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Written by Brad Kollus
It's something cat owners do many times a day, everyday, usually without even thinking about it - pet their cat. It is probably the most personal, and intimate way we regularly interact with our kitty. Why do we do it? Why do we both enjoy it? How does it benefit ourselves and our cats? What is the power of petting?
The Popularity of Petting
Why do cats like being petted? The traditional answer has been that it reminds them of their mother licking them as a kitten. Newer theories have suggested it may be because when we pet them, we leave our scents on their coats, and mixing with their scents creates a social bond which increases a cat's feeling of security and comfort. Others think they like it just because it feels good, like a good massage.
Frequently, our cats rub up against us seeming to ask us to pet them. "The traditional response has always been its marking behaviour. That they kind of bump their heads and rub against you to mark you as their territory. I think there is probably much more to it than that, sometimes I wonder if they are petting us," said Dr. Penny Bernstein, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, at Kent State University, Stark Ohio Campus. She believes that humans enjoy petting cats both for the feel of their fur and as a way to connect with another being. It's more difficult in our culture to touch another person whenever you felt like it. In contrast, most of the time you can just reach out and pet your cat at will.
Dr. Bernstein conducted a study on petting and one of her findings was that some cats enjoyed being petted in specific rooms and often tried to lead their human into a room to be petted. "It did seem that most people could cite a solicitation, many reported that their cats would ask for petting by doing various things, so in that sense there is a routine or a leading ritual. It's more like they're training you. They know that if they do these things they'll get this reward, except we didn't train them, they trained us," said Dr. Bernstein.
We pet our cats everyday but many of us don't realize how powerful this simple act is for the health and well-being of ourselves and our cats. Science is changing that.
Petting and Brain Waves
Alexali Brubaker, a graduate student in Psychology at San Francisco State University, is part of a project: "Psychophysiological Effects of Positive Human-Animal Interaction." Ms. Brubaker and her colleagues are studying the effect of people petting either a cat or dog while measuring their brain waves using an EEG recorder. Their research is looking at two of the four major brain waves, alpha and theta. Past research has demonstrated that when a person has a lowered immune system or is depressed, the alpha brain waves coming from their right and left frontal lobe are unbalanced. Research has also shown that when a person has low anxiety resulting from anti-anxiety medication, their theta brain waves increase.
Ms. Brubaker and her team tested individuals' brain waves while petting a stuffed toy and while petting a real cat or dog. People were tested while performing a stress test in the laboratory and while resting. Their results were dramatic. "When the person had the real pet, it didn't matter whether they were in the resting condition or doing the stress test, their theta waves increased and that is consistent with relief of anxiety," said Ms. Brubaker. The team's results also showed that "greater alpha waves on the left side, which indicated depression and a depressed immune system, evens itself out and becomes less pronounced when you are accompanied by a real pet, either at rest or doing the stress test, which is strongly suggestive of a lessening of depression and a stronger immune system," said Ms. Brubaker.
"We can see on the computer screen numbers we can analyze which show there is statistical significance that petting your cat lowers your stress level and improves your immune system. This is really encouraging both as a researcher and as a pet lover," said Ms. Brubaker.
The Power of Petting 2
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