Photo/Illutration An elderly woman with her aging beagle (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Sorry cat lovers, but dogs are elderly people's best friends when it comes to helping ward off dementia, according to a recent study. 

The findings show that canine ownership can lower the risk of developing dementia by about 40 percent, but feline companions do not bestow similar benefits on their elderly owners. 

The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology analyzed new cases of dementia among 11,194 elderly people in the capital based on their nursing care insurance data between 2016 and 2020.

The average age of the subjects was 74.2. When the study started, 959 people had dogs while 704 had cats.

Dog owners were 40 percent less likely to develop dementia in the following four years, compared with non-canine owners, according to the results of the study, which were released in October.

The probability of developing dementia was particularly low for dog owners who had a regular exercise habit and were not socially isolated.

There were no significant differences between cat owners and non-feline owners.

Researchers said dogs may have helped owners get exercise and connect with local residents during walks and other activities.

The geriatrics and gerontology institute also said a separate study showed pet ownership helped elderly people reduce nursing care expenses by around half.

The study was based on data for 460 elderly people in Hatoyama, Saitama Prefecture, with the average age of 77.7. Pets were owned by 96 subjects, or 20.9 percent.

There were no significant differences in physical conditions, such as medical history and nursing care levels, between pet owners and non-pet owners.

Researchers analyzed the subjects’ monthly medical and nursing care expenses over 18 months through June 2017.

The results of the study, which were released in February last year, found no significant differences in medical expenses between pet owners and non-pet owners.

Comparisons between dog owners and cat owners were not conducted.

“Pet ownership promotes personal health and reduces social security costs,” said Yu Taniguchi, a senior researcher at the National Institute for Environmental Studies, who participated in both studies.

Problems have been reported, such as elderly people becoming unable to care for their pets due to disease or aging and refusing to be admitted to hospitals or care facilities if their animals had to be left behind.

“We need to support elderly people in keeping pets, instead of discouraging them from owning pets,” Taniguchi said. “Even if we spend taxpayers’ money on such support systems, I think we can get our money’s worth.”

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