Householding a pet, such as a dog or cat, especially for five years or more, may be linked to slower cognitive decline in older adults, according to a study released on February 23.

Scientists linked pet ownership to lower stress and blood pressure, and said pet owners, including dogs, cats and rabbits, retained more of their cognitive abilities after caring for the animals over a period of six years.

“Previous studies have suggested that the human-animal bond may have health benefits such as lowering blood pressure and stress,” said study author Tiffany Braley, MD, M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. Pet ownership may also be protective against cognitive decline.”

The study looked at the cognitive data of 1,369 older adults with an average age of 65, who had normal cognitive skills at the start of the study.

A total of 53% had owned pets, and 32% had long-term pet owners, those who had owned pets for five years or more. Of the study participants, 88% were white, 7% were black, 2% were Hispanic, and 3% were of another race.

The researchers used data from the Health and Retirement Study, a large study of Medicare beneficiaries. In that study, people took multiple cognitive tests. The researchers used these cognitive tests to develop a composite cognitive score for each person, ranging from zero to 27. The composite score included common tests of subtraction, counting, and word retrieval. The researchers then used the participants’ composite cognitive scores and estimated the association between years of pet ownership and cognitive function. Participants were asked to recall a list of ten words, immediately and after five minutes. They had to count down from 20 and back from 100 by subtracting seven from each number.

The study found that after six years, long-term pet owners noticed a smaller drop in their average score on these tests than those without pets.

There is mounting evidence that stress can lead to cognitive decline and experts believe pets may help us maintain our mental strength by reducing stress.

And those who have dogs benefit from regular walking because exercise is linked to a healthier mind.

However, the study authors say that people with better thinking skills may simply be more likely to own pets, as they can handle their multiple demands.

And while this US-based study linked pet ownership to some protection in memory and thinking deterioration, it can’t tell us whether these are long-term benefits, or whether owning a pet has any effect on dementia risk.