Ask any pet owner and they will tell you how grateful he or she is to their pet. Animals make people feel good! But we’re talking about more than feeling glad they’re around…

Also read: 10 Tips To Make Your House Pet Friendly

Your pet can make you happy as well as healthy and help you stay that way! How, you ask? Here’s how your pet can improve your health…

Pets can improve your overall health considerbly

Pets are natural mood enhancers: It takes hardly a few minutes with a pet dog or cat or parrot to feel less anxious and less stressed. When you spend time with your favorite animal, cuddling or playing or petting them, your body lowers the level of cortisol (the stress hormone) and you feel a sense of well-being immediately.

Pets keep your blood pressure in check: …by keeping you on your toes! In a study of 240 married couples, pet owners had lower blood pressure and lower heart rates during rest than people who did not own a pet. Well, that itself tells a lot!

Also read: Things to remember while involving your kids and pets

Pets can lower your cholesterol: To manage cholesterol, doctors recommend that you follow guidelines regarding diet, exercise, and medication; but we say, just get a pet! The lifestyle of pet owners is much different than that of those who are pet-less. Okay, I just made up that word (sorry!), but you get the point 😉

Pets are really good for the heart

Owning a pet is good for your heart: The long-term benefits of owning a pet cat or dog is that the owners have a significantly better survival rate even a year after a heart attack. This means, overall, pet owners have a lower risk of dying from cardiac failure.

Pets are your answer to depression: No one loves you more unconditionally than your pet. And a pet will listen to you for as long as you want to talk. Petting a cat or dog has a calming effect. Therapists have been known to prescribe getting a pet to deal with anxiety or depression!

Playing with pets can be like therapy for children and adults

Pets can save you from isolation: The human mind is made in a way that, in order to remain healthy, it should interact with others. Pet owners get a chance of (and feel the need to) talk to other pet owners and socialize more often than the pet-less 😉

So there you go, these are just a few of the many ways how your faithful furry, fluffy friend can improve your health and keep you that way for good!

Also read: Caging birds: Is it wrong?

So, when are you bringing home a furry friend? J