Most pet owners will tell you that their animal companions have the unerring ability to lift their spirits and make life worth living, even in the cold, dark days of January.

They’ll tell you that there’s nothing better than waking up to a cat’s purr or a dog’s smiling face (yes, dogs can smile), and that they don’t need scientific proof that this lifts their spirits.

But the science world has been trying to quantify the health benefits of pet ownership, with some interesting results.

A recent mental health study in Portugal has reported that adopting a pet enhanced the effects of medication for patients who suffered from severe depression.

Major depressive disorders can be very difficult to treat with drugs and conventional therapies, but when a research team invited a group of outpatients with severe depression to adopt a pet, they noticed that their symptoms improved. Thirty-three outpatients agreed to adopt a pet (20 chose dogs and seven chose cats) and another 33 were put into a control group without pets.

The outpatients were assessed over a 12-week period and as early as the fourth week a third of the group saw their symptoms improve to the point where they were classed as ’mild’, while none of the control group showed any improvement.

The researchers concluded that looking after a pet developed ’a strong affinity and companionship that strongly contributes to mental health’.

Even though some of the outpatients may have had other factors influencing the results (e.g. suitable housing enabling them to adopt and look after a pet), the Portuguese research is not the first to suggest a link between pet ownership and improved mental health.

Owning a dog, for example, requires owners to leave their homes regularly and take their dogs for walks, which helps to reduce social isolation, and it keeps owners active, which impacts on physical and mental health.

Pet ownership also improves stress levels, which has a beneficial effect on heart disease.

A Swedish report from 2017 found that in a survey of 3.4 million people between the ages of 40 and 80, having a pet was linked to a 23% reduction in heart disease.

And it’s not just dogs and cats that can improve an owner’s health. Rabbits and guinea pigs can be incredibly affectionate and entertaining and great fun to have around.

But people sometimes underestimate the amount of care and attention they need, and how long they’ll live for. A healthy rabbit can live for up to 14 years, and a guinea pig’s life span is usually six to eight years.

Larry and Harry are only 12 months old and they were brought to us because their owner realised that she and her family simply didn’t have the time to look after them properly. T

hey need feeding every day (with fresh vegetables and fruit, as well as hay and special muesli), their hutch and run require cleaning several times a week, and they have to have regular human interaction.

Some guinea pigs are short-haired, but these two have amazing long coats which need regular brushing. This is a great way to bond with them but it’s time-consuming.

If you have the time to devote to Larry and Harry they will definitely brighten up your January, and many Januarys to come, with their chirping and squeaking (guinea pigs are very talkative) and their cheeky ways.

They are particularly vocal when it’s feeding time, making a ’wheek’ sound which, apparently, guinea pigs only produce when humans are around.