Live longer - get a cat or three

According to a new study by the Minnesota Stroke Institute, having a house cat can cut your risk of heart attack by nearly one-third. The study of 4,300 people over a ten year period, of whom roughly half owned cats and half didn't, showed a 30% different in heart attacks favoring the feline friendly.

The study results are consistent with others that have found physiological benefits from pet ownership. According to a U.S. News and World Report, a study presented in 2005 concluded that stress reduction, a key to maintaining health, could be seen in people after a single 12-minute dog visit. To answer a question I anticipate has occurred to you, I'm certain that owning multiple cats or dogs does not increase your health proportionately. I have friends with seven cats, and this seems to create, rather than relieve stress.

Pictured above are our household's stress reducers. After I finish this, I'm going to call our HMO to see if I can get their food covered as a medical expense.