Jacob Alves
People that think cats are useless may not have the right understanding of the worth these cute felines have to offer us. The fact that the ancient egyptians held cats to the highest esteem should give you an idea of their worth.

Egyptians worshipped a cat goddess, often represented as half feline, half woman called Bastet. There were severe penalties for anyone who injured or killed a cat.

There being such big consequences for harming a cat must mean there has to be some useful benefits from feline that a lot of people just aren’t aware of. Or some people just don’t think cat’s have any means of making life easier and only see them as another thing to take care of.

Keith Lane, a freshman at Northern Essex Community College, helped spread some light on the subject after telling me about his beliefs on how beneficial cats can be for us.

“They help keep you calm and your blood pressure low. They’re also like pest control, keeping your house or yard clear of mice, squirrels, birds, frogs, anything they can get their claws on. Cat’s can even help you get into a more serious relationship. People that like cats I feel are more understanding and sympathetic,” says Lane during a deep conversation about about cats.

Lane hinted at three different ways we can benefit from them. Starting with the physical health benefits we can find from them. Cats help you have a healthier heart, decrease the risk of heart disease and heart attacks, reduce stress and anxiety, and reduce the risk of stroke.

According to 10 Scientific Benefits of Being a Cat Owner from MentalFloss.com, “Owning any pet is good for your heart. Cats in particular lower your stress level—possibly since they don’t require as much effort as dogs—and lower the amount of anxiety in your life. Petting a cat has a positive calming effect. One study found that over a 10-year period cat owners were 30 percent less likely to die of a heart attack or stroke than non-cat owners (although this might just be because cat owners are more relaxed and have lower stress in general).”

Owning a cat will bring a more relaxing vibe to your home and life. Cat owners are recognizable for having lower blood pressure than non-cat owners because of how relaxing and calming cats company can be. Having a cat will help prevent you from raising your temper and blood pressure level inturn. It’s been shown by the University of Minnesota Stroke Institute in Minneapolis that those that do not own a cat were 30-40 percent more likely to die of heart attack than those that own a cat.

Cats are so relaxing they lower your triglyceride and cholesterol levels too. Having high triglyceride and cholesterol leads to heart disease and is symptomatic of type 2 diabetes along with stroke, liver and kidney disease.

Even if you were to have an epileptic seizure your cat could save your life. Cats have a weird nature of knowing when something is wrong with you. Whether it’s a seizure or a broken heart a cat knows when their company is needed. They sense your indifference also recognizing the signs and come to warn you before it occurs. It is still unknown how cats are able to do this but it is nice to have that prevention support around the house.

When you’re having a bad day or not in a good mood and need a little company, cats will always be there to curl up by your side and put a smile on your face. A full time EMT, Jessie Armstrong, tells how her cat makes her day a little more bearable, “My cat helps me deal with my day to day stresses and definitely makes me feel better after a day at work. I work as an EMT and some days, work can be extremely emotionally draining and I come home exhausted. When my cat greets me at the door and snuggles with me, even after really morbid calls all day, she helps me relax and leave my job at the door.”

People have found that cats help people to get over their loss or whatever they may be dealing with faster, showing less physical pain, like crying. Even though they’re just animals, cats work as a social support during hard times. People in mourning have talked about how they would talk to their pet to work their feelings out because it can be easier to talk to something that can’t respond or judge you like another person would.

Maybe you’re a strong independent person that doesn’t have feelings. Then you might care more about how cats can benefit your home or environment. It’s well known that cats love to catch mice like Lane explained during an interview, “They’re also like pest control, keeping your house or yard clear of mice, squirrels, birds, frogs, anything they can get their claws on.”

Having cats in your home with help keep it vermin free. If you have an outdoor cat it will even protect your yard from mice, squirrels, birds, bunnies, rabbits, frogs, snakes, whatever they can find to leave at your doorstep and surprise you with.

Speaking of the outdoors, according to 10 Scientific Benefits of Being a Cat Owner from MentalFloss.com, A 2009 study found that over its lifetime, the resources needed to feed a dog make the same eco-footprint as that of a Hummer. Meanwhile, cats—which eat less in general and are more likely to eat fish than corn or beef flavored products—only have the approximate carbon footprint of a Volkswagen Golf.

The reference of a dog being like a Hummer and the cat being a Volkswagen Golf is a perfect example. A Hummer is a very large heavy duty all-terrain truck or SUV that blows through gas faster than you can fill it up while a Volkswagen Golf is a quite small coupe or sedan that you would only fill maybe once a week.

Having cats in your house can actually help you become more resistant to allergies as well. Exposure to pet dander and fur in your house allows your body to build up a sort of immunity to allergies, decreasing the risk of asthma and allergies.

Now that your allergies have reduced because you probably got a cat by now, you can finally go out and interact with other people. Owning a cat can help increase your socializing skills. Cat ownership is an easy conversation starter and enhance their ability to socialize. A study has even revealed that women are more attracted to men who own cats because it suggests sensitivity and intelligence.

Now that you have picked up some social skills and appear a little intelligent you are even closer to finding that date you’ve always wanted. Being a cat owner can show your personality more as well. Cat owners tend to be more sympathetic, intelligent, sensitive, more introverted, and more open-minded. They also tend to be non-conformists, being more expedient instead of following the rules.

If you still didn’t end up getting that date, it’s ok. Having a cat will give you something to sleep with. Studies have even been shown that cats can help you sleep better. If you have trouble sleeping at night, maybe a fluffy cuddle buddy is all you need.

Although, if you did get the date and everything’s going well. You might end up marrying them and having kids. Raising a kid with a cat can be quite beneficial to your kids life and personality. Growing up with a cat encourages children’s sympathy as they can learn about feelings as they play with cats. Owning cats gives the kid the ability to feel what others feel. When they grow up, they’ll have that feeling of empathy towards others from caring for the cat. This will help them be considerate and think about what they need to do dealing with others depending on how they feel.