Your cat could be making stress worse, new study suggests (opens original article in a new tab)

A study suggests that interacting with pets improves mood short-term, but cats may not reduce stress and could worsen it, with limitations in the research design.

• Study found interacting with pets improves mood short-term regardless of species
• Cats did not reduce owner stress and may have worsened it compared to dogs
• Study had limitations including small sample size and lack of detailed interaction data
• Pets' personalities and quality of interaction influence human wellbeing