Mutual Benefit of Cat Human Relationship

The domestic cat to human relationship is of mutual benefit. That is why the relationship exists. There was a moment thousands of years ago when the cat went from being a utilitarian animal (in killing rodents to protect grain), to becoming a companion animal and then a member of the family who sometimes takes precedence over other humans.

Human Benefits

• Physiological - control over blood pressure, relaxation, decrease in anxiety, improved survival, longer lifespan after heart attacks.
• Psychological - decreased depression, improvement in mood.
• Practical - animal-assisted therapy, alerts to oncoming medical problems (anecdotal), focal point for conversation and action.
• Communal cooperation, common goal - e.g. assisting in trap-neuter-return programmes, assisting in reducing cat abuse including eliminating declawing, devocalisation operations,  or being part of a team of foster carers for cats that need rehoming.

Cat Benefits

• Reliable food source/supply.
• Medical care.
• Protection from predators and disease.
• Pleasant environment (dependent on the quality of the cat caretaker).
• Decreased stress (also dependent on skills and commitment of human).

Note: it could be argued that the relationship is unbalanced as millions of unwanted cats are deliberately killed each year at shelters. Accordingly as a result, it could also be argued that the domestication of the cat has been a failure for the cat due to humankind's inability to respect the cat sufficiently.

Associated: Human - cat relationship