How Cats Can Change Your Life for Better

Did you know that a quarter of Americans own at least one cat?

According to the statistics by the American Veterinary Medical Association, 25.4% of households own a cat, and most of them even have two. 

If you’re thinking of having a cat as well but aren’t sure if you can handle this change in your daily routine, we’re here to convince you with these three ways how a cat can change your life for the better.

Let’s dive in!

1. You’ll Feel Calmer and Less Stressed

The gentle purring can calm down anyone, right?

Indeed, it can! In fact, one study by Cornell University has revealed that petting a cat for 10 minutes decreases cortisol levels and helps reduce anxiety symptoms. So, if you’re going through tremendous amounts of stress on a daily basis, this will help you unwind after a difficult day. 

By the way, the purring itself has a therapeutic effect as well – it happens within a range of 20-140 Hz, which was found to help treat mild symptoms of various diseases, including chronic stress and even depression. So, the superstition is correct that a cat lying on your stomach and purring can actually reduce the symptoms of whatever chronic disease you’re suffering from. 

2. Your Motivation Levels Will Go Up

We’ve mentioned that cats can help alleviate symptoms of depression, some of which are helplessness and lack of motivation. Here are some more studies to prove this point. 

For instance, a study published by Mirror proved that having a pet (dog or cat) in the office boosts productivity. Marie-José Enders, the chief scientist behind this research, says cats can act like support animals in stressful work environments, boosting oxytocin and reducing cortisol. 

Why does your motivation rise when interacting with cats?

The reason is simple – prolonged exposure to cortisol can hinder your productivity. Your brain slows down, making it much harder to concentrate and pull yourself together in general. If you counteract it with long exposure to stress-reducing factors, you’ll feel more relaxed, your mind will become clear, and you’ll feel motivated again. So, if you’ve been wanting to learn how to drive or improve your knowledge of German but couldn’t find motivation, owning a cat can bring you back the willingness for exploration and learning. 

By the way, if you feel uneasy and demotivated about meeting new people, becoming a cat owner can change that. Since house pets (and even cats) are social creatures, they make you more open, too. 

3. You’ll Become More Organized

This final point is not really supported by any studies – it’s rather common sense. When you become a pet owner, they become your responsibility. With cats, in particular, you’ll have to observe their health, keep them on a healthy diet, change their litter regularly, take them to the vet if necessary, and even keep them fit by exercising (unless you want a Garfield in your house). 

So, how does it make your life better?

Indeed, at first, it seems like an unnecessary responsibility, especially if your life is stressful and you can barely cope with it. However, in this case, owning a cat can be a blessing in disguise – it can drag you out of the vicious circle and help you become more organized. 

Since you’ll need to take care of a living, breathing animal that depends on you, it puts a significant responsibility on your shoulders, but, on the other hand, it helps you become more in touch with reality and learn how to organize your life better. So, if you feel like you’re stuck in a rut, be sure that owning a cat will make your life filled with meaning again. 

Over to You

It’s definitely not a stretch when we say that owning a cat will make your life better. Let’s sum up the reasons:

• Your stress levels will go down
• You’ll feel the motivation to do things again
• Your life will become more organized

Overall, owning a cat is a lot of fun, and it will become your best friend for years. However, you still need to think this decision through since it’s a big responsibility. After all, your main goal is to give a cat a happy life, so make sure you are ready for it. 

Interested in more articles like this? Make sure to check out our blog! 

Ryan is a passionate blogger and writer who likes sharing his thoughts and. Now he works as a content editor and internet researcher, you can check his website https://preply.com/. He likes to travel and explore new countries.