September 27, 2026, 6:33 am | Read time: 2 minutes
Cat owners know the feeling: After petting or playing with their cat, they often feel more relaxed. A study from Japan now shows that just ten minutes with your pet can be enough to measurably change your mood. Interestingly, the body reacts differently than many would expect.
A research team from Tokyo University of Agriculture studied 32 cat owners in their usual environment.1 On one day, participants spent ten minutes actively with their cat, such as petting, playing, or feeding. On another day, the person and animal simply sat together in the room without consciously interacting. Before, during, and after the experiments, researchers recorded mood, heart rate, and various stress and bonding hormones.
Arousal and Heart Rate Increase
After the ten minutes with their cat, participants felt subjectively calmer. Their self-assessed emotional arousal was significantly lower than before. This confirms what many cat owners know from everyday life: Contact with their pet can help them unwind and feel better.
Surprisingly, while participants felt more relaxed, their bodies showed a different reaction. The average heart rate increased during interaction from about 73 to around 79 beats per minute. At the same time, the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system decreased, which is usually associated with rest and recovery. Researchers suspect that contact with the cat does not simply relax but may also trigger a positive form of activation, similar to other pleasant social interactions.
An interesting detail of the study: How the body reacted also depended on the activity. While active petting got the heart racing, playing with cat toys promoted physical recovery.
No Changes in Oxytocin and Cortisol
For the hormones oxytocin (“cuddle hormone”) and cortisol (“stress hormone”), the scientists found no clear differences before and after interaction. However, there were correlations between changes in heart rate and hormone levels. Whether this results in health effects is still unclear.
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Study Has Limitations
The authors themselves point out that the study was relatively small, with just under 30 participants, and mostly women participated. Additionally, the owners conducted the tests independently at home, which introduces everyday fluctuations. Therefore, the results cannot yet be generalized to all cat owners.
Conclusion
Spending ten minutes with your own cat can apparently be enough to feel calmer and less agitated. However, the body does not show a classic relaxation response. Instead, contact with cats seems to trigger a mix of well-being and positive activation.