Random Most Exciting Medical Benefits of Owning a Cat (15 items)

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  (#1) Cat Purrs Promote Healing Of Bones And Soft Tissue

  Believe it or not, studies are now showing that the purr of a cat can serve as far more than simply a delightful acknowledgement of your furry little companion's approval. As it turns out, when a cat's purr is within 20-140 hertz, nearby humans are scoring all sorts of health benefits. Kitty purrs can do everything from helping to strengthen bones to promoting the healing of soft tissue injuries.
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  (#2) Therapy Cats Can Be Trained To Detect Seizures

  Though cats are a less common a choice for a therapy animal than dogs are, studies are now showing that cats are great at this job too. More are more studies are showing that cats can not only detect when their owners are about to have a seizure, but that they can be trained to warn their humans of the oncoming attack. No one knows quite what gives kitty kind this unique ability, but scientists guess it has something to do with their ability to detect biochemical scents.
  
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  (#3) Cat Ownership Can Help Improve Your Immune Function

  Studies show that owning a cat could be just the ticket for boosting your immune system without consuming a single Flintstones vitamin. Studies even suggest that having a cat around can be helpful for boosting the immune systems of pregnant women, as conception can sometimes lower immune function.
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  (#4) Cats Can Help Patients Suffering From Alzheimer's And/Or Dementia

  As it turns out, having a feline friend around can be so beneficial to both Alzheimer's and Dementia patients that many nursing homes are adopting live-in kitty residents. Whether it be a result of the age old understanding cats seem to offer during times of suffering or their knack for picking out a patient who needs a lap buddy, cats can help decrease patients' anxiety levels while promoting a sense of well-being.
  
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  (#5) Kitty Kind Can Improve Mood And Reduce Depression

  Who can resist the allure of a purring little bundle of love? Perhaps it comes as no surprise that owning a cat has been linked to increased serotonin production, which both reduces the risk of depression and makes life a little happier all around.
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  (#6) Kitty Purrs Are Total Stress Busters

  Who would've thought that a creature with a bigger ego than an elephant could actually have a calming effect? "Believe it!" says science, which has shown that pet ownership is great for folks with high blood pressure. Studies show that after adopting a furry friend, patients with higher blood pressure levels tended to develop the skills necessary to navigate stressful situations while keeping their blood pressure at lower levels.
  
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  (#7) Living With A Cat Can Help Prevent Allergies And Asthma In Children

  According to mulitple studies, having a cat around the house can help your kids in more ways than simply teaching them responsibility. Not only does living with a feline help lower a child's likelihood of developing asthma, it can help lower your kids' likelihood of having allergies later on in life.
  
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  (#8) Viewing Cute Cuddly Creatures Actually Helps Boost Focus

  That's right, there's now an official scientific excuse to keep the kitty pictures coming at the office! A study out of Hiroshima University in Japan, found that viewing adorable photos of kitties and puppies increased the performance level of students who were then asked to complete tasks requiring a great deal of focus.

  As one researcher explained, “viewing cute things improves subsequent performance in tasks that require behavioral carefulness, possibly by narrowing the breadth of attention focus.” If cute kitty pictures alone could produce such results, imagine what having a full-time cutie patroling the house could do!
  
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  (#9) Kitties Can Lower The Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease

  According to a study from the University of Minnesota, cat ownership is a great way to keep your ticker in shape. Statistics from the study revealed that cat owners were between 30 and 40% less likely to kick the bucket due to cardiovascular disease than non-cat owners. And nope, it turned out substituting dogs for said felines did not produce the same effects.
  
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  (#10) They Can Be Excellent Grief Counselors

  While there's no substitute for losing someone you love, adopting a furry little bundle of love has been shown to be an excellent coping strategy. Cat owners have been shown to process grief more quickly and even cry less during the process of mourning. Some have pointed out that cats can not only serve as a means of support, but are excellent listeners who aren't prone to judging or interrupting.
  
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  (#11) Cats Can Help Kids With Autism

  In 2012, a French study revealed that cat ownership can be beneficial to children over the age of 5 who have been diagnosed with autism. The study showed that kids who shared their homes with kitties were more likely to share with and comfort other children than non-kitty owners with the same diagnosis.
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  (#12) They're All Around Awesome For Your Mental Health

  "There has never been a better reason for cat ownership than the bonding and emotional companionship that they bring," says Sandi Laird, an animal care director at the Texas no-kill shelter Operation Kindness. "The evidence is not only in my firsthand encounters with clients, but also in many reports detailing their positive influence on pet mom and dad's mental health."
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  (#13) Kitty Companionship Can Increase Self-Confidence

  Yes, dogs are wonderful cuties as well, but the unconditional love of a canine isn't super hard to come by. As anyone who's ever owned a cat can attest, winning the heart of a member of kitty kind isn't the easiest task. That said, those who are able to achieve the trust and friendship of a cat can tell you what a confidence booster having the hard-won trust of a cat can be.
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  (#14) Cuddling A Cat Can Help You Get A Better Night's Sleep

  A recent study from the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ revealed that cuddling up with your favorite feline may actually help you get a better night's sleep. Out of 150 research participants, 41% said that sharing their bed with a pet helped them get a better night's sleep.

  “Respondents described feeling secure, content and relaxed when their pet slept nearby,” researchers reported. “The value of these experiences, although poorly understood, cannot be dismissed because sleep is dependent on a state of physical and mental relaxation.”
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  (#15) They Can Lead To A Longer And Healthier Life

  According to Dr. Edward Creagan, an oncologist at Minnesota's famed Mayo Clinic, “I consider getting a pet to be one of the easiest and most rewarding ways of living a longer, healthier life.”

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