Studies Show that Being a “Cat Lady” Is Healthy

For years, women with cats have been portrayed as lonely, sexless and eccentric. The crazy cat lady is a common, recognisable trope in contemporary culture, who owns many pet cats. They may have problems relating to other human beings, and may substitute cats for personal relationships with other people. You may view them as an older hermit of a woman, living a life of solitude with her many feline friends. There were also all the old tales of witches and black cats that with the cats, came toxoplasmosis, is a disease that results from infection with the parasite, one of the world’s most common parasites. Infection usually occurs by eating undercooked contaminated meat, exposure from infected cat feces.

Recent studies have shown that people, especially women over the age of 50, benefit greatly from owning pets. Cats even prove more beneficial than dogs, though that may have to do with the personality of these cat lovers. Cats have been shown to improve the lives of their care takers, even improving the physical and mental health of their owners. Studies published in Psychological Medicine says that there is no link to ownership of a cat and psychosis in life. According to the National institutes of health single women over 50 are usually routine-oriented, home-based individuals who like their quiet down time, a cat is a perfect match.

 

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 60 million people living in the U.S. may have been infected with this parasite through all the ways that it is possible to acquire the disease, and this includes by cats. This information was given by Dr. David Haworth who is a veterinarian and president of PetSmart Charities. He went on to say that there are few people that actually show any symptoms because people who are healthy and have a strong immune system, their bodies are usually strong enough to prevent the parasite from causing the illness to take effect.

Studies have found that owning a cat can lower your stress levels, which in turn will have a knock-on effect on your risk of cardiovascular disease. Owning a cat can actually lower ones risk of various heart diseases, including stroke, by around 30 percent. here have also been studies based on how cats improve depression and anxiety by giving their owners a sense of purpose and responsibility improve confidence, and keep them company.

Dr. David Haworth also says that actually, cats do the opposite of making people sick. They can actually make people healthier and improve people’s lives. He encourages people to forget what they’ve heard all these years about crazy cat ladies and instead, think being a cat lady is healthy.  When your day has you stressed out, don’t reach for that glass of wine, sit down and pet your cat.  The short and long term benefits greatly outweigh other modes of decompression.