Benefits of a Cat - The 'Catvantage' of Feline Ownership

What if....?

The benefits of having a pet in your life are well documented and researched.  Not only are they your friend through thick and thin, giving the sort of unconditional love that is like no other, but their presence also has physical and mental health benefits.

A number of studies have shown that having a pet in your child's life will lower the likelihood of allergies, some say by as much as 33%.  It must be all that food sharing, face licking and cuddles.  Sharing your life with pets also increases your overall immunity.

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Emotionally, having a pet can decrease stress and anxiety, and physically they reduce blood pressure and decrease the risk of heart attack.  An interesting study conducted by the CDC found that people that own pets (men in particular) have significantly lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.  Owning a cat can reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke by 30-40%.  Unless they are actively plotting your death and you are aware of it.  This can add stress to your life, but we aren't focussing on that right now as it doesn't serve my purpose. 

I hope and pray that Purrkins never buys this book.

If you own a dog and have a heart attack, you are also significantly more likely to be alive a year later.  Interesting, isn't it?  I attribute this to the fact that dogs aren't the best at providing their own food, so deep down you know that they really need you for sustenance, unlike cats.  Or you realise that if you drop dead at home, the dog will eat your face.

Pets have also been known to change their behaviour if their owner's are diabetic and their blood sugar levels drop and some pets can sense the onset of a seizure or other unpleasant medical incidents.

Childhood development also sees great benefits from pets.  Pets of any type will help with mental and emotional development, teach children to be respectful and responsible, and of course pets are a great support throughout a child's life.  I, personally, know that my pets have brought be back from the brink too many times to count.  Again, in the case of dogs, they need food, in the case of cats, if I leave them too soon, they will lose out on all of that plotting fun.

Those of us who share our lives with cats know that there is a very special set of benefits that go hand in hand with cat ownership (or human ownership....I can never really figure out who owns who!).

You are never alone.  True - a lot of cats appear to be loners and you don't always see them, but walk into the kitchen or step into the bathroom, and there they are, ready to assist and/or supervise with whatever task is at hand (especially if it involves food).  You might think that you are by yourself, and out of nowhere comes a streak of ginger/grey/tabby, aiming for your leg at top speed, scaring the bejesus out of you.  They probably think that they are doing us a favour, restarting our hearts, you know, just in case it stopped or something.  It also keeps your reflexes in good working order as you dodge the knife-like appendages, trying not to trip over yourself or the cat.

They teach you humility.  Because I believe cats think we are stupid, they do this in a plethora of ways, making sure that the lesson is hammered home....repeatedly.  So you want nice things?  Nope!  The cat will quickly claim the object/furniture/item as their own, laying on it, grooming themselves on it, dropping fur on it, clawing at it, and scent marking it.  You need to learn early on that what's yours is the cats, and there is no negotiation.  You can't negotiate with an asshole.

You can also never get too sure of yourself when a cat is around.  Cats will only cuddle if THEY want to, and don't work on your schedule or your needs (that having been said, they have an uncanny ability to know if you are down in the dumps or sick, and will make an 'affection exception' at these times).  You want a longer cuddle.  No!  Off jumps the cat, to sit just out of your reach, nonchalantly grooming itself, gracing you a confident glance mixed with a look of disdain.  'Get over yourself human' is the clear message there.

They are the boss, not you.  Have you ever tried to make your cat do something?  It never goes well, and usually after refusal, the cat will do it in it's own time anyway, just to make sure you know that it can do what it wants, when it wants.  After all, you can't be the boss if you are the slave.  Opening doors, not opening doors, feeding, belly scratches, sleeping in your spot on the couch...it's all done to keep us humble.  Oh yeah, they also need to let us know that we are terrible hunters, and as such, they must provide for us.  The fact that we don't appreciate this as much as they would like is probably a constant thorn in their sides, but, being cats, they don't care about that really either.

Cats also teach us that we should remember that we only have one life, and we should enjoy that life.  Cats enjoy their naps, looking relaxed and comfortable, not a worry in the world.  They don't lie there worrying about what is going to happen tomorrow or even in 10 minutes, getting anxious because they can't fall asleep.  They are tired, they sleep, and if they are hungry, they eat.  If they are dirty, they groom, if they need some attention, they demand it.  And best of all, no matter what their age, if they feel like running through the house chasing ghosts and spectres and generally acting like a fruit loop, they do, and be damned whoever should judge them.  It feels good and they like it, they do it. No worries about what they look like (Purrkins is a proud fatty and lets it all hang out, Clawde doesn't worry about the bald spot that he gained after a particularly nasty meeting with a brown snake) or what anyone thinks of them.  If Purrkins does something undignified (like falling out a tree when he is showing off) he just picks himself back up and looks at us as if to say 'What? Nothing to see here. Move along".

In winter they warm you with their body heat and cuddles - of course, they aren't doing it for your benefit - they are sucking up your body heat like the leeches that they are, abandoning you at will.

My cats make me laugh every day.  Every. Single. Day. I'm not exaggerating, they are that funny.  They can make me laugh through their crazy antics when it looks like they have lost all control of their faculties and race around like they have a firecracker up their bum.  They make me laugh by just hanging out, relaxing with a good stretch and falling off the furniture, or the silly looks they give me throughout the day.  The physical and emotional benefits of laughter are common knowledge and for that alone, you can't go past the entertainment of a cat.  Preferably more than one.

Please don't laugh at me.  I will kill you.

There is one last benefit of having cats that is my very favourite. Not only is it my favourite sound, but purring actually has physical health benefits.

According to several studies, the frequency (20-140 Hz - which is considered medically therapeutic) of a cat purr is actually the ideal vibration level for low blood pressure, a healthy heart and even bone growth.  It's been shown to help you when you have difficulty breathing as the purr mimics peaceful in and out breathing.  Unless you're allergic, then they really don't help your breathing at all.

The more I share my life with cats and the more I understand them (although who every really understands a cat), the more that I know that I can never, ever live without them. Until the day I die, I don't want to be without a feline friend or two in my life.