Kids and Cats.

Did you know 61% of Aussie homes own a pet - with 27% of homes having a cat!.

Pet ownership is thought to contribute to human health by reducing stress and improving mental health - for example sixty percent of cat owners sleep with their cats, which may enhance their sense of security and improve their quality of sleep

Hundreds of millions of microorganisms live in the human intestines. Microbes interact with each other by producing metabolites and forming complex communities.  Intestinal microorganisms can provide the host with necessary nutrients. So a well-balanced intestinal microecological environment is critically important to host health. 

Pets and owners?

Interestingly, previous research has shown that pets and their owners may share a common gut microbiota,

Exposure to pets can affect the richness and diversity of microbes in the intestines of infants and young children.  Pets rapidly introduce new microbial taxa into a house. 

It is speculated that close physical contact with pets, such as hugging, may affect gut microbiota. 

One study analyzed the gut microbiota of individuals with cats and compared the results with those for individuals without cats. This study attempted to determine the influence of cat ownership on gut microbial diversity and composition in different groups of individuals.

And the findings?