22 Ways Cats Make Our Lives Happier And Healthier

If you know anything about cats, there's no doubt in your mind they enrich our lives in numerous ways. From having your friendly feline curl up next to you in bed to giving you a bit of levity each day by chasing their favorite ball or toy, cats have an uncanny ability to put a smile on our faces.

But what’s more, there's plenty of research backing up the fact that cats do indeed make our lives happier and healthier in plenty of interesting ways. To learn more, here are some fascinating feline facts for your consideration.

If you've had trouble falling asleep, it's may be worth it to let your cat share your bed. Studies have shown that people are twice as likely to get a better sleep with their cat than to be disturbed by it’s presence. Plus, scientists have also found your kitty will greatly reduce any stress and anxiety you're experiencing, and can actually calm you down simply by touching you with their paw.

And once you've gotten a good night's sleep, you'll also discover your cat's presence is keeping you quite healthy. For example, studies have found that cat owners are 30 percent less likely to experience a heart attack or stroke, and also have lower cholesterol and blood pressure readings. In fact, some cat owners find their blood pressure is lowered so much their doctors actually take them off previously prescribed medications.

And believe it or not, your cat may actually improve your love life. According to dating data, men and women who own cats are viewed by others of the opposite sex as being more caring and sensitive, as well as being more friendly than people without cats. So if you're ready to see your social life improve in a hurry, add a friendly feline to your household.

While these tidbits of information are certainly intriguing, there is plenty more where this came from. If you're ready to find out even more reasons why cats keep us happy and healthy, check out the infographic below, originally from Catological.

This is a guest blog by one of our many animal community friends. It has not been written by The Finchley Vet staff. We love to showcase other people's work as we think it makes things more interesting for you, our readers, however, it does mean that we have not checked any of the facts and any opinions are those of the author and not of the Finchley Vet, or Local Vet Ltd.