Cats & Lowering Blood Pressure in Humans

Cat owners often enjoy the pleasure of calmly sitting on a chair and stroking the cat on their lap. This activity does more than just provide a bonding experience between owner and pet. Studies have shown that petting a cat lowers blood pressure. Cats have even been used in therapy for patients with high blood pressure.

  1. Human Blood Pressure and Cats

    • Tests have shown that just being around a cat lowers blood pressure a little. Petting a cat lowers blood pressure more. Although scientists do not know the exact reason behind this, it probably has to do with lowered stress levels. People relax while around their cat, and especially while petting the cat. Lowered stress leads to lowered blood pressure. The State University of New York at Buffalo did a study on stockbrokers with high blood pressure and found that those given pets had fewer blood pressure problems than those without pets. They concluded that owning a pet controls stress-related high blood pressure better than medications for hypertension.

    The Cat's Blood Pressure

    • Not only does a human's blood pressure become lower from the experience of petting a cat, but the cat's blood pressure also gets lower. Cornell Feline Health Center veterinarians, Andrea Looney and Anna Glazer, conducted a test that proves this. They put a small blood pressure cuff on a cat. After being petted for five minutes, the cat's blood pressure dropped by 25 points. Some people have taken this idea further and a thriving Pet Massage industry has developed.

    Petting Other Animals

    • Cats do not have any special difference from other animals. Any pet may lower a human's blood pressure. Even watching a goldfish swim in a bowl lowers blood pressure. Dogs have been studied the most for benefits to their owner's health. One test done by Dr. Johannes Odendaal, a research professor at Life Sciences Research Institute, measured neurochemicals in people before and after they petted a dog. The test found that petting a dog decreases the amount of the neurochemical, cortisol (stress causes cortisol to increase). Several other neurochemicals increased, and these were all chemicals linked to positive, pleasurable feelings and contentment.

    Therapy Animals

    • Cats and other animals can be used as therapy for high blood pressure, as well as other mental, emotional and physical conditions. Some trained dogs and cats enter nursing homes and interact with the patients, not only lowering blood pressure, but lessening anxiety and depression. Even better therapy, pet ownership increases the life expectancy of terminally ill patients. The health benefits from a familiar animal have been shown to be greater than from a strange animal.

    Cat Massage

    • Both owner and pet relax while the cat receives a massage. Massage, more intentional than petting, takes concentration and some practice. Through the massage, owners get to know their cat's body and use massage to check for any illnesses and injuries the cat may have. Massage relaxes the cat's muscles, improves their circulation, and breaks up scar tissue from old injuries. Cat massage also lowers the cat's and the human's blood pressure, just like petting.