Cats: an adorable yet overlooked pet. They’re stereotyped as these judgemental and uncaring creatures, which–sure, these descriptors can be true–however, many people often don’t realize the benefits of having a cat besides being able to see their cute faces. It’s been shown that cats can greatly benefit their owners’ lives–both physically and mentally.
First off, cats are easy to take care of. They’re low-maintenance animals, needing basically only food and water, a litter box, and a scratching pole (if you don’t want them to scratch your curtains at least.) While owners can end up with attention-seeking felines, for the most part, cats are fine with being independent and entertaining themselves.
However, just because cats are more independent doesn’t mean they don’t want to be with their owners in general. A lot of cats are quite affectionate and enjoy sitting in their owner’s lap. Cats also like to sleep with their owners which improves their owner’s sleep quality–even more than sleeping with a partner. Each cat has their own personality and quirks, offering a unique companion which in turn causes owners to feel less lonely.
You may not think that an animal can affect a human’s physical health, but cats are surprisingly good for lowering the risk of several illnesses. Owning a cat even helps lower the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, and strokes. Even something as small as a cat’s purr can lower your blood pressure and even help heal infections, muscles, and bones for their humans. Cats can prevent not just cat allergies, but also other allergies for young children, helping build a stronger immune system for them.
The benefits don’t even stop at physical health–cats are amazing for their owner’s mental health as well. Being a popular therapy animal, cats have been shown to help their owners through mental illness recovery by simply being a comforting presence. Petting and playing with cats can lower stress and distract owners from their mental illness symptoms. It’s shown that cat owners have higher self-esteem than others, allowing owners to deal with emotions such as rejection better. Cats give their owners a sense of purpose, often being a motivation to get up and care for their feline friends.
While maybe not as active as dogs or cool as snakes, cats have their own kind of charm. These feisty felines, whether people realize it or not, will improve your life in more ways than one. Overall, cats are great pets, and I assure you that adopting one would change your life for the better.