Cats may be aloof, and often seem like they want us to just feed them and stay out of their way, but owning a cat can in fact contribute to physical human health and emotional well-being. Owning a cat can provide the following benefits.

Improve Mood & Reduces Stress: Having a domesticated feline companion can help contribute to improved mood, reduced levels of stress, and even provide emotional stability. Cats are great companions who lead a solitary life, or may have lost a loved one. It has been shown that owning a cat can help people get over their loss more quickly. Caring for a furry feline, and having her curl up in your lap can do wonders for stress levels, and anxiousness. Spending a short time with pets can cause a measurable drop in the stress hormone cortisol, and an increase in serotonin, which can not only contribute to increased happiness and even reduce pain.

Improve Heart Health: Medical studies (including ones done at the University of Minnesota) have found that persons who do not own cats are 30-40% more likely to suffer fatal cardiovascular events, as compared to those individuals who owned cats. Another study done by the University of Minnesota concluded that owning a cat can reduce the risk of a stroke by up to 30%.

Great Companions: Despite popular belief, cat can be better companions than dogs, and this is especially true for women. Studies have shown that due to the fact that initiate contact much of the time, and remember and return heartfelt gestures, they can create the emotional equivalent of having a romantic partner in one’s life.

Fewer Allergies & Respiratory Issues: Having, or growing up with a cat (or other pets for that matter) helps children develop immunity to certain allergens. Aside from the reduction of allergies, being around household pets also has the effect of reducing potential respiratory issues and complications including asthma.

Lower Blood Pressure: Cats are generally calm, and petting a calm, and relaxed cat can do wonders for your blood pressure. It has been shown that petting a cat may reduce blood pressure in certain cases.

Lower Cholesterol and Triglycerides: If working out and exercise is too much work in order to reduce your cholesterol levels, then you might want to consider getting a cat. Some studies have shown that owning a cat can help reduce cholesterol levels better than some medications.

Healing Bones and Muscles: The cat’s purr has been measured to have a frequency of between 20 and 140 hertz, which includes the 25 to 50 hertz range that has been shown to have improve bone and muscle growth and healing.

Cat’s may see a bit full of themselves at times, but with the types of physical and emotional benefits that they are able to provide, perhaps they have a reason to.