Cats Help Improve Our Moods and Help Us Deal with Stress
Do you know just 15 to 30 minutes of quality time with a cat can calm your nerves and boost your mood? There’s even chemical evidence. When you spend time with a cat, your production of serotonin, a chemical that boosts feelings of well-being, goes up, and your cortisol levels go down. Cortisol, along with high blood pressure, is a result of stress, and can lead to high cholesterol and hypertension. This means that spending time with a cat can keep you healthier in the long run.
DID YOU KNOW?
A 20-year study found that people who owned a cat were 40% less likely to die from a heart attack.
J Vasc Interv Neurol. 2009 January; 2(1): 132-135. PMCID: PMC3317329