Good news for pet owners. A research study found that having a cat can reduce stress in people’s lives, and consequently lowers the risk of having a heart attack or stroke or developing a heart disease.

The findings are based on a 10-year study, carried out by the researchers at the Stroke Research Center at the University of Minnesota, which looked at 4,435 Americans, aged 30 to 75. The results of the research showed that those who did not have a cat had a 40 percent higher risk of having a heart attack and a 30 percent greater risk of dying from other heart diseases, than those who have or had a cat before.

“This study links pet ownership to health consequences, and that's very new concept that we haven't previously considered,” said lead study investigator Dr. Adnan Qureshi, executive director of the Stroke Center at the University of Minnesota, quoted by ABC News.

Previous studies proved the fact that when people are involved in a stressful and psychologically demanding activity, they experience less stress if they are in the company of their pet. When they are with their pet, people get more relaxed which leads to reduction of heart attack risk.

The researchers believe that this alternative is beneficial especially for the elderly, as it is less costly.

The study presented Thursday at the American Stroke Association meeting in New Orleans showed no protective effects for dog owners. The researchers could not account for the cats’ ability to protect their owners from heart attack, but they believe that cats can lower stress and anxiety in their owners. Another explanation could be based on the cat owners’ personality and lifestyle.

“Maybe cat owners tend not to have high-stress personalities, or they are just the type of people that are not highly affected by anxiety or high-stress situations,” Qureshi said.

Nicholas Dodman, director of the Animal Behavior Clinic and professor in the department of clinical sciences at the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in North Grafton, Ma., says that “Most cat owners I see are very invested in their pet. The cat becomes a focus of their interests and seems to deflect them from other worries.”