Can Dogs and Cats sense Depression? 

Many of you may have experienced the challenge of convincing your parents to bring a pet like a cat or a dog, home. Maybe it just didn’t work out, But for those it did, they must have noticed that its often the parents who get more attached with the pet over time. I’ve heard this kind of story from many people.

Pets are truly lovable, and once they enter your home, they quickly become a cherished part of the family. Did you ever felt that your pet sometimes recognized that you are sad? Many of the dog owners report that their pets are highly sensitive to the emotional expression of the family members. Let’s see whether a dog or cat can sense depression in human. 

Can dogs and Cats sense Emotion? 

The ability to perceive emotional expressions enables animals to assess the social intentions and motivations of one another. This typically occurs within the same species, but for dogs, it could be beneficial to also recognize the emotions of both humans and dogs. 

Research was conducted by animal experts and psychologists from University of Lincoln and University of Sao Paulo which was published in the Royal society journal Biology Letters. The research was done with 17 domestic dogs, had no prior training. In the study the dogs are presented with different pairs of sounds (audio clips of vocalizations) and images (facial expressions) conveying various combinations of emotions in humans and dogs. The image and sound can be either congruent or incongruent based on the emotion. Suppose an image of a happy man is presented in combination with a happy sound or sad one. 

The study found that dogs spent more time in congruent pairs i.e. in which an image shown was correctly paired with their emotional vocalization. This gives the conclusion that dogs have the ability to make mental representations of the emotional state either it is positive or negative emotion. And it helps in confirming that dogs have an innate ability i.e. intrinsic to recognize emotions. They also seem to modulate their behavior based on the emotion they perceive. 

A similar study (Quaranta et al., 2020) was done among cats. The results showed that cats have developed social abilities to interpret human emotional signals, which play a crucial role in interspecies relationships which strengthens the human-cat bond. Researches on cat reveals that cats behave according to the cues in communication and emotional expression. And also when their owner is anxious or depressed the cat make frequent contact with them. They try to soothe you down by sitting next to you, purring and rubbing against you. Overall, these studies says that cats and dogs can sense depression or anxiety in human to a certain extent. 

Read More: The psychology of animal lovers

Health benefits of having a pet 

Having a pet lowers blood pressure, reduces the heartrate, stress, anxiety and negative moods by giving companionship that offers comfort and stability. Spending time with pets by simply sitting next to them releases oxytocin, which elevates the mood. 

Study findings reveal that 

• Individuals who have pets are at low risk to get affected with depression than the individuals who do not have pets. 
• Owning a pet shows a significant change in blood pressure within five months.
• Playing with a cat or dog increases the level of serotonin and dopamine which plays crucial role to ensure calmness. 
• It also reveals that pet reduces the level of cholesterol. 
• Having a pet reduces the heart attack and increases the life expectancy. 

Advantages of owning a pet by older adults 

• It helps to find meaning in life. 
• Helps to stay connected, as coping with retirement is a tough process.
• The frequency to visit hospitals is seemingly reduced. 
• Research conducted at University of California concluded that possession of a dog or cat alleviate the stress and anxious outbursts in individuals affected with Alzheimer’s disease. 
• Their gentle touch also reduces the aggressive behavior. 
• Elderly people often tend to feel worried about the anger outbursts of the caregiver. Pets can also ease the stress of caregiver of elderly people. 

Perk of having a pet for Children 

• Children who grow in a home with pets has low risk for developing allergies and asthma. 
• It provides a sense of security and reduces separation anxiety in children.
• Companionship of a pet develops positive self-image. 
• Children who are emotionally attached with pets feel less strain to build relationships with people. 
• It reduces the hyperactivity and over aggressive behavior of the kid.
• It improves the sense of responsibility. 
• It increases confidence, empathy and understanding. 
• It acts as an antidote to decrease stress and frustration in children with learning disability. 
• It also makes the child more alert and attentive and train them to overcome challenges. 

So, in conclusion, dogs and cats have the ability to sense and respond not only to depression but to all emotions including anxiety and fear. We might have heard a story about a Russian dog Belka, which waited for its owner in a frozen river (where he died) for four days. Witnessing these scenarios, there is no doubt that pets, enrich our lives by offering unconditional love, emotional support, health benefits with their invaluable companionship throughout their life journey.

When 85-pound mammal licks your tears away, then tries to sit on your lap, it’s hard to feel sad. – Kristan Higgins.