Companion cats and the social support systems of men with AIDS

60 male pet owners with AIDS were given a formal questionnaire including it ems related to demographic, lifestyle, and pet ownership, as well as the Co mfort from Companion Animals Scale, the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The men lived in the San Francis co area and received assistance from Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS), a c ommunity organization, in caring for their companion dogs or cats. Particip ants were a convenience sample of pet owners who volunteered front among 50 0 PAWS clients and who do not necessarily represent a random sample of men with AIDS who keep companion animals, For these men, their comfort from com panion animals was significantly associated with having cats but not dogs, closeness with friends, dissatisfaction with their practical support system , and listing pets as a source of support, Loneliness was negatively associ ated with having a large practical support network, scoring as healthy on t he General Health Questionnaire, and living alone. For these male pet owner s with AIDS, pet cats appeared to complement their supportive relationships with friends and family that were protective against loneliness.