WebMD Medical NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDFeb. 21, 2008 (New Orleans) -- Your cat may bring you a lot more than unconditional love after a tough day.
Owning a Cat Good for the Heart?
Study Shows Cat Owners Less Likely to Die From Heart Attacks
By Charlene Laino
A new study shows that cat owners are less likely to die of a heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases than people who have never had a pet cat.
The findings emerged from an analysis of data on nearly 4,500 men and women, ages 30 to 75, who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study. All were free of cardiovascular disease when they entered the study in the 1970s.
Over half, 55%, reported having a pet cat at some point in their lives.
Compared with cat owners, people who never had a pet cat were 40% more likely to die of a heart attack over the 20-year study period. They were also 30% more likely to die of any cardiovascular disease, including stroke, heart failure, and chronic heart disease.
The results held true even after the researchers took into account other risk factors for heart disease and stroke, including age, gender, race, blood pressure, and smoking.
The researchers found no such link for people who had a pet dog.
The findings were presented here at the American Stroke Association's (ASA) International Stroke Conference.
Cat Lovers Have Less Stress
Researcher Farhan Siddiq, MD, director of the Minnesota Stroke Institute at the University of Minnesota, says he thinks that pet lovers share personality characteristics such as low stress and anxiety levels that protect them against heart disease and stroke.
"Dog owners probably have the same characteristics, even though the data don't support it," he adds.
ASA spokesman Daniel Lackland, MD, a stroke expert at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, agrees that both cats and dogs "are good, they make you feel better. And studies have shown that a general feeling of well-being is linked to better overall health."
But, Lackland stresses, the findings should not detract from the critical value of controlling blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes.
So should you go out and buy a cat in hopes of cutting your risk of dying of a heart attack? "For other medical interventions, we would need more evidence. But this has minimal risk -- unless you're allergic," Siddiq tells WebMD.
Thanks LYNN . . . . . . I think it has something to do with the "purring". For some reason listening to a purring cat is almost as great as hearing a baby laughing. . . at least to we cat lovers.
Hmmmm. These study participants - the ones who had less cardiovascular episodes at least partially (?) attributable to having owned cats as pets obviously never had a cat like my Daisy who has taken to sitting up on the very top of the Queen Anne highboy (@ 6 1/2 feet tall) in my bedroom and staring down at me while I'm sleeping like the Cheshire cat in "Alice in Wonderland". I never fail to wake up with the feeling that I'm being watched, and the first few times she did it, I nearly HAD a cardio-vascular incident!
I read somewhere that cats purr only when they're around kittens or humans. Did you ever hear that?
I fully believe that purring is something they do to keep us happy and calm so that they can get their own way . . .
Yes, LYNN, I had indeed hear that before, but then I've also heard of a cat that took to purring to comfort itself after it was badly hurt in a car accident . . . of course, a human had to be present to report that story so maybe the cat was trying to get the human to stop fussing.
Hmmmm. These study participants - the ones who had less cardiovascular episodes at least partially (?) attributable to having owned cats as pets obviously never had a cat like my Daisy who has taken to sitting up on the very top of the Queen Anne highboy (@ 6 1/2 feet tall) in my bedroom and staring down at me while I'm sleeping like the Cheshire cat in "Alice in Wonderland". I never fail to wake up with the feeling that I'm being watched, and the first few times she did it, I nearly HAD a cardio-vascular incident!
Amazing where they get to isn't it? I've got a couple that take turns sitting on top of the china cabinet. Had one years ago that liked to sit on the top edge of an open door and see if she could make it move a little. Talk about scarey. Wow.
I know this is a very provocative subject, but I always let my cat sleep with my babies. I am absolutely sure that the cat was comfort to the baby. Both my grown children are still cat people.
The two cats we have now are so annoying that we have to shut them out of the bedroom at night. In all my years, I have never had cats that wouldn't sleep quietly on the bed. These two jump up and down out of the window using our bodies as platforms, get under the bed and scratch the mattress, sit on our heads, tickle our faces with their whiskers, continually knead and needle on our flesh and push on the vanes of the vertical blinds to make them snap back and forth from static electricty. One of them makes a point of knocking over my glass of water after drinking out of it. They are not shut in the room with us - they are free to come and go, but they just seem to be dedicated to keeping us awake. They don't just do this stuff some of the time. It is everything, every night. So we shut them out. Roger starts scratching on the door at about 4:30am, so I have to get up and put him in one of the other bedrooms where he happily deposits black cat hair on my down comforter until we get up and let him out.
Roger can get the pocket door to the bathroom open even when it is latched. The other night DH accidentally (I hope) locked me out of the bedroom. I thought I would be able to get the bathroom door unlatched and get in that way, since Roger does it so easily. Nope. Couldn't for the life of me get it to open. Roger is obviously much smarter than I am.
I have one cat that purrs continuously. She was a younger cat, and then when the older died, she became very needy. We could not sit down or go to bed, and she'd be right there (in fact she's right here, now!). About a month ago we got a 7 month old kitten, who is, well, a kitten! Into everything. Wants desparately for the (now) older cat to play with her. They've gotten to the playing chase stage, and occasional mock fights, but they're not buddies yet. Hopefully soon.
But Gail, they do sleep quietly on the bed, though I swear they wear lead suits - how do they gain that much weight when they fall asleep! Last night the older cat let the kitten lick her face for quite awhile - progress.
For Linda & ALL other cat lovers
. . . I think it has something to do with the "purring". For some reason listening to a purring cat is almost as great as hearing a baby laughing. . . at least to we cat lovers.
Last night the older cat let the kitten lick her face for quite awhile - progress.
