Have you ever wondered if cats can heal humans? While the independent nature of cats may not make them suitable for rescue missions, cats with loving personalities are great candidates to offer emotional support to humans.
With the increasing popularity of cat therapy, more cats are being trained to visit public places to help humans in need. The psychological benefits of having a cat are backed by science. As the “purr-fect” companion for humans, cats can be your personal form of emotional support.
1. Keep You Company & Reduce Your Loneliness
Nothing beats returning home after a long day to see your cats waiting for you within the comforts of your home, hinting at you to give them the attention they needed while you were away.
This feeling of comfort gives people a sense of purpose, knowing that there is a living soul waiting at home yearning for their love and attention. Being accompanied by cats simply keeps the feeling of loneliness away.
2. Improve Mental Health
Recent studies have shown that cats could help people with mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression.
Having cats around you also boosts your serotonin level. Serotonin is a chemical present within our bodies, which acts as a neurotransmitter. It serves as an important function by regulating our mood. With the boost, it essentially makes you feel much happier and less anxious.
Have you ever petted your cat and felt that sensational feeling in wanting to hug them a lot more? That is the serotonin boost effect working on your body.
As you get to understand your cat better, the bond that you have between each other becomes stronger. You may also get to pick up on your cat’s body language overtime, and make up tricks that only you and your cat understands.
In your spare time, you may want to play along with them. Making use of toys that they often chase or cuddle with is a great way to further that bond.
3. Reduce Stress Levels
Cats tend to purr because they feel happy and comfortable in their environment, a norm agreed upon by many. However, they may also do the same when experiencing pain or illness. When a cat purrs, they release endorphins, hormones that block out nerve cells from receiving the pain signals. In fact, cat purring shows the same effect on humans. The presence of cats simply helps humans deal with rejections and other negative emotions.
In nature, natural sounds at a low pitch have a calming effect as it is recognized by our brains as non-threatening noises. Cat purring, as a low-humming noise, tends to make people feel relaxed, reducing the fight-or-flight responses.
On top of that, the independent nature of cats enables them to care for themselves well. As low maintenance pets, cats usually have no problem keeping themselves well groomed. This simply means living with cats is simply less stressful as compared to caring for other animals.
4. Lower Risk In Heart Diseases
In addition, the presence of cats helps reduce the risk of heart diseases. According to a study by researches from the University of Minnesota’s Stroke Institute in Minneapolis, persons with cats have a lower risk of mortality caused by cardiovascular diseases. This may be due to the fact that cats help humans cope with stress and encourage the production of serotonin, the “feel-good” hormone.
5. Promote Physical Healing
On top of healing you mentally, cat purr can heal you physically as well. The frequency of cat purring is approximately between 25Hz and 140Hz. The same frequency has been used in vibration therapy to aid the healing of broken bones, wound, joint and tendon issues in humans.
6. Encourage a Healthier Lifestyle
Living with a pet means a list of pet-related chores has inevitably been added to your daily routine. While taking care of your cat, you must have subconsciously structured your timetable in such a way to ensure that your cat is well-fed and groomed. These routine activities help you to maintain an active and stable lifestyle.
Cats are wonderful feline creatures with a lot to offer. They may be hard to understand at times. However, if there’s anything that they really truly care about: it is you.
