In The NoCo

Why having a pet during childhood could help your body process stress, according to CU researchers

By In The NoCo,

Published August 28, 2025 at 5:35 AM MDT

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A toddler squats down to pet a cat laying in the grass. — Having a pet during childhood can help people develop better immune responses to stress, a new study from the University of Colorado Boulder shows. Researchers say pets can pass along beneficial microbes that help lower inflammation caused by stress.

If you had a dog or cat in the house when you were growing up, your body may be better equipped to respond to stress.

That’s according to a new study from the University of Colorado Boulder in collaboration with researchers at the University of Ulm in Germany. Stress initiates an inflammation response in our bodies. In small doses, it’s a normal part of our immune systems. However, chronic inflammation can lead to illnesses like, cardiovascular disease, and even depression and anxiety.

Here’s where your cat or dog comes in: Researchers put participants through a series of stressful activities and measured the level of inflammation in their bodies afterward. They found that the participants who reported owning pets as kids had lower levels of inflammation after the stressful activities ended.

So how do pets help our bodies process stress? Erin O’Toole talked with Chris Lowry, a professor of integrative physiology at CU who led this study.

Check out a past conversation with Chris about a study that suggests a vaccine against weight gain could be on the horizon.

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In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family’s financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC’s news program and podcast In The NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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