Owning or just petting a cat or dog can help lower one’s blood pressure and even help a child with a chronic illness, MSU researchers have found.

Lana Kaiser, a professor of nursing who organized the conference, said these findings have been accepted as truth for years, but the science to back them up has not been discovered until now.

Since the creation of the Human Animal Bond Initiative - an effort by MSU faculty and community members to uncover the healing powers of animals - was created last year, MSU and nationwide researchers have been hard at work.

Their findings will be presented at a conference Friday and Saturday.

The two-day event, “Cuddle a Critter and Call Me in the Morning: The Science Behind Our Relationships With Animals,” will be held at the Michigan Athletic Club, 2900 Hannah Blvd., and the Life Sciences Building on campus.

Linda Spence, an assistant professor of nursing, will introduce speakers at the conference, including Alan Beck, director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University.

Spence, who is also a nurse and psychologist, is in the middle of conducting research on the effect of pets on ill children and their families.

“These studies are very limited because in part, the human-animal relationship is a very complex issue and researchers are scattered all over the country,” Spence said.

Kaiser has also began conducting research on the effects of pets on how children with disabilities adapt to their illness.

And Kaiser said a dog is as good, if not better than a human in helping people with disabilities - especially children - deal with emotional stress.

“A dog will interact with you, is nonjudgmental and doesn’t care about your disability,” she said.

Kaiser, who owns three dogs, four cats and 19 cows, said she also feels the emotional benefits of having a pet.

“There’s something about the outside of a cow that’s good for the inside of humans,” she said. “Also, following the Sept. 11 tragedy, it was soothing to have a dog by my side.”