If I Own a Pet, Will I Win the Iron Man?

Are pets really good for our health? Does owning a cat or a dog really cause us to feel better physically, as well as mentally? Or is it a myth, perpetuated by animal lovers?

Tell a cat lover you don’t see why there’s such a big flap about felines (if you’re brave), and you will either hear how funny and relaxing kitties are or you’ll find yourself out on the front porch, with the door locked. Converse about canines with someone who loves dogs, and they will have a pocketful of stories of how their puppy makes them happy. Scientifically speaking, though, do pets just make us feel better now and then, or do they truly have a positive effect on our health? The possibility that a parakeet or a poodle could actually bring blood pressure levels down has often been poo-pooed by the scientific community and society in general.

As a result, people have been doing “the usual” after being diagnosed with stress-related conditions or high blood pressure: Getting pumped full of chemicals. Why not? The chemicals are there, and they help. Don’t they? Yes, many of the medications do help. The problem is that you don’t know when you are going to get knocked off the tracks by a side effect. And every time you put another chemical into your body, you risk throwing the chemicals, which are already there, out of whack. Like adding food coloring to a bowl of water. Every time you add a drop, it changes what is in the bowl a little bit more. Yet, we can’t simply ignore things like high blood pressure. So what are we going to do?

One thing to try is “alternative medicine”, like natural food additives, vitamins, etc. Also, one can try behavior adjustments. Or we can change our personal environment. I’m not talking about the ozone layer. I mean changing our own immediate world in which we live and move every day. Adding a pet can definitely have a BIG effect on our life.

In nursing homes where pets are kept, it has been observed by people in the health care field that residents are more alert. The nursing home inhabitants tend to be more productive, continuing to use their creative abilities. For people suffering from Alzheimer’s, having animals around has been shown to improve communication and help them feel in contact with the “real” world again. There have even been recorded instances when a person would sit and stare for hours---until a dog or other pet came into the room. Then the person would smile, sometimes even speaking a few words. For most of us, though, that is outside of our sphere of experience. How does owning a pet affect us in our world?

Does sitting with a cat purring next to us truly change anything?

According to a report done by CNN, it does.

The report stated that owning a pet reduced stress, in some cases cutting blood pressure levels in half. In Melbourne, Australia, a study done with 6,000 people found that people who owned pets were less likely to suffer a heart attack, had lower levels of cholesterol, and had healthier blood pressure levels. American research has found that people are likely to enjoy a longer life after a serious heart attack if they own a pet, compared to non-pet owners.

So, if we go out and buy a cat, will we win the Ironman, or be able to compete in the Olympics?

Who knows? It’s probably not too likely if you’re 60 years old and have been sitting on the couch drinking beer all your life. But we might live a little longer, and be happier and healthier while we do.

All that, and the pet can keep us warm at night.

Not a bad deal.