The Pet Connection

About 10,000 years ago, according to scientists from the National Institutes of Health, a Near Eastern wildcat agreed to be domesticated.  From the cat’s point of view, this was a smart move.  Human beings had just made the transition to farming, and by aligning itself with humans, the cat gained a reliable source of food: the rodents who infested their newly built granaries. Untold feline generations later, there are an estimated 500 million cats worldwide, while many species of cats in the wild are threatened with extinction.

People also benefited from this relationship. Cats not only facilitated our transition to a more stable agricultural lifestyle, but they provide much-appreciated companionship, as do dogs, which were most likely domesticated to provide an early warning system in the event of attack. And while pets are no substitute for human interaction, scientific research suggests that they have a positive effect on our physical and mental health. These benefits are particularly important for seniors.

Pets Make You Healthier
Study after study documents the physical benefits. It has long been known that the simple act of stroking a pet can reduce blood pressure. Researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo found that just owning a pet lowers blood pressure, even in stressful situations. A study of more than 5,400 people in Australia concluded that pet owners not only had lower blood pressure, but also lower levels of blood cholesterol and triglycerides. Generally speaking, pet owners seem to be healthier. A study of Medicare patients found that seniors who own dogs have fewer doctor visits than others. 

Scientists have yet to trace the actual physiological links between pet ownership and these beneficial physical changes—but it is clear that pet owners tend to lead healthier lives than the rest of the population. For one thing, pet owners get more exercise. Typical dog owners spend more than an hour each day outside with their pets. 

Pet owners also report less stress, anxiety, and other emotional issues than people who don’t own pets. For instance, pet owners report significantly less depression after the loss of a spouse. One reason is that pets function as a social lubricant. A study of people aged 65 to 78 years found that passersby interact more frequently with dog walkers than with people walking alone. People also benefit from the sense of purpose that they get from caring for a pet.

While dogs and cats are the pets most frequently associated with health benefits for seniors, they are not the only ones.  Researchers at Gallaudet University found that gazing at an aquarium of tropical fish lowered stress among their senior subjects.