The Secret to Immortality
I think I’ve discovered the secret to immortality.
Pet ownership.
According to an article on a UK Health & Fitness website, “Research has shown that lifestyle factors-such as living in the countryside, eating a healthy diet and owning a pet–can add as much as two decades to your life expectancy.”
Two decades.
So I’m thinking-if you can’t live in the countryside and don’t care much for eating healthy, all you have to do is have enough pets and you can skip the diet and location part completely. The average pet owner is believed to live anywhere from two to five years longer than non-pet owners, so depending on the accuracy of those findings, I’m going to be around an extra 10 to 25 years.
“I don’t think you can give any single reason why pet owners live longer,” wrote Bruce Headley, a researcher at the University of Melbourne, “but I think companionship has a lot to do with it.”
A US study on people who have survived a heart attack revealed that pet owners are up to four times more likely to survive one than non-pet owners.
Not only do pets lengthen lifespan, but they improve it as well. “Pets enhance social interactions between people, strengthening social networks and elevating psychological and physical well-being,” said an article from WebMD.
During one experiment, a woman took her dog with her as she went about her daily routines for five days, then did the same routine for five days without the dog. With the dog, she had 156 interactions with people. Without the dog, just 50. So the dog not only provides its own companionship, but also makes it more likely for the owner to have the companionship of other people.
Studies have also found that stroking a dog or cat actually lowers blood pressure, and people with pets tend to have lower levels of triglycerides and cholesterol than non-pet owners. While the lower cholesterol/triglycerides part might be due to the animal conning the owner out of much of their food, it’s likely also that “having a pet stimulates exercise, activity and play,” wrote Alan M. Beck, author of Between Pets and People. “People who engage in regular exercise tend to live longer than those who do not.”
“Just being around dogs boosts levels of serotonin-the brain chemical responsible for lifting mood,” according to research from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
I know that some of the most peaceful times in my life are when I’m with my animals. As I write this, the pup is curled in a ball on the ratty LazyBoy chair in my little home office, and Murry is curled in a ball on his ratty once-white pillow by my feet. Two of my three cats have popped in just long enough to say hi. Just long enough to make me feel cared about.
Usually, the first thing I do when I get home from work is spend some time with my crew. Celeste and Geoff first, then generally by rank of seniority after that. For a long time, I didn’t recognize what I was doing when I would seek out one of my animals for a little one-on-one time. There’s something about stroking their fur, watching their eyes glaze over from an especially good belly-scratching, that can take me from feeling balled up inside down to feeling even again.
What prompted me to research the health benefits of having pets was the reaction of an acquaintance, upon hearing of the number of pets in our house. “I don’t know how you stand it,” she said, looking repulsed. “Animals are so dirty.”
Her reaction surprised me. Although I know animals are dirty and often require a great deal of work, I believe the inconvenience of having to clean up after them is immensely more desirable than the alternative. Which is more important-a clean house, or one that comes with its own cheering section? A spotless carpet, or one decorated with cat hair, rawhide bones and squeaker-less toys? A showcase to impress company, or a place where my favorite company is already there?
For me, the choice wasn’t hard.
And unlike that pet-free acquaintance, my animals are making it likely I’ll be around for many more years to enjoy all their dirt.
April 8th, 2006 at 7:14 am
Cats do shed, but try living with Golden Retriever! I wouldn’t trade him for anything in the world, though.
April 9th, 2006 at 1:19 am
I really agree with your thoughts on several subjects. Of course animals can be dirty but the joy and companionship they offer are worth making our home “pet friendly” which can prevent some of the problems. And for those problems over which we have no control, what’s a little time spent cleaning up after them when you consider how much love our pets give us?
April 10th, 2006 at 10:21 am
My furry baby of 12 years just recently passed away. We found out, after being referred to a university hospital by our vet, that she had tumors in her lungs… she was given a few weeks to a few months to live and she almost made it 6 months. I like to think that love kept her with us just a little bit longer than she was supposed to have been. She was our sunshine and we miss her more than words can say. I feel empty inside without her.
I honestly would love to have one more chance to give her a bath after she rolled in poop, to pick up every toy and crumb of food she’d leave all over the house, to clean one more accident on the carpet or to wipe off her muddy paws. I’d even love nose kisses after she’s eaten something stinkier than I care to talk about!
So for people who aren’t animal lovers… they have no idea what joy they’re missing. For those of us who are animal lovers, we know how lucky we are to have these furry kids in our lives. The things everyone else would consider a hassle aren’t even a bother when it comes to the unconditional love they give.
April 10th, 2006 at 10:55 am
First off, I am so so sorry for your loss Missy. I don’t know what I would even do if anything happened to my babies.
I totally agree with everything everyone has said about having pets on here. I do think that we are so much mor happier than non-pet lovers are.
This next thing is a recommendation for pet lovers. If you all get a chance to read “Marley & Me” by John Grogan, please do so. I finished it over the weekend, and it is the best book that I have read in a long time. Just thought I would share!
April 10th, 2006 at 10:58 am
Sorry but I hate typos, so I have to fix one in the comment I just made: I do think that we are so much morE happier than non-pet lovers are.
April 10th, 2006 at 12:20 pm
Missy — I’m so sorry about your loss. The mess of pets is so worth it. I remember, after losing Jade, my old German shepherd, thinking I’d never be able to go through that again. I was scared to get another dog — so I got a cat instead. And I loved it every bit as much as my dog.
April 10th, 2006 at 1:24 pm
Thanks Dutchnzoey & Karin.
When I heard other people talking about losing their fur kids, I’d always think how I dread the day it happens to me. Now it has and I’m in misery. I started grieving the day FeFe was diagnosed. It’s changing my opinion of having kids… the ‘what ifs’ terrify me. Even our other dog has been in mourning.
FeFe came to live with me during my senior year of high school, helped me adjust to starting a new life as a married woman and moved with us into three different houses. She was our kid… the smartest, prettiest little girl we’ve ever seen
We’re looking into adopting more dogs. I’m thinking a house full of fur like Karin has is a good idea, it could help us a lot. It’s scary to get attached to more, knowing this could happen all over again but Gracie is lonely and I know there are others that need a good home. Just whisper a prayer for us. We miss Fe horribly.
April 10th, 2006 at 5:53 pm
Missy–
I know it’s hard right now, but I can tell that FeFe was worth the pain. That’s an awkward way to put it, and it’s one of those things you really can’t measure, but I’m sure you’d never say “it hurts so bad I wish I’d never had her at all.” Having her was worth how it hurts to not have her. (And I call myself a writer. Sheesh.)
Someone please tell me that made sense.
April 10th, 2006 at 6:05 pm
Karin - sheesh, it made sense AND it made me cry. I wouldn’t trade the life I had with her for anything. She took care of me in her own way all these years. It hurts horribly right now but I was blessed to have her. Thanks for writing… it helps a lot that you understand.
April 10th, 2006 at 7:44 pm
I’m sorry if I made you cry. I really do understand, though. Just the idea of something happening to one of my crew makes me feel sick. I was a mess for AGES after losing Jade (my old German shepherd). Actually, I was a mess a long time before, too, because she had a slipped disk and I did everything to try to get it fixed, but nothing worked. I knew what I was going to have to do and it made me nuts thinking about it. She was the greatest dog, but not very bright (a lot like Murry in some ways).
Speaking of Murry (who is cutting off the circulation to my feet as I type this), last week when I was so sick, I got home from the doctor and sort of collapsed on the bed. Murry laid up against me and I sort of buried my face in his hair and started crying. So you know what my loyal dog did? He LEFT. The minute my tears moistened his fur, he hit the road. I yelled out after him, “Hey! What about that unconditional love thing?” He didn’t even slow down. But Squirt, my big yellow cat, heard me and came running, his belly swinging left to right as he did. He climbed right up on me, wrapped his paws around my neck and put his face against my cheek. In no time, we both were asleep. I woke up about 2 hrs later with him still like that. He’s a pretty amazing cat. I’d be lost without them.
I should probably also mention that when I woke up, Geoff and Celeste had gotten home and cooked this bizarre cake. They didn’t want to wake me to find out where the cake pans were, so they used whatever they could find. It looked like a Dr. Seuss cake.
April 11th, 2006 at 8:18 am
Technically, the crying part isn’t your fault. It’s a daily thing for me. The sick feeling you mentioned is how I’ve felt since September. Our vet thought she had congestive heart failure along with masses in her lungs. I don’t know how (I think it was because I was such a mess) but I talked my boss into letting me bring Fe to work with me since she had to have meds several times a day. I’d stick a diaper on her, cut a hole out for her tail (she was on lasix and sometimes needed to go before making it to the door) and she’d sleep/eat/play under my desk. Everyone got a kick out of the diapers… Fe didn’t mind them at all. After the trip to Va Tech’s vet hospital in October, she’d stay at my parent’s house and I’d sneak away a few times during the day to give her meds (and to get kisses). I miss taking care of her, as crazy as that sounds. We had our own daily routine. I feel lost.
There are things I’m grateful for though… I didn’t have to put her to sleep (she died in my lap while we were telling her how much we love her) and that we took advantage of the time we had with her. I now realize how sick she was and I know she’s in a better place (even though I wish I had just a little more time with her, selfish I know). I lost most of my pics of her on my old computer so from September until March, she was my focus in every pic and every video. We even had a family photo taken. I just can’t bare to watch the video or look at the pics at the moment… I hope one day I can.
Murray reminds me of our Gracie. Big dog, likes to lay on us as if she’s a teenie lap dog and doesn’t stick around when emotions are being shown. I’ve never had a cat but it sounds like they can be just as loving as dogs.
As for the Dr. Seuss cake… now that’s love
I hope you got a pic of it.
April 11th, 2006 at 10:16 am
You’re so lucky to have a boss that would let you bring her in with you. I was lucky that my folks lived next door when Jade was sick. It took two people to help her get around. But I know what you mean about missing that routine. Even a sad one is better than nothing.
I do have a picture of the Seuss cake, but since it was taken with me in it after I’d been sleeping for 2 hrs, NO WAY am I ever posting it here.
April 11th, 2006 at 2:11 pm
I was very lucky to bring her to work and that my parents live only a couple of minutes away from the office. We were (and still are) blessed in so many ways, I just have to force myself to think of it in that way instead of dwelling on what I couldn’t do to help Fe. Thank you for sharing your stories… it helps a lot.
Too bad you don’t want to post the cake pic here… I bet it’s cute
You know, one of these days, Celeste could use that against you! I remember the April Fool’s article… and she is awful sneaky.