Do Pets Increase Longevity?

Do you think pets increase longevity? Maybe. Your Pet Could Be Your Personal Life Extension Device (Or Death Trap).

Turns out your childhood dream of having a pet tiger might not be the longevity hack you thought it was. While you’ve been obsessing over expensive supplements and biohacking gadgets, science has discovered that the secret to living longer might literally be sleeping at the foot of your bed, demanding treats, and judging your life choices. But choose the wrong furry (or scaly) friend, and your quest for immortality could end with a trip to the emergency room.

Dogs: Your Four-Legged Life Insurance Policy

If longevity were a dating app, dogs would have the highest match rate with humans. The science is so compelling that these pets increase longevity, you’d think the American Kennel Club was funding the research (they’re not, but they should be).

A University of Toronto meta-analysis found that dog ownership is associated with a 24% decrease in all-cause mortality rates. That’s right – having a dog is literally better for your lifespan than most medications. Your Golden Retriever is basically a furry pharmaceutical with a tail that never stops wagging.

The cardiovascular benefits are particularly impressive. Studies found that dog owners tend to live longer than non-owners, with a particularly strong link to better recovery from major health events like heart attacks or strokes, especially for those living alone. Apparently, having something that loves you unconditionally (and needs to be walked twice a day) is excellent motivation for not dying.

A large Swedish nationwide cohort study found lower hazard ratios for dog ownership on both all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality. Swedish researchers don’t mess around – if they say dogs are good for you, you can take that to the bank (or the dog park).

The Magic Behind the Longevity

The mechanisms are straightforward: pet owners, primarily dog owners, had significantly lower heart rate, mean arterial pressure, and systolic blood pressure compared to non-pet owners. It’s like having a personal trainer that also happens to be incredibly cute and occasionally brings you dead squirrels as gifts.

Research shows that dog owners are more likely to engage in moderate physical activity 2-3 times per week, which has been associated with a reduced risk of death by as much as 28%. Turns out, when you have a 70-pound Labrador giving you the puppy eyes at 6 AM, saying “I don’t feel like exercising today” stops being an option. Getting outside and meeting people also helps build social connections, a key factor in longevity.

Dog ownership has been associated with decreased cardiovascular risk, with reports suggesting associations with lower blood pressure levels, improved lipid profile, and diminished sympathetic responses to stress. Translation: your dog is basically a living, breathing stress ball that occasionally needs its teeth brushed.

Cats: The Age-Dependent Longevity Consultants

Cats, being cats, have decided they’re not going to make this simple. The research on felines is more nuanced, because of course it is – they’re cats.

A large National Institute of Health study found that having only a cat may benefit those aged 40-64 years, while having both a cat and dog can be advantageous for people ≥65 years. This study supports that “optimal pet choice is age-dependent” for cardiovascular health. Essentially, cats have created a longevity consultant business model where their effectiveness depends on your demographic profile.

So if you’re middle-aged, a cat might be perfect. If you’re over 65, you apparently need both species working in tandem to keep you alive. This makes sense – older adults need the exercise motivation of a dog combined with the stress-reducing purr machine that is a cat. It’s like having a personal trainer and a therapist, except they both shed on your furniture.

The Plot Twist: Not All Studies Agree

Before you rush out to adopt every dog at the shelter, science has a reality check for you. A 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 studies involving 488,986 participants found that pet ownership had no association with adjusted all-cause mortality. This study included participants with 52.3% female, mean age 56.1 years, with a mean follow-up duration of 8.7 ± 6.3 years.

So either some pets are better than others, or there are confounding variables at play. Which brings us to…

The Dark Side: When Pets Become Longevity Hazards

Here’s where your exotic pet fantasies crash into the harsh reality of epidemiology. While Fluffy and Fido might be extending your life, that ball python you’ve been eyeing could literally be plotting your demise (okay, snakes don’t plot, but the bacteria they carry definitely don’t care about your longevity goals).

Reptiles: The Salmonella Distribution Network

35% of zoonotic diseases in humans have been linked to an exotic pet, with reptiles carrying dangerous germs including salmonella, botulism and other bacteria. Born Free has tracked 443 incidents involving exotic reptiles since 1990 – the most of any animal group – with eight cases where young children fell ill after contracting salmonella from an exotic reptile pet.

Reptiles and amphibians are more likely than other pets to carry harmful germs that can make people sick, with children under 5, adults over 65, and people with weakened immune systems at highest risk. Turtles, snakes, geckos, bearded dragons, lizards, and other reptiles carry diseases, bacteria, and infections including Salmonella bacteria and other zoonotic diseases that can jump from animal to human.

Turtles, particularly red-eared sliders, became widely popular as pets in the United States during the 1960s and early 1970s, largely due to their inexpensive price and availability at five-and-dime stores. This trend was interrupted by a 1975 FDA ban on selling turtles under four inches long to curb the spread of Salmonella poisoning from contaminated turtles and eggs.  

So while your dog is out there reducing your blood pressure, your reptile is potentially planning a bacterial assault on your digestive system. It’s like having a tiny, scaly biological warfare unit in your living room.

Exotic Mammals: The Disease Lottery You Don’t Want to Win

Exotic animals are carriers of zoonotic diseases, such as Herpes B, Monkey Pox, and Salmonellosis, all communicable to humans, with a large percentage of macaque monkeys carrying the Herpes B virus. Numerous recent epidemics have been associated with exotic pets or wildlife species including SARS, Ebola, salmonellosis, and monkeypox.

Remember when everyone wanted a pet monkey? Science says that’s basically like adopting a furry pandemic waiting to happen. Exotic vertebrate and invertebrate species including crocodiles, lions, venomous snakes, and various mammals pose injury, envenomation and sting risks.

Yes, someone actually thought keeping a crocodile as a pet was a good idea. Natural selection is still working, folks. Don’t win a Darwin Award because of your pet 12 foot Burmese python named Damien.

The Pets Increase Longevity Hierarchy

Based on the scientific evidence, here’s the ranking of how pets increase longevity:

Longevity Champions:

• Dogs (especially if you live alone and are over 40)
• Cats (age-dependent benefits, optimal for 40-64 years)
• Both dogs and cats (ideal for 65+)
• Just keep them out of the bedroom if they interfere with getting consistent, quality sleep.

Longevity Neutral:

• Traditional pets with mixed research results
• Fish (limited interaction, but at least they won’t give you salmonella)

Longevity Hazards:

• Reptiles and amphibians (salmonella central)
• Exotic mammals (disease festival)
• Anything that could eat you (self-explanatory)

Do Pets Increase Longevity? The Bottom Line

Your pet choice is basically a longevity investment decision. Dogs offer the best return on investment with a 24% mortality reduction – that’s better than most stock portfolios and way more fun than index funds. Cats provide age-specific benefits with the added bonus of judging your life choices, which somehow translates to cardiovascular protection.

But venture into exotic pet territory, and you’re essentially gambling with your immune system. Sure, that pet tiger would be impressive at dinner parties, but explaining to your doctor why you have monkey pox is significantly less glamorous.

The research is clear: stick with the animals that evolution designed to live alongside humans. Dogs and cats have spent thousands of years figuring out how to keep us alive and happy (mostly because we feed them). Exotic pets, on the other hand, are still operating under the “survival of the fittest” model, and spoiler alert – you’re probably not the fittest.

So next time someone asks about your longevity strategy, just point to your dog sleeping on the couch. That lazy, treat-obsessed furball might just be the best health investment you’ve ever made. Your exotic-pet-owning neighbor, meanwhile, is probably Googling “salmonella symptoms” for the third time this month.

Choose your longevity companion wisely – your future self (and your digestive system) will thank you.