Have you ever thought how lucky you are to have your cat with you? According to a controversial study, presented at the American Stroke Association in New Orleans on Thursday, cats reduce the risks for their owners to have a heart attack and protect them from other cardiovascular diseases.

The study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Stroke Research Center on 4,435 people between the ages of 30 and 75, uncovered that people who’ve never owned a cat presented a 40 percent greater risk to have a heart attack and a 30 percent greater risk of death from any other cardiovascular disease compared to people who are or have been cat owners.

The scientists showed great enthusiasm for the discovery, and said it is a new concept that links pet ownership to health issues. For the time being, the study limits to cats only, but who knows what we could be in for next. Compared to cat owners, dog owners didn’t present lower risks of heart attacks or cardiovascular disease.

The study may sound strange, but there is something to it however. Heart attacks and strokes have been linked for some time now with stress and anxiety, and that is where the role of the cats comes in. According to previous studies, having a pet means more affection and stress-relief, which consequently leads to improvements in cardiovascular events.

The researchers responsible for this study in particular pointed out the fact that pet ownership could prove to be a much better alternative to any medical intervention and moreover, a low-cost “treatment”.

The new discovery could open new perspectives for easier, more affordable treatments that haven’t been taken into consideration, or haven’t been taken seriously before. The greatest advantage to it is the low risks it involves, unlike any other treatment, including surgery.