CATS CHEER CHILDREN AND ELDERLY PEOPLE – Emma Osborne, UK

A study of 500 cat owners aged over 55 years old conducted by the Cats Protection revealed:

• 82% found that their cat helped them overcome feelings of stress
• 62% said cat ownership helped overcome feelings of loneliness
• 75% sometimes preferred to share their feelings with their cat rather than a partner or friend.

The same survey also looked at 100 younger cat owners aged 13 years and under:

• 80% said their cat helped them get on better with family and friends
• 81% said they would rather chat to their cat about their feelings, than to their mum, dad or a friend
• 87% of children regard their cat as a ‘close friend’.

Another study surveyed 100 people aged 20 – 40 year olds and confirmed tolerance towards cats may exceed tolerance toward human relationships:

• Nearly half of respondents enjoyed a better night’s sleep with their cat on the bed than they did with their partner in the bed!
• 60% said they could put up with their cat’s bad breath but not their partner’s
• 55% would tolerate their cat taking most of the bed covers at night but not their partner doing that.