For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Hi everyone on this sunny and warm autumn day!๐๐๐ย What beautiful weather we are having right now.ย It is very unusual to get temperatures this warm past the middle of September.ย But it certainly is nice!ย I am enjoying it very much.๐๐ย Though I have actually heard people talking in our coffee shop and complaining about the hot weather.๐ฒ๐ณย Amazing really.ย Oh well, guess I’m different.๐๐น Just as a bit of a disclaimer, I am not in any way suggesting that people get a cat for a pet if you already have allergies to cats.ย However, if you are not allergic to them, then a cat just might be a good choice for a pet, if you are looking for one.๐๐บ
Muffin๐ผ๐ has been wanting me to do a post on cats for some time now.ย And since I don’t enjoy having sore feet all the time๐ณ๐น๐, I decided now would be a good time to get this done.ย At least my feet think it’s a good idea anyway.๐ค๐ย So, what we want to look at, are reasons why having a cat in the house is good for your health.ย These are not just random ideas, but have actually been proven through various studies.ย Now, some of these things would also apply to having a dog as a pet, but others are specific to cats.

So, let’s get started with this important topic.๐ธ๐ป๐ฝย Having a pet cat can have a positive impact on mental health.ย Having a cat around can actually make it easier to cope with daily stress.ย They actually lower our stress levels.ย Just having a short petting session with a cat is enough to release chemicals in our body that help to decrease stress and anxiety.ย Plus, the purring of a cat will help to reduce stress as well as lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels.ย Having a cat around has also been linked to a lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and strokes.ย Cat owners are less likely to have a stroke than other pet owners too.

People are often concerned about allergies when thinking about having a pet.ย But, it has now been proven that children that have a cat around in their first year of life are less likely to develop allergies of all kinds.ย The secret there is having the cat around right from birth to be a help to your child.ย It can help to toughen up a baby’s immune system, in particular against respiratory diseases.ย Children with a cat in the house will have fewer infections and respiratory problems.

Hmm, I will keep it there for now and share the rest in part 2.ย But as you can see, having a cat for a pet is good for your health.ย By the way, dogs are also good for your health but in some different ways.ย Other animals are not quite so beneficial.ย I hope you all have a wonderful day and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
ยฉ 2019 Steve McLeod.
Good job. My wife is allergic and my 7 dogs might have a problem
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Thanks Bruce! I hope that doesn’t mean you have to get rid of your dogs.
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Seven dogs?! Wow! ๐ฒ
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Yeah we keep doing rescues
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Thatโs beautiful. I want to do either a rescue or adopt a pet. There are so many without a home. Iโd love to be that person.
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Thanks to Steve for starting the discussion. Muffin is a rescue/adopt also. That is one gorgeous cat.
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I agree. I love how she keeps him on his toes. ๐
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And sometimes off my toes if she bites too hard!๐๐น
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๐
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Thanks for reading Bruce! Yes indeed, Muffin was a rescue cat, ended up at our cat shelter where I adopted her.
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Yes indeed, so many need a good home and it’s not only good for them, but good for us as well. Muffin was a rescue and had been an abused kitty so it took some work to get her to trust and accept me. But well worth the effort, she is indeed a gorgeous cat and so loving now. Check out your local cat shelter, they are likely overflowing with cats. You might even have a cat cafe in your area where you can have coffee and interact with cats that are up for adoption.๐๐ธ
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Thanks for the tips. Iโll have to wait until I move. My buildings doesnโt allow pets ๐
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Here it is now illegal for a landlord not to allow pets unless the person is not looking after it properly.
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Oh ๐ค
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So true about having a cat…they are beneficial for oneโs well being…even if we are wrong about it, cats are just so cute and cuddly !
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They really are beneficial in many ways and more coming up. Thanks for reading!๐๐บ
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Yes! Great post and I fully agree! ๐ฑ๐๐
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Thanks so much Vivian!! Have a great evening!๐๐ธ๐บ
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Such a great blog post, Steve! Thank you for making Muffin the spotlight tonight. I couldn’t agree more about the therapeutic benefits around owning a furry friend. We adopted a cat earlier this year because I was majorly depressed and was struggling with suicidal tendencies. Timon the cat has helped me quite a bit, as he brings me a lot of joy these days and seeing Rebecca play with him makes my heart happy. She absolutely adores this cat โค
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Thanks for reading Hilary! Cats are indeed the best pet for any kind of mental health issues and have been a great help to many that have depression. Having a cat curled up on your lap purring can do wonders. But just having one around, even if there isn’t much close interaction is beneficial. Kids and cats can be fun to watch for sure. I hope you have a wonderful day Hilary!๐๐บ๐ฑ
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I had a childhood cat growing up and she didnโt like me very much. I begged my parents for a cat because I was so lonely as a kid, and this is the cat they got for me. She was a gorgeous cat but very mean and nasty to people. They finally let me get a dog many years later and because the dog was so friendly, I found this dog to be a good fit for me. For depressed people, I recommend getting a friendly animal who likes to snuggle up to you. ๐๐๐
The cat we have now is super friendly (we got lucky) which is probably why I like him so much, compared to the mean childhood cat who wanted nothing to do with me. ๐ญ
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I agree with you, a friendly cat is what would be most helpful for any kind of mental health issues. A person has to be very careful when adopting an adult cat as they may have issues from their previous owners. That was Muffin’s problem and they didn’t tell me at first. I’m glad I stayed with her though. But a friendly animal is much more helpful.๐๐บ๐ธ
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Ironically, my childhood cat was a kitten when we got her. We bought her from the breeder. They held onto her because she was the prettiest one of the litter they said, but they had to sell her, so we got to keep her.
Timon on the other hand, was adopted from the shelter in Calgary. He was a stray for most of his life. Now he is 2 years old and he hasnโt been with us for very long (since April). They say that adult cats are more ideal for toddlers as opposed to kittens so thatโs why we got an adult cat. Timon is literally the happiest cat ever and the friendliest cat I know. And apparently when he underwent surgery, they said that he was the happiest, most playful sedated cat theyโve ever seen. I guess being an indoor cat is luxury to him and heโs just happy to be alive and loved ๐๐
I am sorry that you had issues with Muffin in the beginning. Iโm happy that you stayed with her and didnโt give up. And now sheโs become internet famous on Steveโs Country, who would have thought? ๐โฅ๏ธ
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Yes indeed, adult cats are better with toddlers.
Muffin was an abused cat, that’s why the problems at the beginning. It took a few months of patient working with her, but what a beauty she has become!
Another oddity, male cats are often better for girls/women than female cats, doesn’t seem to matter for guys.๐ค๐๐ธ๐ป
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I couldn’t imagine life without cats. When my Sam passed away last year I was heartbroken and I’ll never find another cat like him. We had such a strong bond! But I still have 2 others that need me. ๐ And don’t tell them but I think I need them too.
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Thanks so much for reading Michelle! Cats do make wonderful companions and we can get very close to them. And they are a big help to us also in so many ways. They probably already know you need them! Have a wonderful day Michelle!๐๐บ๐ธ
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Great post, but I’m allergic to cats. ๐ฆ I LOVE them though!!!
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My husband is allergic to cats too. We almost had to settle for a hypoallergenic cat. We got our cat from the animal shelter so we werenโt sure how he would fare with this cat, but he handles the cat well and is only mildly allergic to him. If he takes an allergy medication then he has no issues whatsoever. โฅ๏ธ๐
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Sometimes the length of fur makes a difference too. A tight shorthair often doesn’t cause problems for those who are allergic.๐ธ๐ฝ
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Timon is a Domestic shorthair so that makes sense. My childhood cat was a half Persian and he was severely allergic to her. ๐คง
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It does make a difference!๐๐บ
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That’s too bad he’s allergic, but I’m glad you could find a cat that he won’t have a bad reaction to.
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Yes, unfortunately a lot of people are allergic to them. Watch funny cat videos, next best thing.๐๐น
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Yeah, I guess so!
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Get a cat. They don’t bark at houseguests. ๐
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Yes, that is so true, thanks so much for reading! I hope you have a great day!๐๐บ๐ธ
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Hi Steve and Muffin. This is fun! Anything for the purrrrr….
God bless the animals.
How is your back today? Glad to see you are in good spirits despite the pain. Laughing is more fun than crying, no? Hope you rest well. ๐
See you tomorrow!
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Good morning Nina! Yep, Muffin said it was a purrfect post.๐ป๐น๐ฝ
My back seems worse today than yesterday.๐ Does that, feels like it’s getting better, then wham, back to the beginning.๐ณ But there is improvement though. Yes, laughing is better.
Thanks for reading Nina! How’s the garden?๐ผ๐ฉโ๐พ All finished or still growing a bit?๐ค I hope you have a wonderful day!๐๐ธ๐๐๐
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Well keep laughing, Steve! Garden is good thank you for asking. Keeping me busy getting ready for fall planting. Working on a new videoโwill post soon…
Ok, give Muffin a scratch from me!๐๐บ
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Storms are over, sun is shining again and Muffin is out and about once more. She doesn’t like those thunderstorms at all. Extra scratch? Will do. Enjoy your gardening!๐๐ธ๐ฉโ๐พ๐ผ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฝ
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Cats are good for the health, except for those poor feet! Not so good for those lol! ๐น๐ฆถ ๐
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True!๐And wearing shoes doesn’t help, the ankles are still available!๐น๐ผ๐บ
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Hey Steve! Yes having a cat is really fun. They are a perfect partner to make you laugh and keep you active with their cute attitude and possessive meow’s and sometime that dont care attitude โจโบ๏ธ.. That’s why i love Cats there is now one girl cat around is now and she is a great hunter, i often see squirrel hairs and pigeons, no idea where she hunts all her food.๐๐… Nice post Steve, waiting for next post….
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Hi Simon! Yes, cats can be a lot of fun to watch, especially when they are just acting silly! They are also very good at keeping unwanted critters away from the house. They are really an all around great pet! More to come!๐๐บ๐ธ
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Hola lovely Steve, i have a cat and even if she hates me, i like her, the cat has some super powers to make people calm, they also can be super funny and active, but somehow they feel when people feel bad and they come to lay down next to them with๐
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Hey Ilona! Thanks for stopping by to read this morning! I’m sure Leya loves you, she just likes to fight, some cats are like that.๐ป๐ผ You’re right, cats know when we are sick or having a bad day and they come to us to comfort us. That’s coming up in part 2.๐I hope you are having a great day!๐๐๐ธ๐๐
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Chin rubbed! โค ๐
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Yes, indeed, she loves it! Thanks for reading Jessica!๐๐ธ๐ป
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Now I have two ๐If not allergic they are beneficial for us! ๐
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That is so true, thank you so much for reading this Suni! I hope your day has been great!๐๐บ๐ธ
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Awe, I fell in love with Muffin right now, so so lovely post Steve.
I am allergic to cats, but we had and still have cats on the farm. I love them…
I have dogs too, and yes, I am absolutely agree with you๐บ
I wish you a nice day.
Take care.
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Thank you for reading Lillian and for your wonderful comment! There are many health benefits for having a dog for a pet too. I love dogs, but it’s just not possible for me to have one now.
I hope you have a wonderful day Lillian! Thank you!๐๐ธ๐๐๐
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Take care Steve๐บ
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Thanks Lillian, you too!๐๐บ๐ฝ
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Cats are the most amusing and delightful creatures! I love both cats and dogs, however, cats are my choice of pets. I think both cats and dogs are good for one’s health and well-being. They are good companions and something to care for and cuddle. It’s unfortunate some have allergies to pets. โ๏ธ
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Thank you for reading Eugenia! Yes, both cats and dogs provide health benefits. And they provide way more benefits than any other animal used as a pet. It is terrible that some people are allergic to them. I hope you have a great day Eugenia!๐๐บ๐๐๐
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๐
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They are simply wonderful! (My cat was watching me!)
Enjoy your day โบ๏ธ๐น
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Thanks so very much for reading today Ross!! Cats are great pets for sure! Thanks, enjoy your evening!๐๐บ๐ธ
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She scratched me! My cat really scratched me! Will she know how to read thoughts? But I was joking!๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ผ๐พ๐น
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Maybe she was reading what you typed!๐๐น
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Muffin is adorable. She makes me miss my dog Stitch. ๐ข I miss him.
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It’s always hard when we lose a pet. Guess that’s why I always get another cat right away. It helps to get over the loss. Thanks Tiffany! I hope you are having an enjoyable evening! How is school going?
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Itโs hard to replace my dog. He was the most beautiful gift I ever received and a treasure for my life.
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Yes, never look at it as a replacement, just as a new life coming in that needs someone to love them.
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True. But I miss her ๐
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I can certainly understand that. I still miss my previous cat even though Muffin is such a wonderful pet.๐๐บ
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Him* not her, ๐
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That was a typo. Muffin is a wonderful cat.
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Yep, understood. I hope you have a wonderful day!๐๐บ
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I love cats. I miss my Minnie ๐ฆ
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They are good for our health, physically and mentally. Thanks for checking this our Stu!๐๐ธAnd we do tend to get attached to them!
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