Cats have between 230 and 250 bones; it has to do with how many toes the cat has, and how long the cat’s tail is. Humans have only 206 bones. Cats can smell better than humans can; they have about 19 million olfactory cells to our 5 million. Cats can even hear better than us – they can hear frequencies up to 64,000 Hertz compared to our 23,000 Hertz. Read on to learn what these advanced beings can do for humans.
Cats Protect Against Heart Attack Deaths
Cat owners have fewer fatal heart attacks, so has determined research from the Minnesota Stroke Institute. In a study in February 2008 of approximately 4500 adults, those who owned cats had a 40% lower risk of lethal heart attacks. The researcher, Adnan Qureshi, M.D., believes that cats lesson the stress in people and thereby offer protection against heart disease. The Pet Health Council, a confederation made up of 11 mostly British organizations, believes besides stress reduction, cats help lower blood pressure and aid in illness recovery. Their motto is, "a pet all day keeps the doctor away."
Cats Shield Against Cancer
In the United States, there were nearly 66,000 new cases of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) in 2008. It is a cancer of the immune system with symptoms of enlarged lymph nodes, weight loss and fever. Researchers at Stanford and the University of California have found among 4000 patients, those with cats (and dogs) had a 30% less likely chance of developing NHL. Experts think animals strengthen humans’ immune systems by exposure to allergens (Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention, September 2008.)
Cats, Purring and Strong Bones
Cats’ purring may be beneficial to them as well as to humans. Cats use a vibrational frequency of 25 to 150 Hertz. They use purring to communicate, hunt, give birth or even mend their bones. Now experts from the Fauna Communications Research Institute in North Carolina (USA) are speculating that cats’ vibrational frequencies when purring, at their dominant range of 25 to 50 Hertz, helps heal, and grow denser, human bones.
More Cat Research is Needed
Cat-therapy research is in its infancy. Some people swear by cats helping them alleviate a migraine headache. Others note the immense emotional support provided by their pets. A nursing home in Rhode Island even has a resident cat that signals when an elderly patient’s time has come to pass on; the cat curls up on the patient’s bed.
Reference
“Purring Helps With Healing.” Suite 101, accessed February 9, 2009.
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