Could Cats Make Us Happier? A New Study Offers an Interesting Clue

Those of us who share our homes with cats probably don’t need a scientific study to tell us that they add something special to our lives.

There is something comforting about a cat settling beside you at the end of the day. The quiet purr. The warm weight curled against you. The familiar little personality that follows you from room to room and somehow becomes woven into the rhythm of home.

Now, an interesting new study suggests there may be a relationship between cats and happiness on a much larger scale.

Researchers studying 93 countries found that countries with more cats per person also tended to report higher levels of happiness.

That doesn’t mean cats cause happiness. The researchers are careful to make that distinction. But the association was strong enough to raise an intriguing question:

Could our relationships with companion animals be one small part of what makes a good life feel good?

What the Study Found

The study, published in September 2026 in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE, examined national happiness in relation to several factors, including cat density, income, gross domestic product, healthcare spending and exposure to the parasite Toxoplasma gondii.

As might be expected, national happiness was strongly associated with economic factors such as income and GDP.

But cats stood out, too.

The researchers found a relatively strong positive association between the number of cats per 10,000 people and national happiness. In their statistical model examining several variables together, cat density remained significantly associated with happiness.

That’s fascinating — but it needs to be interpreted carefully.

This was an observational study comparing countries. It cannot tell us that bringing a cat into an individual home will cause someone to become happier. Nor can it rule out other explanations for the association.

What it does tell us is that countries with more cats per person tended to be happier countries.

And that is certainly interesting to those of us who already understand how much a cat can bring to a home.

Why Might Cats and Happiness Be Connected?

There are several possible explanations.

Previous research has explored the ways companion animals may provide social and emotional benefits, including companionship, emotional connection, reduced loneliness and stress relief.

For those of us who live with cats, those benefits can appear in wonderfully ordinary ways.

It is the cat waiting for you when you come home.

A kitten making you laugh when you weren’t expecting to.

A purring companion curled beside you while you read.

A cat quietly joining you while you drink your morning coffee.

These are small moments, but a life is made largely of small moments.

For those of us who enjoy their comforts, we already know how our body de-stresses with the rhythmic heartbeat of our dear cat beside us, slowing us down.

There is another possible explanation, however.

The researchers point out that countries where people have the resources and living conditions that make keeping companion animals easier may also have other characteristics associated with greater well-being.

In fact, cat density in the study was strongly associated with national income and GDP.

So perhaps cats contribute something to human happiness. Or perhaps happier, wealthier societies are more likely to have large populations of companion cats. Both could be true.

This particular study cannot tell us which explanation is correct. But it also makes sense that those who can afford a wonderful purebred cat such as a Maine Coon, are privy to the luxury of their calming influence.

What About Toxoplasma?

The researchers also investigated Toxoplasma gondii, a common parasite for which cats are the definitive host.

They found that higher measures of Toxoplasma exposure were associated with lower national happiness, although the authors emphasize that these findings also cannot establish cause and effect.

Interestingly, countries with more cats did not show correspondingly greater Toxoplasma exposure.

The researchers suggest that differences in how cats are cared for might help explain this. In wealthier countries, cats may be more likely to live indoors, eat commercially prepared food and receive regular veterinary care, all of which may reduce opportunities for exposure compared with free-roaming cats that hunt.

That explanation is plausible, but it was not directly tested by this study.

For us, it is another reminder of something we already consider fundamental: good animal husbandry matters.

Thoughtful nutrition, veterinary care, sanitation and an appropriate home environment are important parts of responsible cat ownership.

More Than a Beautiful Cat

At Silver Mountain Maine Coons, this research resonates with us for another reason.

Our goal has never been simply to produce a beautiful Maine Coon.

Beauty matters. Health matters enormously. Structure and breed type matter.

But temperament matters, too.

We want our kittens to grow into cats who are comfortable being part of a family — confident, affectionate companions who genuinely enjoy living alongside their people.

That is one reason our kittens are raised in our home as part of everyday life. From the beginning, they experience people, gentle handling, household sounds, play, routines and affection.

We cannot promise that a Maine Coon will make someone happier.

Science can’t make that claim either.

But we do know what it feels like when a cat seeks you out, climbs into your lap, settles against you and begins to purr.

Perhaps that very ordinary kind of companionship is part of the larger relationship researchers are beginning to explore.

Mountain Elegance, Fireside Warmth

Maine Coons are extraordinary-looking cats. Their size, coats, expressive faces and magnificent presence are often what first draw people to the breed.

But appearance isn’t what makes most of us fall in love with them.

It is what happens afterward.

It is companionship.

Connection.

The cat stretched beside you on a cold evening. The one waiting for you at the door. The enormous Maine Coon trying to fit into a lap that clearly wasn’t designed for him. The soft rumble of a purr beside you on the couch.

At Silver Mountain Maine Coons, we call it Mountain Elegance, Fireside Warmth.

Perhaps this new research is beginning to put numbers to something cat people have understood for a very long time:

Sometimes happiness has whiskers.

About the Study

Borráz-León, J. I., Rantala, M. J., Krams, I., & Maestripieri, D. (2026). Wealth, health, cats and Toxoplasma gondii: An ecological correlational study of subjective well-being across 93 countries. PLOS ONE, 21(9), e0357911. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357911