Anti-stress, sleep… All the health benefits of cats

THE ESSENTIAL

• A cat’s purr produces vibrations at frequencies between 25 and 150 Hertz, which have many physiological and psychological health benefits.
• There are some 14 million cats in French homes, according to a 2018 Kantar-TNS survey.

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Purr therapy. The name may make you smile, but it’s true: being around a cat day to day is a real antidote against cardiovascular disease, stress, sleep disorders or even the dark thoughts of its owners, according to a series of ‘studies. At the time of international cat daywe explain all these benefits to you.

An anti-stress hairball

Many studies have found that having a cat significantly boosts cardiovascular health. According to one study American, the risk of dying from heart disease, such as a stroke, is thus 30% lower among feline owners. And for good reason, the presence of the cat – and the fact of stroking it, and the fact that it purrs in our ears, etc. – would allow, by lowering blood pressure, to reduce stress, anxiety and nervousness, according to the work of the American Heart Association.

A natural sleep aid

Ah, the soft purring of the cat on your lap… In doing so, the animal produces vibrations at frequencies between 25 and 150 Hertz, which have many benefits on overall health and emotions of those who lend an ear: alleviation of anxiety, boost of the respiratory system, reduction of pain… Researchers from the Sleep Observation Institute Mayo Clinic have even noted an improvement in sleep among the happy owners of these miniature felines.

These sound vibrations would even have beneficial effects on the density and good health of our bones, so much so that they are used by physiotherapists, orthopedists and sports doctors, explains at Radio France Jean-Yves Gauchet, the veterinarian who theorized purring therapy.

Anti-allergies

An infant who grows up with a cat in the home will be less likely to develop allergies (to cat hair, but also dust mites) and asthma as an adult, according to a investigation du Journal of the American Medical Association.

social skills

People who live with a cat would also have more skills in social relations: more sensitive, more trusting in others and more affective, but also less prone to sadness, dark thoughts and feelings of loneliness, especially among seniors. And it makes sense, according to the researchers: developing positive feelings towards cats would help develop empathy towards human beings. If the dog is man’s best friend, the cat could well be his best therapist!

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