The beneficial effects of having a cat, or any pet, have been proven many times. When someone is petting a cat, blood pressure goes down as does stress levels. My Mom is in a nursing home and a few times a month a group brings kitties and dogs to visit the residents. The residents love it when one of the dogs comes up to lick their face or a kitty jumps in their lap purring and wanting to be petted. And of course the pets absolutely love all the attention they recieve. A local hospital even allows patients to be visited by their pets! How great is that?