cope better than those without a pet. Talking to their cat while in mourning has helped them through these difficult times, because they were able to talk to their cat without the worry of being judged, but rather having a calming effect.
One study in Austria back in 2003 found that having a cat in the home was the same as having a romantic partner, probably not exactly, but rather in terms of how they make you feel. There have been many studies around the world that have also confirmed that cat owners tend to get a better night’s sleep when they sleep with their cat. In fact, over 40 percent of people in a study from the Mayo Sleep Center reported a better night’s sleep because of their pets.
Curing Allergies At An Early Age
Another surprising fact we found was from a study by the National Institute of Health, which stated in their findings that newborns that were exposed to cats were less likely to get allergies later on. Actually the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases stated that high pet exposure early on in life does appear to protect against pet allergies, but also other common allergies such as grass, ragweed, and even dust mites. Now, although there are some diseases from cats that are a danger to very young children, by keeping the cat litter box clean daily and keeping the cat indoors, your child should be safe and allergy-free, though this may not be the same for every single person, as there are some people that can be allergic to cats and their dander.
So Can Owning A Cat Help You Live Longer?
After reading all the health benefits of owning a cat the answer surely is yes, owning a cat can help you live longer. By calming nerves, relieving stress and anxiety and even lowering blood pressure, owning a cat can certainly make you feel better and even help you live longer.
Moreover, owning a cat is especially good for the elderly too, it’s said that elderly people that own pets show more ability to cope with daily activities than those without a pet. In addition, cats provide companionship and a general sense of well being, and people that own cats also get more activity due to having to go out and get supplies like food and toys for their cat.
Some Amazing Stories Of Cats Saving Lives
There are many amazing stories of cats saving their owner’s lives, like the cats that have woke their owners up due to carbon monoxide levels being too high. There are also reports that cats have warned their owners of an upcoming seizure, or have got help from another family member due to a seizure happening. Probably the most amazing story is that of a lady named Angela, whose cat started pawing at her chest area and wouldn’t stop, Angela went to the doctor only to find out she had cancer, this was treated successfully. Two years later her cat did the same pawing at her chest, so she went to the doctor only to find out she had cancer again, but it was able to be treated successfully due to being found out at such an early stage.
The truth is that there are actually hundreds of stories out there of cats saving their owner’s lives, so it makes you wonder why everyone doesn’t own at least one cat. With so many reasons to own a cat, it would make sense to seriously consider adopting a cat. Health benefits, helping us live longer, saving lives and companionship are all great reasons to think about getting a cat, and they’re easier than a dog to keep, and cheaper too. Moreover, after reading our article about owning a cat, and if you feel like getting one now, you may want to consider adopting one from your local shelter or animal rescue center, because each year over 3 million cats pass through shelters, with many not finding a home.
Summary
Finally, with all the health benefits mentioned within our article here today, you can easily gain many health benefits from owning one as your pet too.
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What a Lovely article!
I feel, especially on the weekends, that my cats do help with the de-stressing
of my week.
Cats are a lot more low maintenance than dogs as well. Yes, the scooping is a bit of a chore but, you have to do that with dogs too! or any pet!
There are many stories of cats saving lives.
Many thanks for your feedback Soraya which is greatly appreciated.
Jim
Great article.
I was aware of some of the health benefits of owning a cat including reduction in stress levels and helping to relax. It is very interesting that having a cat can reduce heart disease. Very interesting indeed. If ever there was a Top 10 reasons for owning a cat that would would top the list surely!.
This is a very interesting post. I’ve always wondered if cats can help you live longer. I read somewhere that having a cat in your home helps you a lot to get rid of stress and feel more comfortable.
Your post is very informative and thank you for sharing with us. As you said, there are many stories where cats save their own owners and this has always caused me to have a cat around me.
I believe that the 9 lives of a cat are divided in half for the cat and the other half for its owner. Wish you all the best!
Thank you and am so pleased that you enjoyed reading my post.
Hi, it is a great and nice feeling to know that someone will create a great website like this and also create a write up on an article like this. Cats are wonderful creatures and although I never knew that exposure to cats at tender age can reduce allergies. I find it true from experience with my daughter
Thanks very much and I greatly appreciate those comments about my website and posts
If the relationship is well built up, then owing a cat will always be one of the best decisions anyone could take because cats are life savers. I really like them because of their free nature and how easily adaptable they can be. But then, I also learnt some basic facts about them out here today and that’s really great. Thanks for sharing
Many thanks for those kind comments
Truly this is one amazing fact I never thought I’d find. Cats helping humans live longer lives is a topic certainly worth discussing.
The fact that got to me most was where you wrote about cats purring helping in treating arthritis, reducing blood pressure and lowering heart disease risks. That makes cats life savers!
On the contrary, people would like to think dogs save lives more, considering their ability to sense dangers. Do you think that compared to dogs, cats still save a lot of lives? Should people prefer owning cats to dogs on account of their life saving abilities?
Many thanks for those comments which are greatly appreciated. I cannot really answer your question about dogs as I have only been a cat owner during my life so I really cannot give my first hand experience of the merits of cat versus dog ownership.
The idea that owning a cat can help you live longer is not hard to grasp for me. I’ve had a few cats over my lifetime and i definitely know that they help to calm and relax you, and when you sit with your cat petting it you enter a really relaxed state.
What surprised me though is the thought that the cats purring is on the same wavelength as beneficial treatment for Arthritis, and that having a cat can even speed the process of healing for a broken bone.
Could you tell me where i can go to find specific research on the benefits of the cats purring?
Many thanks for those comments which are greatly appreciated. In response to your query this article masy be of some assistance to you:-
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322716
Hello there! Amazing article you’ve got here, Indeed cats have been shown to help people get over their loss more quickly, and show less physical symptoms of pain, like crying. Despite the fact that they are only animals, but they serve as a social support during difficult times. I love cats!
Great comments and thank you for them.
I did not know that cats are so useful to us before. After reading your article, I learned that cats can benefit us, such as lowering heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and getting us to sleep better at night. It is so beneficial to have a cat in the home that can assist in preventing diseases to their owners. If I had not read your article, I would not have known about this. I have learned so much from reading your article. It was very interesting to me and I benefited.
Many thanks for your feedback which was greatly appreciated
Wow! I am blown away by these amazing facts. How could one ever imagine that simply owning a cat can make us live longer. Indeed the best things in life are free. Come to think if it, since one of the causes of depression is loneliness, hence the warm company of a could is almost invaluable. Nature has a way of caring for its own! even the sound of the cat resonates at a frequency that heals. Could this be the reason behind the proverb that “cats have nine lives” ? I am a little curious, is there an inspiration for the name “fit-cats” ? Thanks for sharing these amazing facts! I am already thinking of adopting a cat. Cheers!
Great comments and thank you for them! The reason for the blog title of Fit Cats is that I have a great interest in the health and fitness topic both in regard to human beings and also to domestic cats.
This article has made me miss my long lost cat. It was a black male cat who behaved like a pet dog accompanying me wherever I go. When I was strolling in the streets, it accompanied me and people were amazed because it was like I’m having a pet dog walking beside me. I lost him months ago for no apparent reason, maybe it went out there looking for a female cat to mate.
Upon reading this article, for health benefits, I got this idea of adopting a new cat but I am worried about what can happen if my former cat suddenly arrives. Is there a possibility that the old and the new cat will become friends with each other?
Thanks for those comments which I greatly appreciate. I have heard of some instances where cats that were supposedly lost suddenly returned to their owners after a long absence so you may be lucky. However this should not stop you in making a decision about a replacement as not all cats resent having another cat in the same house. We once had an old cat in our house who didn’t mind our daughter’s new kitten sharing the same house and even the older cat’s food bowl!
Hi I have a FB Page called We Love Pets. Can I share some of your articles on it? Proper attribution will be made of course.
Hi Ronald. Nice to hear from you and pleased to see we share an interest in pets. Yes you certainly may share my Fit Cats blog articles with your FB page readers. Jim