National Cat Day is October 29th

For National Cat Day, Friday, October 29th, CatCon has collaborated with VetScoop to share some insights about the human-animal bond. As part of the celebration, VetScoop is giving away The World’s Largest Cat Gift Box to one lucky follower and to a shelter or rescue of the winner’s choice! Just follow @thevetscoop and @catconworldwide and comment here or here using the hashtag #nationalcatday. Full contest rules are posted here.

And Dr. Evan Antin joins @catconworldwide at 1 pm PT/4 pm ET Friday, October 29th for a special Instagram Live to celebrate National Cat Day! He’ll be talking about all things CAT and taking questions from the audience– don’t miss it! 

VetScoop is a team of veterinarians who believe that all pets deserve quality health care, and that quality care begins with reliable information. VetScoop provides free, science-based real talk pet advice that you can trust.

We all know how special our relationship with our feline companion is, and we can point to all kinds of ways our pets have made our lives better. There’s no doubt you can remember times your cat managed to lighten your mood and relieve some stress with a play session or a much-needed cuddle. The VetScoop team wants to remind you that taking good care of your best feline friend is an investment in taking care of yourself. 

How Cats Benefit Our Mental Health

Animal companions can help prevent depression, alleviate anxiety, address the symptoms of PTSD, and more. Studies have shown: 

• Playing with a cat can increase levels of two chemicals, serotonin and dopamine, which help regulate mood disorders like depression.
• A cat can help improve your mood!  Just looking at a cat can make you feel happier because of a release of a hormone called oxytocin.
• Cats have been shown to help people struggling with post-traumatic stress disorders and anxiety.  The frequency of a cat purr is equal to that of what are called gamma rays or meditation waves.   It can actually slow down your breathing over time to help with anxiety and reduction in blood pressure!
• Daily routines, like the kind of feeding and care schedules that cats need, can provide predictability and a sense of control for someone struggling with anxiety or depression. 
• Cats also help fulfill the human need for touch.  This can be challenging in people with mental illness where the disease can act as a barrier to forming attachments with others, but cats reciprocate affection with no strings attached.

Pain Relief and Wellness

Our pets can also help our heart health and overall wellness as well.

• Petting a cat can be a way to quickly de-stress by lowering the stress hormone called cortisol.  When a person has high cortisol, feelings of stress and anxiety can be worse, and long-term can affect blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease. 
• Sometimes when you hurt you just want to stay in bed or sit in your chair and not move. But your cat will have none of that! They require you to feed and water them, clean their litter box, and get you out of the house to buy food or take them to the vet. Regular movement can help alleviate chronic pain. 
• Poor sleep is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, and increases the risk of obesity. But good news: cats can actually improve sleep quality!  A recent study showed that cat owners preferred to sleep with their cats over their partners because they slept better. 

Companionship

Even the shyest individual can find affection and companionship with the right cat.

• Adding a cat to live with you can help reduce feelings of loneliness and can even help connect you to other people with similar interests. (For example, there’s no dog park for cat people; so CatCon was created as a place to meet and commune with other cat lovers in real life!) 
• Cat videos and photos can give you foolproof conversation topics. While people may roll their eyes or lose interest when you’re talking about your children or younger relatives, people feel no sense of competition or one-upmanship when discussing pets.  

Pet-friendly Policies

Creating pet-friendly communities and services is beneficial to individuals, families, and the overall health of pets and the humans who love them. 

• Organizations like Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) are working to support pet-friendly policies as a matter of public health. Emotional support animals are already protected by the Fair Housing Act.
• The Humane Society has guidelines for landlords and renters that accommodate responsible pet ownership. 
• More and more hotels and travel companies are making pet-friendly policies for people whose lifestyle is very much entwined with their cats. Always check with your hotel or airline before traveling to clarify their cat policies.

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As you can see, it’s important to take good care of your cat because it’s an investment in taking care of your own health. VetScoop recommends regular vet visits because healthy pets visit vets! Be sure to follow @thevetscoop on Instagram and Facebook for pet advice you can trust. 

Dr. Evan Antin joins @catconworldwide at 1 pm PT/4 pm ET Friday, October 29th for a special Instagram Live to celebrate National Cat Day! He’ll be talking about all things CAT and taking questions from the audience – don’t miss it! 

And don’t forget to enter VetScoop’s World’s Largest Cat Gift Box contest! Just follow @thevetscoop and @catconworldwide and comment here or here using the hashtag #nationalcatday. One lucky follower will win goodies from Hagen, Hills’ Pet Food, Kong, Sleepypod, World’s Best Cat Litter and more…AND VetScoop will donate a package of goodies to a shelter or rescue of the winner’s choice, too!  Full contest rules are posted here.