Are cats good for health?

Many cat owners are not only happy to post their images on the Web, but also believe that their pets have healing properties. Our contemporaries are not the first to come up with this idea.

“Cats were used for treatment before, in the East, for example,” says Nika Mogilevskaya. According to historians, the mustachioed-striped nailed to the landowners about 9,5 thousand years ago. And, most likely, at the same time it turned out that the protection of grain from rodents is not the only benefit of cats.

Grey, hum, massage

What does science tell us about therapy involving these mysterious animals? “There is no proven effectiveness in feline therapy (that is, taking place with the participation of cats: from the Latin felis – cat), like other types of pet therapy, no,” admits Nika Mogilevskaya. “Nevertheless, there is an effect that communication with cats has on us, and it is well studied by doctors and biologists.”

First, we are talking about the “heater effect”. Body temperature in cats ranges between 37,5 and 38,5 degrees. It is higher than the human body temperature. So you can really “apply” a cat to yourself with pain in the joints, with colds, and just when you are cold.

Cats love to massage us with their paws, periodically releasing sharp claws. “This is the feline equivalent of acupuncture! After all, the pet does not just touch us: it thus affects our nerve endings, ”explains the pet therapist.

By kneading the owner or client, cats can stimulate biologically active points, relieve congestion in tired muscles. But they not only act – they also sound! And this is second. “Oh, rumbling is not a trifle. For the purring of cats, everything is forgiven! – wrote science fiction writer Terry Pratchett in the book “Cat Without Fools”.

Jean-Yves Gaucher, a veterinarian from Toulouse, agrees with him: “Purring is perceived by the brain with the help of a circuit passing through the hippocampus and amygdala, a structure closely associated with the experience of fear. When we listen to this sound, serotonin is synthesized in the body. Also known as the “happiness hormone,” serotonin improves sleep quality and mood.”

Our tailed friends have been known to purr at frequencies between 20 and 30 hertz. It is also used by kinesiotherapists, orthopedists and sports doctors in medical devices that vibrate in the same range: this is how broken bones and damaged muscles are treated, and the wound healing process is accelerated. Zoologists even have a hypothesis that purring is a healing mechanism that a cat uses to live happily ever after.

“Among other things, the purring of a cat has a positive effect on our immune system, which is especially important in the autumn-winter period. And if you are allergic to cats, you can listen to purring and rumbling with the help of applications on your mobile phone,” recalls Nika Mogilevskaya.

Of course, cats purring, massaging and warming us are not at all for our pleasure. “They do it for their own comfort! Cats have somehow guessed that a calmer person is more attentive to them and better satisfies their needs, ”says Brussels veterinarian Joel Deass. Selfish? Maybe. But how nice!

And the beast is not real!

In felinotherapy, not only contact, but also non-contact methods of work are used. Indeed, sometimes for various reasons (for example, due to health restrictions) we cannot touch the animal, caress it. “The easiest non-contact method of feline therapy is just to watch the cat. This spectacle has a calming effect on us,” says Nika Mogilevskaya.

And if there is no cat, but you really want to communicate with her, pet therapists offer a substitute toy. By connecting fantasy, we can imagine that we are stroking a cat – and even “hear” how it purrs. We can also depict the animal ourselves – and this is also a method that is used by feline and pet therapists.

“We offer clients to take different postures that mimic the postures of the beast. When we imitate the pose of a kind cat – we get on all fours, arch our lower back and gently raise our head up – we become both kinder and more cheerful. If we are in a bad mood, we can portray an angry cat: also stand on four supports, but arch our backs up, as if we are very angry. If we also express our anger with a snort, we will quickly get rid of negative emotions, ”explains Nika Mogilevskaya.

This cat will suit us

What animals are most useful at work? First of all – flexible and calm. “Non-aggressive cats and cats that love people, both familiar and especially unfamiliar, are suitable for therapy. Such animals usually do not have negative life experiences. A cat-therapist should be a “maniac” in terms of communication: love both adults and children, not get tired of “work,” Nika Mogilevskaya smiles.

There are few contraindications to feline therapy. “I will not offer a client contact with a cat if he is allergic to fur, he suffers from skin diseases or he has open wounds. Any mental state in the acute stage is also a reason to refuse contact with cats. The latter is more dangerous for the animals themselves,” emphasizes the pet therapist.

Come on, apply!

How is a feline therapy session different from home contact with cats? “In therapy, we can purposefully try to establish contact between a cat and a person. Invite the animal to lie down on certain places and massage specific parts of the body, ”explains Nika Mogilevskaya.

On average, a session lasts 30-45 minutes. The patient needs to take a comfortable position and tune in to a calm mood, because cats feel the state of a person. You can meditate a little or just take a deep breath. “To feel your body – especially those places where there is discomfort or pain,” explains the pet therapist. But it is not recommended to hold the cat by force, offer it treats or control it in any other way.

Nika Mogilevskaya warns that organizing a feline therapy session is not easy: “A cat walks by itself and acts only of its own free will. A pre-arranged session may not take place due to the fact that the cat fell asleep or did not want to communicate.

The solution is simple: if you want to try therapy with a furry healer, look for a therapist who has a cat. Perhaps sooner or later you will experience the delights of feline therapy. Or just have a good time in the company of a beautiful, willful and mysterious animal.