Cats have purred their way into our hearts for centuries. They have been living with the humans like best friends from thousand years. The cutest creature are making us laugh with their weird antics. Not only this, living with a cat can significantly reduce the chances of many diseases. The cats have the ability to create a positive environment wherever they live. Now a study has proved that true. Living with cats can have surprisingly positive effect on our physical and mental health. But this comes with few risks too.
A study including 1,800 Dutch cat owners revealed that, cats are a part of their family as dogs. They are like their own kids. They finds them loyal, caring and supportive just like a family member. Many cat parents said that they didn’t adopt the cat, the cat adopted them, they adopted each other.
Research suggests cats usually approaches stranger humans who show them a little love and give a “kitty kiss” (narrowing your eyes and blinking slowly). After they develop a close bond with their human, they develop a specific meows that tune into the cat parents nurturing instincts.
Owning a pet is not that easy, it comes with few responsibilities. Owners get very less ‘me-time’ and less social interaction as they have to be with their pet all the time. Taking care of them, providing them, spending all the time with them forms a sense of purpose and strong feelings of love and affection in them. A study reveal different types of relationship humans forms with their pet such as, “remote”, “casual” and “co-dependent”. People who have a co-dependent relationship with their pet or treat them as their own kid, have a very strong emotional bond with their pet.
Several study revealed, people who own a cat are more happier than others. They have lower risk of suffering any cardiovascular disease such as heart-stroke. But it is not 100% conformed yet. Another interesting revelation is, cat parents have significantly noticed positive changes in the gut microbiota, specially a female cat owner. It improved blood glucose and reduced inflammation.
Living with a cat or dog can contribute to our mental health well being. How can not someone stay happy while living with such beautiful creatures radiating positivity and happiness with their cute acts. People with depression showed a significant improvement after patting or playing with their cats. Interacting with cats reduces cortisol levels and promotes relaxation. Living with a cat makes us feel less lonely.
According to a study, people more attached to their pets actually had poorer mental health scores. But their survey responses told a different story. One respondent said, “my cats are the reason I get up in the morning”. While another respondent said, “I consider my pet to be a service animal. My cat helps me to relax when I’m dealing with my anxiety, depression or when I wake during the night from the frequent nightmares I have. My cat isn’t just a pet to me, my cat is a part of me, my cat is part of my family.”
People with any kind of mental health issues depends upon their cat to find joy. They become dependent on their cat. But some times the over dependency causes few problems when they aren’t with them. Few cat owners get anxious when they can’t find their pet with them. If the cat becomes sick, the burden of caring for them may have a negative impact on their mental health. As per the study, owners whose cats had epilepsy, around one third experienced a clinical level of burden as caregivers that was likely to interfere with their day-to-day functioning. Cats also carry zoonotic diseases, a infection which spreads from animals to humans. Cats carry a parasite named ‘toxoplasmosis’. Cats are the primary hosts for this parasite. Most people doesn’t experience any symptoms by the parasitic infection but few may experience symptoms like, fever, headache, fatigue and swollen lymph nodes. People with low immunity and pregnant females are more at risk to get infected. It can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, or cause problems for the baby including blindness and seizures.
Cats can provoke allergic reactions too. One in five people have an allergy with cats. Their fur, saliva and flakes of skin can set off an allergic reaction. It is advised to clean hands, surfaces and vacuum to eliminate furs and flakes of skin to prevent allergic reactions.
