Petcare Information and Advisory Service (PIAS) spokesperson Susie Willis says researchers have found a strong link between cat ownership and heart health, with some studies showing that the risk of a heart attack can be reduced by nearly one third.

Pet ownership in general has been shown to have important physical and emotional benefits, with Australian researchers at the Baker Medical Research Institute in Melbourne among the first to identify that pet owners had lower levels of risk factors for cardiovascular disease than non-pet owners.

"While we still don't quite understand why, studies have shown that stroking a cat is known to reduce stress levels and this may be what has a positive effect on heart rate and blood pressure," Ms Willis said.

PetRescue, which runs Australia's largest online directory of rescued pets, reports that there has been a steady increase in people looking to adopt a cat since the launch of their "It's cool having a cat around" app on Facebook.

PetRescue spokesperson Vickie Davy said they had just passed the milestone of rehoming 100,000 pets since they started in 2005.

"We wanted to draw attention to the gorgeous cats that are available for rehoming," Ms Davy says. "This app features the little things that all cat owners know and love, and makes it easy to see what a cat would add to your life. We have kittens, young adults and older cats available on petrescue.com.au and they all come with unique looks and personalities. An older cat is a great choice for someone who wants to skip the livewire kitten stage and have a stress-free companion."

Details: visit petnet.com.au, petrescue.com.au or facebook.com 'It's cool to have a cat around'.