It was an ordinary day. Watching our two feral cats, The Gray Lady and Snickerdoodle, play together. Snickerdoodle is perhaps twice the size of The Gray Lady, but The Gray Lady never gives up and continues to play, or whatever you might want to call it, until she has the upper hand. My wife Carol and I have the most fun watching our two four-legged family members. One, or both of us, may have had a bad day, either physically or mentally, but our two four-legged friends always help us through the day with their antics or loving rubs. An article in a recent magazine I just read said..."Pets May Be Good For Brain Health." How true! One of them always seems to want to be sitting or napping on your lap or somehow making contact with us. As I type this story, The Gray Lady is sitting between my legs as I have them extended on the foot of my recliner. It was about four years ago that they both showed up at our back door, wanting out of the cold winter weather. Didn't take long before we doubled the size of our family. The Gray Lady is primarily Carol's feline friend while Snickerdoodle is my feline friend. And...their bonding with us has helped not only them but us. Our three children had left our nest years ago and we were ready once again for a few children (felines) to enter our lives. The bond has been a big help to us due to a variety of medical problems we have experienced in the past. The emotional connection that develops between our cats and ourselves is hard to describe unless you too might have experienced the same bonding. Seems that a new study that was presented at the American Academy of Neurology suggests that owning a pet may slow cognitive decline in older adults. Little is known about the long-term impact of pet ownership on cognitive health. At least 50% of older Americans own pets and studies are being performed to try and learn how long term brain health is affected for those that have pets, be they cats, doge or any other pet. Studies are now taking place to investigate the long-term health, social and economic implications of aging with or without a pet in the house. So far, researchers have found that people ages 65 an older who own pets for more than five years scored higher on cognitive tests than those without pets. The increased physical activity, reduced stress levels and socialization opportunities that often come with owning a pet may be possible buffers against cognitive decline. But, more research needs to be done before everyone should go out and buy a pet! You also need to consider financial, emotional and social commitment involved in caring for an animal. A study was made that examined the effects of pet ownership on human health, including for people with post-traumatic stress disorder and older people experiencing the isolating effects of COVID-19. So far, there is increasing evidence that people who interact with their pets experience less stress. Some evidence includes lower blood pressure in people who are around animals. Testing seems to be encouraging that owning a pet helps with cognitive health. Some support pet ownership and suggest policies that would eliminate pet fees in rental housing, expanding pet foster care programs when owners are hospitalized unexpectedly, and lowering costs of veterinary fees for pets of older people. The use of animals to support older people seems to provide much needed compassion and companionship. I would certainly be in favor of having a pet as you age. We have the best time with our Snickerdoodle and The Gray Lady and can't imagine what life would be like without them. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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