They are nature's furry friends and man's best friend – so it was only a matter of time before British Airways introduced a channel featuring fluffy footage of cats and dogs on its in-flight entertainment!

Launching on British Airways long-haul flights from September Paws & Relax is a dedicated channel showing cute footage of cats, kittens, dogs and puppies, to enhance the wellbeing of customers.

As well as providing entertaining footage for all the family to enjoy, it can also benefit travellers overall wellbeing and relaxation, as well as improving levels of concentration*.

For a preview of the channel, please visit: http://youtu.be/kaTAA2y-DwA

British Airways' in-flight entertainment manager, Richard D'Cruze, said: “It might sound barking, but there's lots of research to suggest that watching pets can enhance overall wellbeing. We have sniffed out some fantastic content that is cute, comforting and sure to appeal to travellers of all ages.”

Paws & Relax features a number of popular programmes, curated by the airline's in-flight specialists Spafax including; internet sensation Simon's Cat – a series of animated funny stories of a man and his cat, The Secret Life of Cats - the popular BBC documentary where cats are fitted with cat-cams and GPS collars to follow their daily movements, and America's Cutest Dog… adorable footage of dogs at play.

British Airways has teamed up with experts at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home for insight into the benefits of pet ownership. The airline featured some of its pets looking for rehousing to launch the channel, including; Alfie the Pug, Sky the Siberian Husky, Angelica the Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross and kittens Karma, Knight and Karis.

Laura Lambert responsible for Rehoming & Welfare at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home said: “We know that people love watching dogs and cats. They can make you laugh, smile, and cry. They are wonderful companions when you're feeling anxious or just need a lift, and we believe that British Airways' Paws & Relax channel will be the perfect way for passengers to sit back and relax.”

Fluffy Facts:

• There are 17 million cat and dog owners in the UK (The Pet Food Manufacturers Association)
• One in 50 travellers would prefer to be greeted by their pet at the airport, rather than a family member (OnePoll survey of 2,000 people)
• Battersea Dogs & Cats Home cares for almost 10,000 dogs and cats each year
• British Airways features more than 130 movies, 650 TV shows from around the world, 550 audio albums and 200 radio shows in its in-flight entertainment systems
• Last month the airline launched a new genre of 'Slow TV' on board flights, including an unedited seven hour train journey from Oslo to Bergen!
• *In his book '59 Seconds', psychologist Richard Wiseman suggests that just watching a video of a cute animal can reduce heart rate and blood pressure in under a minute.
• A paper published by Hiroshima University titled 'Power of Kawaii' (meaning the power of cute), showed that people who looked at pictures of puppies or kittens in their study had higher levels of concentration afterwards

Paws & Relax can be found in the entertainment section of the airline's in-flight library from September.