Dr Adnan Qureshi, speaking at the American Stroke Association's Conference 2008, spoke of an important benefit of cat ownership on health. An analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES II) identified over 4,400 patients between 35 and 70 who had no signs of coronary heart disease; 55% of them owned cats.

After tracking the rates of death from all causes, including heart attack (MI) and stroke, the researchers found cat owners had a lower rate of death from heart attacks - a 30% reduction - over the 10-year observation period.

The speculation is that cats, more than dogs and other pets, reduce stress and anxiety. The study couldn't analyze the role of dogs, as there weren't enough dog-owners in the collective.

We've known for some time that pet ownership is beneficial to health; the Delta Society specializes in this topic. I'm a dog person, myself. But we have a couple of cats, too - and when they chase each other I wonder if the anti-stress effect of pets goes out of the window!