Spending time close to a cat may boost its owner’s mood and energy, according to researchers at Kyoto University, who found that physical proximity was linked to higher wellbeing among cat owners.
The study suggests that simply having a cat in the home is not enough to produce the effect. Instead, the quality and frequency of interactions between owners and their pets may be more important than the length of time they have lived together.
Researchers followed 29 cats and 19 owners for a month. Small Bluetooth devices attached to the cats’ collars recorded how much time the animals spent physically close to their owners, while the owners completed questionnaires about their moods.
Dr Saho Takagi, a cat expert at Kyoto University and the study’s lead author, said: “We found that spending time close to the cat in daily life was associated with higher vigour scores in owners.”
She said many owners would recognise “the sense of comfort and peace they feel when their cat climbs onto their lap seeking affection” and begins to purr while being stroked.
The findings, published in the journal iScience, show a correlation rather than proving that cats directly cause people to feel more energetic. It is also possible that owners who are already more energetic spend more time with their pets.
The researchers found that the length of time an owner had kept a cat was not linked to improved mood. In fact, longer-term ownership was associated with higher negative mood scores, although the researchers said this was also only a correlation.
“Although this is also a correlation, it suggests that simply keeping a cat may not be enough to bring health benefits,” Dr Takagi said. “We think the quality of the interaction, meaning how owners interact with their cats, may matter more than ownership itself.”
Hormone levels point to possible bond between cats and owners
The Kyoto University team also examined whether cats and their owners showed signs of a biological emotional connection. They measured levels of cortisol, commonly associated with stress, and oxytocin, a hormone involved in social bonding, trust and intimacy.
The results showed that when cats had higher oxytocin levels, their owners tended to have higher levels too. Those owners also recorded lower cortisol levels and fewer negative feelings.
The cats’ oxytocin levels were more closely associated with their owners’ moods than the humans’ own hormone levels. Dr Takagi said the findings raised the possibility of an affiliative bond between people and cats, similar to the bonds formed through other close relationships.
She added that oxytocin is released through affiliative interactions such as stroking, suggesting that owners who frequently stroke their cats may experience fewer negative feelings.
