Owning a cat can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes by more than a third, researchers have found.

Having a furry friend around the house cuts stress and anxiety, and helps protect against heart disease by lowering blood pressure and reducing the heart rate.

Heart disease is Britain’s biggest killer, and every year 270,000 people suffer a heart attack.

Prof Adnan Qureshi, from the Minnesota University, who carried out the study, said he was surprised by the strength of the effect that owning a cat appeared to have.

“The logical explanation may be that cat ownership relieves stress and anxiety and subsequently reduces the risk of heart disease.”

He believes one reason could be that stroking the pet could cut the level of stress-related hormones in the blood. Reducing stress is known to help protect against heart disease by lowering blood pressure and reducing the heart rate.

But Prof Qureshi added that the type of person who owned a cat was usually already fairly stress-free and at low risk of heart disease.

The study found that cat owners still had a reduced chance of developing strokes or heart attacks when researchers took account of other factors known to trigger heart disease, including high cholesterol levels, smoking and diabetes.

Via news.sky.com