[Vision2020] For Us Cat Lovers

[Tom Hansen]

>From today's (February 22, 2008) Spokesman Review -

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Cats reduce risks, study says 
Maura Lerner 
Minneapolis Star Tribune
February 22, 2008

A new study suggests cat owners are less likely to die of a heart attack.
http://tinyurl.com/2bubnq

MINNEAPOLIS – Here, kitty kitty....

A new study suggests cat owners are less likely to die of a heart attack 
or stroke than people who, well, don't own cats.

And no, dogs don't do the same trick.

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, which was 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 
completely," he said, but "it's probably not a coincidence."

Asked if he owns a cat, Qureshi replied: "No. Maybe I should get one, 
though. With this new research, I think the time has come to change."

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"People who ridicule others while hiding behind anonymous monikers in chat-
room forums are neither brave nor clever." 

- Latah County Sheriff Wayne Rausch (August 21,
2007)

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