There are many benefits to pet ownership besides companionship. Acadiana Humane Society volunteers will be at the Covenant Pumpkin Patch Health Fair on Saturday, October 15, 2016 from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm to talk with anyone interested in finding out more about how pets can improve their health. The Pumpkin Patch is located at 300 East Martial Avenue, Lafayette, LA 70508. We have a Facebook event page you can join if you click here.

In addition to this, we will be accepting donations in the form of cash, checks or money orders made out to Acadiana Humane Society, and credit and debit card donations via the Square Reader app at our tent. We will have an assortment of brand new pet items: dog clothes, pet toys, dog treats, and various pet supplies available for any donation to our animal rescue. Money raised at this event will go towards paying down our ever increasing vet bills for the rescue animals in our care. 

Cat Owners Have Lower Heart Attack Risk

Scientific studies have shown over and over that cats are more than just good pets.  Companion cats are extremely therapeutic, and may actually be a good form of medicine for people suffering from heart conditions. According to Medical News Today, owning a cat could reduce your risk of a heart attack by nearly one third, researchers told delegates of the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference in New Orleans last week. The finding provoked a mixed reaction from heart experts and veterinarians.

The finding was the main result of a 10 year study of more than 4,000 Americans by researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Stroke Institute in Minneapolis. Executive director of the Institute, Dr Adnan Qureshi, who is also senior author of the study, was reported by US News & World Report to have said:

“For years we have known that psychological stress and anxiety are related to cardiovascular events, particularly heart attacks.”

Qureshi said having pets probably helped to relieve stress. The researchers said dogs probably had a similar effect, but there weren’t enough dog owners in the study to show this conclusively. Previous research has linked contact with pets to heart benefits, they said.

Qureshi and colleagues extracted data on 4,435 Americans aged 30 to 75, from the second National Health and Nutrition Examination Study that took place from 1976 to 1980. 2,435 of the participants were current or former cat owners, while the remaining 2,000 had never had a cat.

Using the main outcome as death from all causes, including stroke and heart events, the researchers found that over a 10 year follow up period, cat owners showed a 30 per cent lower risk of death from heart attack compared to non cat owners.

To read the rest of this article, please go to www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/98432.php

In addition to the improved heart health, cats also cause a release of oxytocin in the brain.  Oxytocin is the feel-good chemical associated with the feeling of love, and is extremely healing to the body.  Serotonin and dopamine are also released in the brain as you are playing with your cat, which reduces stress and puts the body into a harmonious state and stabilizes your immune system.

Studies have also found that:

• Pet owners are less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets.
• People with pets have lower blood pressure in stressful situations than those without pets.
• Pet owners have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels (indicators of heart disease) than those without pets.
• Heart attack patients with pets survive longer than those without.
• Pet owners over age 65 make 30 percent fewer visits to their doctors than those without pets.
• While people with dogs often experience the greatest health benefits, a pet doesn’t necessarily have to be a dog or a cat. Even watching fish in an aquarium can help reduce muscle tension and lower pulse rate.

Cat purrs (in additions to the actual cat itself) offer further healing power:

According to an article published in Scientific American, cats purr during both inhalation and exhalation with a consistent pattern and frequency between 25 and 150 Hertz. Various investigators have shown that sound frequencies in this range can improve bone density and promote healing.

You may find that having a cat on your chest while it purrs feels like a complete regeneration.  This is because the frequency of the cats purr is literally healing your cells.

Cats: A Calming Influence on People with High Blood Pressure

According to PetPlace.com, you’re battling high blood pressure, cutting out the cheeseburgers, taking brisk walks, and shedding extra pounds are all steps you should take. But, says social psychologist Karen Allen, Ph.D., getting a pet can also help.

In a recent study, Allen, a researcher at the State University of New York at Buffalo, found that stockbrokers with hypertension who adopted a cat or dog had lower blood pressure readings in stressful situations than did their non-pet-owning counterparts.

Allen and her colleagues conducted a study of 48 male and female stockbrokers who were being treated with medication to control high blood pressure. All earned more than $200,000 a year, had lived alone for at least the last 5 years and had highly stressful jobs.

To read the rest of this article, please go to www.petplace.com/article/cats/behavior-training/bonding-with-cats/cats-a-calming-influence-on-people-with-high-blood-pressure

To be sure, cats and dogs alike can be very entertaining and make you laugh with their antics. Laughter is after all, the best medicine!

BENEFITS OF PET THERAPY

It’s well-known (and scientifically proven) that interaction with a gentle, friendly pet has significant benefits. (Information found at pawsforpeople.org)

 Physical Health:

• lowers blood pressure
• improves cardiovascular health
• releases endorphins (oxytocin) that have a calming effect
• diminishes overall physical pain
• the act of petting produces an automatic relaxation response, reducing the amount of medication some folks need

 Mental Health:

• lifts spirits and lessens depression
• decreases feelings of isolation and alienation
• encourages communcation
• provides comfort
• increases socialization
• reduces boredom
• lowers anxiety
• helps children overcome speech and emotional disorders
• creates motivation for the client to recover faster
• reduces loneliness

 Reading to a Pet:

• helps children focus better
• improves literacy skills
• provides non-stressful, non-judgmental environment
• increases self-confidence, reduces self-consciousness

 In Physical Therapy

• increases joint movement and improves recovery time
• maintains or increases motor skills
• provides motivation to move more, stretch farther, exercise longer

You can download their PDF: The Benefits of Pet Therapy by clicking here.

The internet is a vast resource at our fingertips. The list of links below, and in the blog entry above, is where we found our information.

Other Excellent Resources on the Health Benefits of Pet Companionship:

• What Makes An Animal More Than Just A Pet?
• Pets and Their Therapeutic Effects.
• Animal Assisted Interventions: Making Better Use of the Human-Animal Bond. 
• Psychosocial and Psychophysiologial Effects of Humane-Animal Interactions: The Possible Rold of Oxytocin. 
• Why Do Cats Purr? 
• Cat Owners Have Lower Heart Attack Risks
• Science Proves Cats Are Holistic Healers

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