The deep bond between dogs and their owners has been extensively studied and shown to evoke mutual emotional responses. It now appears that the same may be true of cats and their owners. Until now, some studies have supported the widely held belief that caring for feline companions, animals that some even associate with purity and holiness, can have a positive effect on human health and well-being. However, other studies have pointed to possible negative effects of cat ownership. These conflicting findings prompted a team of researchers at Kyoto University in Japan to question the idea that simply owning a cat provides clear health benefits. Instead, they wondered whether the advantages or disadvantages of living with a cat might actually depend on the quality of the relationship between the animal and its owner, particularly how they interact in everyday life. For the study, published in the journal iScience, researchers conducted a monthlong investigation into the daily lives of 29 cats and their 19 owners, recruited through advertisements and social media. In each household, researchers analyzed hormone levels using urine samples, attached small Bluetooth Low Energy transmitters to the cats' collars to measure daily physical proximity, assessed the owners' moods through questionnaires and observed how the cats behaved toward both their owners and unfamiliar people. The resul