Science has spoken: Watching cat videos is good for human health. It reduces stress, boosts energy, and makes us happier. So how can you turn all those positive benefits to getting cats adopted?

In an Indiana University Media School press release for a recent study conducted by researcher Jessica Gall Myrick and published in Computers in Human Behavior, participants reported:

• They were more energetic and felt more positive after watching cat-related online media than before.
• They had fewer negative emotions, such as anxiety, annoyance and sadness, after watching cat-related online media than before.
• They often view Internet cats at work or during studying.
• The pleasure they got from watching cat videos outweighed any guilt they felt about procrastinating.
• Cat owners and people with certain personality traits, such as agreeableness and shyness, were more likely to watch cat videos.
• About 25 percent of the cat videos they watched were ones they sought out; the rest were ones they happened upon.
• They were familiar with many so-called “celebrity cats,” such as Nala Cat and Henri, Le Chat Noir.

Overall, the response to watching cat videos was largely positive.

“Even if they are watching cat videos on YouTube to procrastinate or while they should be working, the emotional pay-off may actually help people take on tough tasks afterward,” Myrick said.

Myrick didn’t look at the relationship of cat video bliss to pet adoption, but the connection doesn’t seem far-fetched. That’s one of the reasons Maddie’s Fund has teamed up with Fearless Kitty Rescue in Phoenix, Ariz., to bring viewers livestreamed programming like Yoga with Kittens , Acro-cats with Jane, and Reading with Kittens on our live MaddieCam.

So if your life is a little blue, or you just need a quick energy boost, tune into their scheduled programming each week. Consider it your digital pet therapy.  And if you want to bring the bliss home, check out their amazing kitties available for adoption.

And if your shelter or rescue group’s cat adoption program is in the doldrums, consider putting the power of cat video to work for you, and add video or livestreaming to your website today!

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