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Cats are Good for You!

News & Events

Domesticated Cats have been around for least 10,000 years and have warmed our hearts and souls with their amusing antics and soft-spoken presence ever since. If you have never owned a cat, it is hard to imagine the feelings of love and comfort that these four-legged friends inspire. But did you know, according to science, cats are actually good for your health?!

Mental Health
Owning a cat improves mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and feelings of loneliness. Cats are incredibly entertaining. They respond to both your voice and touch and can keep you laughing and smiling all day long. You see, spending time with a cat, or cats as the case may be, triggers the release of oxytocin, the hormone is known for inducing feelings of love and trust and reduces the stress hormone, cortisol. In fact, a Swiss study revealed that owning a cat is similar to having a romantic partner and listen up guys — women are more attracted to men who own cats!

“Alzheimer’s patients have fewer anxious outbursts if they live with a companion animal.” 
 WebMD

Relief from Grief
Losing a loved one is incredibly painful, but one of the best coping strategies is to own a pet. Cats offer a calming presence, comfort, compassion, and unconditional love, which can be extraordinarily soothing when faced with feelings of isolation. Cats have been shown to help people get over their loss more quickly, and show less physical symptoms of pain. Cats are intelligent animals and serve as a social support during difficult times. People in mourning report that talking to their pets helps them work out feelings of grief — they don’t judge or talk back. Cats, in particular, are very connected to their owners in ways that other animals and people are not. Pets depend on you for their care and wellbeing, but in return, they give purpose to your life.

Autism Spectrum Disorder
We all know that cats have a reputation for being aloof, but Frontiers in Veterinary Science reports that cats are affectionate with children with ASD, benefitting the children and families. Children with autism seemed to be less anxious and calm while petting a cat. Researchers from the University of Missouri found that the social interaction of children with autism dramatically improved when around pets. In the study, half the families that participated had cats, with parents reporting strong attachments forming between the cat and their child. ‘These kinds of social skills typically are difficult for kids with autism,’ Gretchen Carlisle, a research fellow at the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction, said. ‘But this study showed children’s assertiveness was greater if they lived with a pet.’

We must stress the importance of finding a cat with ideal traits for a child with ASD, look for a kitty who is affectionate, well socialized (preferably with children), and is very low on the aggression scale. Purr Partners has adoption counselors who are incredibly well-versed in matching the appropriate feline to suit the specific needs of individual families.

Cardiovascular Benefits
But the benefits don’t stop there, our feline friends provide us with more than just emotional support. In a 2017 study, cat owners who were in their late 50s had half as many diagnosed health conditions and took 30% fewer prescribed medications as did their counterparts who didn’t own a cat. Who knew that independent fur-ball could be so good for you!

The University of Minnesota’s Stroke Institute has reported that cat owners have 40% less risk of suffering a heart attack and have lower triglycerides and cholesterol levels. High triglyceride and cholesterol levels contribute to heart disease and are symptomatic of type 2 diabetes as well as strokes, liver and kidney disease. Naturally, reductions in these levels lead to a decreased risk of these diseases as well.

“Male pet owners have fewer signs of heart disease — lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels — than non-owners.”
 WebMD

Want your kids to breathe easier?
Furry family members may help to increase children’s immunity and reduce the risk that they will have asthma, allergies, and even eczema. The NIH reports that infants who were exposed to a cat were less likely to develop allergies — and not just pet allergies!

“High pet exposure early in life appears to protect against not only pet allergy but also other tips of common allergies such as an allergy to dust mites, ragweed, and grass.” 
Marshall Plaut, MD, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

The Healing Power of Purrs
Of course, this is our most favorite healing power — PURRS! What about those vibrating sounds that cats make? Much of why a cat purrs is still a mystery, recent studies suggest that purring acts as a natural healing mechanism in both cats and humans.

A cat’s purr has been compared to a human smile. People smile for a variety of reasons — when they are happy, nervous, unsettled, or when they try to make someone else feel comfortable. It’s that way with a purr as well. Cats may purr when happy or content, but they may also use it as a way of self-soothing and healing. They may purr when they are nervous, sick, in pain, or even when close to death. This makes sense because of the endorphins that are released during the act of purring.

Purrs vibrate at 20-140 HZ, which is also the same frequency that assists in the mending of broken bones as well as muscle, tendon, and ligament injuries. The vibrations increase bone density levels and help with the physical healing of infection and swelling. Therefore nearby humans may be therapeutically benefitting from these vibrations. Purring also decreases the symptoms of dyspnea, the difficulty or pain with breathing, in both cats and humans.

It seems that cats may have the ability to relieve us of our troubles or at least push our worries a little further away while we are with them. Cats have always struck me as being a bit mystical and magically mysterious — now they have healing powers?! It’s nice to know that having a fuzzy fur-baby around will add years to our lives — I guess those crazy cat ladies aren’t so crazy after all!

Written by: Sondra Triblehorn, Board of Directors, Purr Partners Feline Rescue

How Animals Benefit Individuals with Autism – Autism Awareness. https://autismawarenesscentre.com/animals-benefit-individuals-autism/

MU News Bureau | MU News Bureau. https://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2018/0305-millennials-are-not-adequately-saving-for-retirement-mu-study-finds/

Why Kittens Should Be Adopted In Pairs

Cats & Kittens for Adoption


🐱🐱  Kittens are curious and crave constant stimulation. A single, bored kitten will often entertain itself by chewing on plants, climbing drapes, climbing furniture, unrolling toilet paper, exploring electrical cords and sockets, etc. This is not to say that kittens who live with other kittens won’t also sometimes do these things, but if they have another kitten to tumble around and play with, it is less likely that they will need to entertain themselves with behaviors like these, which at the least are destructive and at the worst can be very dangerous.

Kittens tend to be very active at night. A single kitten is likely to keep the owner awake with constant jumping, pouncing and other hunting behavior directed at any portion of the owner’s body which moves under the bed linens. With a companion to play with after the owner has gone to bed, this behavior is minimized as the two will occupy each other by finding interesting shadows to chase and games to play until they finally tire and fall asleep too. Kittens want and need interaction with others of their own kind for healthy social development. A kitten learns a lot in the first several months of life from its mother and litter-mates. Separating a kitten from its mother is often a necessity in order for it to be adopted, but taking it away from its litter-mates and isolating it can delay the kitten’s development emotionally, socially and sometimes physically. Kittens that are able to remain with one of their litter-mates or a similarly aged companion, tend to be healthier and happier, and in the long run, better socialized pets than those who are isolated from others of their kind at an early age.

Anyone who has observed kittens knows they want to bite and wrestle with one another–this behavior is normal. You cannot prevent a kitten from doing what comes naturally anymore than you can force a two year old toddler to sit still. Though it is not acceptable for a kitten to bite and wrestle with its human companions, in the absence of having a littermate or companion its own age to play with, this is precisely what a single kitten will want to do. Even if you are willing to allow (and can tolerate) this behavior from your kitten when it is small, by the time the animal matures, you will end up with an adult cat who has developed very bad habits (for example, biting and scratching as “play”). Humans, even loving, caring humans, are not an adequate substitute for a cat in lieu of one of its own kind. Even if the owner is fortunate enough to be home quite a bit, the amount of attention a lone kitten will demand is likely to occupy all of the owner’s waking hours at home. A pair of kittens will definitely still want to interact with the owner, but can keep each other occupied while the owner is doing such necessary tasks as working, paying bills, having telephone conversations, gardening, laundry, etc. Most cats, regardless of their age, are highly sociable and are truly happier living with other cat companions. This in turn makes them better pets, which results in happier owners. Particularly if there is already an older cat in the household, a kitten should not be brought in as a lone companion. As mentioned above, a youngster has boundless energy, wants to play and run constantly, and requires very high amounts of interaction, all of which are likely to overwhelm and irritate an older cat in short order. Likewise, a kitten is apt to be frustrated that its companion does not have the same energy level as itself. At the very least, this can lead to two very unhappy cats. Worse-case scenario, behavior problems such as litter box avoidance or destructive scratching can occur if one or both cats act out their frustrations on their surroundings. Longer-term, it is almost certain that the two will never have a close, bonded relationship, even after the kitten matures, since their experiences with one another from the beginning of the relationship are likely to be negative. An older cat is better matched with someone of his or her own age, who has a similar temperament.  Adopting a single kitten or young cat is simply not a good idea. Trying to keep a single kitten occupied, stimulated, safe and happy while also going about the business of everyday life is much more of a challenge than it may seem upon first consideration.

At Purr Partners, our goal is not simply to do large numbers of adoptions, but rather to ensure that the animals adopted from our program are getting a home for life. Recognizing that even when a potential adopter has carefully thought through the decision to make the lifetime commitment of adopting animal, bringing a new pet home inevitably creates big changes.  Minimizing the factors which are likely to cause stress to an owner, both in the beginning and on an ongoing basis (like being repeatedly pounced on in the middle of the night, or having the brand-new draperies shredded) is therefore the best thing we as volunteers can do to achieve that goal.  We understand and accept that someone out there will probably adopt or sell you a single kitten. With that in mind, please think long and hard about forcing a kitten to become an only child. Mother Nature knew what she was doing when she created kittens in litters!

Top 10 Reasons to Adopt an Adult Cat

News & Events,

10. Older cats are calmer.
9. Their personalities are well developed and a good match is easier to make.
8. There’s no question as to how big they will get.
7. They are less likely to get into mischief around the house.
6. They need less attention than young kittens, but can still be quite playful.
5. They still make strong bonds with their new families.
4. Many don’t mind if they are left alone while you are at work or school.
3. Cats often live 15 or even 20 years, so an 8 year old cat is only middle-aged and has many years of affection left to give.
2. These wonderful loving kitties deserve a second chance.
And the #1 reason to adopt an adult cat is…kittens aren’t kittens forever!