Children who are exposed to two or more cats and dogs in their first year of life have reduced risk of allergy, according to scientists at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta and the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, USA.
Spending time with pets is more effective at reducing stress than talking problems through with friends or partners, according to researchers at the University of New York at Buffalo, USA.
Pet owners make fewer visits to their doctor each year, suffer fewer sleeping difficulties and are less likely to be taking medicine for a heart condition, according to the Society of Companion Animal Studies (SCAS) of the UK.
A study by the US Department of Health concluded that pets increased the survival rate of heart attack victims. The study revealed that 28 per cent of heart patients with pets survived serious heart attacks, compared to only 6 per cent of heart patients without pets.
Companion animals also provide psychological benefits. Pets are sympathetic, supportive and non-judgemental listeners. Pets provide us with a distraction from our worries; they encourage social interaction and provide a soothing presence. And, they never answer back.
