Cats Prevent Heart Attacks

Not so with dogs. Don’t be jealous dog-owners, most dogs don’t voluntarily massage everyone in the house. In fact, dogs beg you to throw balls around and chase them. Activities that can be very stressful.

The study, by researchers at the University of Minnesota, found that feline-less people were 30 to 40 percent more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than those with cats.

Yet dog owners had the same rate as non-owners. “No protective effect of dogs as domestic pets was observed,” said the study, presented Thursday at the International Stroke Conference in New Orleans.

Dr. Adnan Qureshi, a stroke expert at the university, said he decided to raise the question because other studies have suggested pets can help reduce stress. He and his team analyzed a group of 4,435 people who had answered questionnaires about pet ownership and other risk factors.

But the cat-dog differential came as a surprise. “We don’t understand this,” he said, but “it’s probably not a coincidence.”

Asked if he owns a cat, Qureshi replied: “No. Maybe I should get one, though.”

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