As if we didn’t love our pets enough — here’s another reason to cuddle your kitty!
A ten year study from the University of Minnesota suggests that having a cat for a pet can cut your heart attack risk by nearly a third! More than four thousand Americans between the ages of thirty and seventy-five were tracked between 1976 and 1980 for a National Health and Nutrition Examination Study. The University of Minnesota team looked at the data, then spent a decade following up with the participants to look at health issues and death rates.
More than half the people in the study currently or previously had a cat. And the results showed that the cat owners had a lower rate of dying from heart attack compared to the folks who didn’t ever own a cat. The study authors were surprised by the huge impact — a thirty percent reduction in heart attack risk — that cats have. They knew there would be SOME impact, just not so much.
The bottom line: stress and anxiety are related to heart attacks and other heart problems. Pets have the amazing ability to relieve some of those factors. Owning a pet is a low risk way to lower stress and save or extend lives.
This isn’t necessarily bad news for dog owners, mind you. There just weren’t enough dogs in the study to draw a conclusion. And dogs have had their chance to shine in the medical community, too. A 2005 study presented to the American Heart Association found that just one visit with a dog could improve the heart and lung function of people with heart failure.
These findings seem to especially hold true for the elderly. I would love to see these two studies create a surge in the number of animals present in retirement communities, nursing homes, rehab centers, and other long-term care situations. Maybe we’ll see more therapy dogs and canine good citizens making visits — and more resident cats.
After all… it’s good for the heart in many ways.