Tip of the tail: Get a cat; protect your heart.
Want to lower your risk of heart attack? Get a cat.
Yes, it is, or can be, that simple. Just get a cat into your life, and you’ll soon be thanking your resident feline for saving you from a dreaded heart attack.
But what about dogs, you might ask. Won’t they cut the risk of a heart attack just as well as cats? Maybe even better? No, oddly enough, dogs don’t seem to confer that benefit to their humans. At least, not according to a study done by Adnan Qureshi, professor of neurosurgery and neurology at the University of Minnesota.
The tireless prof followed 4,500 people for 10 years. In 2008, he finally announced the result of the study: People who owned a cat were 40 percent less likely to die from heart attacks than those who don’t. The study also concluded that owning a dog didn’t give the same protection.
Of course, having a dog in your life is good for your health too—but it’s just not as heart-protective as having cats. (I can just hear some dog lovers growling.) And the conclusion, as far as I know, is based just on this one research. Who knows, maybe other studies might show that dogs are just as good for your heart as cats.
Meanwhile, it’s fun to speculate why cats are so good for your heart. Do their grace and agility inspire their humans to exercise more?
My guess is not. And, since walking dogs is good for your heart, dog owners ought to have a lower risk.
So, it must be a different reason.
Is it because they’re supremely confident in their own superiority? And they don’t slobber for your affection like dogs?
Hmmm, I rather doubt that catering to a fundamentally narcissistic creature is going to make anyone less heart-attack prone.
There’s one attribute that cats have that dogs don’t have. Cats purr. And what could be more soothing and relaxing than a purring cat?
Think of a cold, wintry day. The wind is howling and the snow is falling outside while you’re indoors snuggling with a purring cat in front of the hearth. Now, if that doesn’t warm the cockles of your heart, I don’t know what would.
Well, you don’t need a winter day to enjoy a contented, purring cat. Maybe cats purr to relax us the way they relax their kittens.
All we can say for now is that the sound of a purring cat soothes humans in ways that we don’t quite understand yet.
So, hug a purring cat today and feel your heart go pitter-patter for joy.