Do Cats Reduce the Risk of a Heart Attack?

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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 1:43 am

Quote:

Do Cats Reduce the Risk of a Heart Attack?

By MedHeadlines � Feb 25th, 2008 �

A study by the University of Minnesota�s Stroke Research Center presented Thursday at the American Stroke Association meeting found that people who had previously or currently owned cats were less likely to die from heart attack and other cardiovascular disease.The study examined data from 4,435 people, ranging in age from 30 to 75, participating in ongoing research with the National Health and Nutritional Examination Study. The researchers found that over a 20-year period, participants who had never owned a cat were 40 percent more likely to die from heart attack, and 30 percent more likely to die from any kind of cardiovascular disease.

The researchers don�t know exactly what causes the health benefit, but lead study investigator Dr. Adnan Qureshi believes it may be related to the stress-reducing effect a cat has on its owner. He admits, however, that the personality type of a cat owner may be the major contributing factor.

�Maybe cat owners tend not to have high-stress personalities, or they are just the type of people that are not highly affected by anxiety or high-stress situations,� Qureshi said.

Some of the controversy over this study comes from previous studies that showed a greatly increased rate of heart attack survival for dog owners, but no benefit at all for cat owners.

Not that I thought it was time for another cat thread but I found this study to be interesting. I have a heart condition and my cat knows it. Every morning after I have eaten my breakfast and I am sitting on my sofa he comes to me and insists on laying across my chest. He always places his heart over my heart and I can feel his beating. When I am having a heart episode he comes to me and lays close to my chest. Animals have inner instincts that humans will never have. It is why they can hear, see, smell and sense things before they happen. Yes, I believe cats can lower your heart rate.

419Eater is my life Joined: 18 May 2007 Posts: 428

You sound like the sort of person who would enjoy "The Cat Who..." series.

Our cats are common farm cats. I suppose the fact that they live outside and have to take care of themselves means that the survival part of their minds grows more than the "inner instincts". Indoor or house cats that are well-loved tend to develop the so-called "inner instincts.

Just my $0.02.

Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 1:58 am

Quote:

�Maybe cat owners tend not to have high-stress personalities, or they are just the type of people that are not highly affected by anxiety or high-stress situations,� Qureshi said.

I don't know about most cat owners, but I do have a high-stress personality. Heck, I have a highly neurotic personality (particularly when I miss my meds, but that's another story). I tend to go in fits at the blink of an eye, and then stay in a bad mood all day. When I'm feeling blue, my cat gets nervous and tries to avoid me (not that I blame her).

Jus' saying.

Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 2:09 am

My cats never fail to make me laugh, even when I'm trying to speak sternly to them about a naughty deed that was done. Laughing

Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 2:27 am

^^ The thought of anyone trying to speak to a cat is what makes me laugh Laughing

Just don't tell me you sing to your potted plants as well...

Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 3:00 am

^^^^^^

I speak to my five all the time. Two actually answer me on cue. And - yes, nothing like a contented purring cat sprawled out all over you to release the tension and focus your mind on what is important, being a member of staff and occasional chaise longue to your feline boss.

Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 5:23 am

callum wrote:

^^ The thought of anyone trying to speak to a cat is what makes me laugh Laughing

Yup.. I talk to my cats. They say "meow" back.

Quote:

Just don't tell me you sing to your potted plants as well...

Don't be silly, I can't sing.

Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 6:29 am

My cat and I used to tease each other. He'd go to the front door, I'd let him out. He'd go to the back door, I'd let him in. He'd go straight to the front door.. the record was 14 rotations before he got fed up and/or felt he'd proved how compliant I was to his friends.

One day I hid behind a bush until he wandered by and jumped out at him. He leaped about a metre straight up. After he landed he looked at me, raised his eyes to heaven and wandered off, trying to look dignified.
The next day I was walking past the same bush and this blur jumped out behind me and bear-hugged my leg.
After I'd landed, I looked at him and I swear he smiled as he walked away. Great cat. Broke my heart when he died.

Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 3:54 pm

Oh, if we're talking about talking to a cat... I talk to my girls all the time. Other people's cats, too. I've perfected the purr/chirp that happy cats greet people with, and they often talk back.

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 27 Jan 2008 Posts: 589

Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 5:19 pm

all i know is my old cat used to give me a heart attack.. it like to pick fights with raccoons at 3am, out side my bed room window

419Eater is my life Joined: 18 May 2007 Posts: 428

@packman: Our dogs usually take care of the racoons... the cats take care of the mice. Oh, and the 6-foot blacksnake that lives in our basement somewhere... it's not a pet.

Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 7:41 pm

Ya know I had a black cat once named Ebenezer - Neezy for short. He loved bringing me stuff from outdoors. One day he indicated that he wanted to come into the house. So my sister opened the door, picked him up and put him on her shoulders. She did not see that he had a not quite dead snake in his mouth. When the snake touched her on the cheek I thought I was going to die laughing. She dropped the cat who dropped the snake who slithered under the sofa where I was sitting. I screamed my "OMG it's a snake" scream which brought my Mother running to the rescue. Meanwhile my sister fainted, the cat looked at us all with a "what's the big deal it's only a harmless garter snake" look and quietly walked away to his food dish. I was frozen solid on the sofa because I hate snakes. It took my Mother 20 mintues to get the snake out of the house, then another 20 mintues to bring my sister back to life, and another 20 minutes to unfreeze me. I refused to believe that the snake was out of the house and slept at a friends that evening. Needless to say my sister never put Nezzy on her shoulders again.

I still laugh and shiver at this memory. Laughing

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 2628

So
your cat nearly caused then stopped a heart attack?

My mums cat nearly caused a heart attack when i was installing her new computer .
How can one furry animal hit ctrl., alt., del . by landing on the keyboard?

Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 9:17 pm

I htink its the way my cats stick their nose in my belly button..

or one likes to sleep with its nose in my armpit.

But again. how can you hate a furball that keeps a good spot on your bed warm?

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 2628

Quote:

furball that keeps a good spot on your bed warm?

ah you've met my husband then?

Honestly I'd love another cat but we've found out my son is allergic

Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 10:26 pm

^^^Once in my life when I was stupid or crazy, I haven't figured out which, I had four cats - Booker, Butchie, Fridder and Katie. If I didn't go to bed exactly at 10 pm each night all the good spots were taken. Plus there were many times I would wake up in the middle of the night to find myself pinned down. There was a cat on the left leg, a cat between my legs and a cat on my right leg. The fourth one was a spare in case one of them had to go to the bathroom. They would take over their spot while they were gone. Laughing

Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 11:10 pm

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we've found out my son is allergic

That is a problem, I'd start leaving rental property leaflets in his room.

Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 5:54 pm

I have seasonal allergies that are aggravated by pet dander (read: cat hair makes me sneeze). But I love my kitties anyway. That's what allergy meds are for Wink

Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 4:08 pm

Our cats talk, they can say 'Feed me now' and 'let me in / out'.

Hayley speaks to them lots, but that's all we ever get back from them. They are very therapeutic though, IMO, they seem to know when you are blue or ill, and come and sit with you. (did you read about the 'dog of death' in a nursing home, that sleeps on the beds of those who are about to pass away?)

When they were kittens they were always making me laugh out loud, which can only be a good thing. On the other hand the trail of destruction they left was not good for the heart.

Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 4:40 pm

My mother has a cat that stands with his paw on the refrigerator door and says "milk." That is the only time he uses that specific meow... Shocked

Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 7:49 pm

Quote:

Do Cats Reduce the Risk of a Heart Attack?

Of course.

Cat meat is very low in cholesterol. Just saut� in freshly pressed parakeet oil and serve with diced hamster. Wink

Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:09 pm

This monring there was a surprise Snow shower - here I am getting clothes from the dryer and outside the basement door I hear a meow.

This is the first snow she has ever seen from the outside.. Maybe she has seen the movie the Stuff and got scared.

Of course I like the wake-up you get my one of my cats walking on my back. It feels good.. but she stops when she knows I am awake.. next time I got to learn not to move and let keep doing it for awhile.

Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:23 pm

Quote:
Do Cats Reduce the Risk of a Heart Attack?

Of course.

Cat meat is very low in cholesterol. Just saut� in freshly pressed parakeet oil and serve with diced hamster.

_________________

Lesson one, don't piss off the cat.
Lesson #2, don't piss off the judge, especially if your name is Clemens.

Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 8:34 pm

Pussycat on the prowl:

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