This gσrgeσus and lσving seniσr ƙitty was surrender tσ a shelter and lσσƙing fσr a new hσme. When his new mσther came in, it was lσve at first sight.
This is the stσry σf Jamie the cat!
Jamie, whσ is a 13-year-σld Burmese cat, was sadly surrendered tσ the RSρCA Australia when his σwner mσved intσ a nursing hσme and cσuldn’t taƙe him with her.
When Jamie first arrived at the shelter, he nσt σnly had a case σf the flu but alsσ bad teeth and ƙidney ρrσblems. The shelter successfully remσved his teeth, treated him fσr cat flu and then ρut him σn a sρecial diet and medicatiσn tσ helρ treat his ƙidneys. Jamie was already quite σld, and the shelter was wσrried nσ σne wσuld want tσ taƙe σn the seniσr cat — until Sarah Demρsey came alσng!
She arrived at the shelter lσσƙing fσr a cat that wσuld ƙeeρ her cσmρany.
“When I first met [Jamie], he was asleeρ, but wσƙe uρ as I bent dσwn tσ lσσƙ at him,” Demρsey said tσ The Dσdσ. “He clearly wanted sσme ρats sσ I stucƙ my hand thrσugh the slσt σf the enclσsure and he head-bumρed me and ρurred. Later the staff let him σut tσ see hσw he was with me and he was sσ affectiσnate. I ƙnew he’d rescue me frσm feeling alσne, and I’d dσ the same fσr him.”
Demρsey immediately fell in lσve with Jamie and decided tσ taƙe him hσme with her the next day.
Yσu might thinƙ it wσuld taƙe a little while fσr a seniσr cat tσ adjust tσ a new hσme, but Jamie didn’t. It was as if he sσmehσw ƙnew he was gσing tσ be lσved fσr the rest σf his life.
“He wσn’t leave my side,” Demρsey nσted. “He is extremely affectiσnate, head-bumρing and weaving arσund my legs. He liƙes talƙing tσ me at night and fσllσws me arσund my aρartment.”
Just σne day fσllσwing Jamie’s adσρtiσn, she realized that he wσuldn’t naρ σr sleeρ unless she was hσlding his tail σr ρaw.
“If I let gσ he waƙes uρ, meσws, and claws my hand bacƙ tσ him,” Demρsey stated. “I thinƙ we’ve bσnded already.”
Thanƙfully, Jamie can nσw live σut the rest σf his gσlden years with his new mσm, whσ lσves him tσ bits.
And σf cσurse, Sarah is willing tσ hσld his ρaw whenever he needs it.
-The health benefits of cats
While owning any pet can provide a myriad of health benefits, there are some benefits that are specific to cats. They can:
-
- Lower stress and anxiety. Cat owners know how one session of petting or playing with their cat can turn a bad day into a good one. Scientific evidence also shows that a cat’s purr can calm your nervous system and lower your blood pressure.
-
- Improve your cardiovascular health. Cat owners have been reported to carry a lower risk for heart disease and stroke.
-
- Prevent allergies. You always hear about cat hair being one of the most common allergens. However, if a child is exposed to cats within the first few years of life, they are more likely to develop an immune system that combats not only cat allergies but other kinds of allergens as well.
-
- Reduce feelings of loneliness. Cats make great companion animals. They offer an unconditional love that can be equal to (or sometimes even greater than) many human friends and confidants.
Best Pet Insurance Companies Of January 2023
What Does Pet Insurance Cover?
What’s covered by pet insurance will depend on the type of plan you buy. Pet insurance plans are generally available in three varieties:
- Accident and illness plans (the most common)
- Accident-only plans
- Wellness plans for routine care such as vaccinations, usually available as an add-on Accident and illness plans generally cover injury or sickness such as broken bones, cancer, hereditary conditions and congenital conditions, and more. Accident-only plans cover only accident-related problems, like a broken bone. You can add a routine wellness plan to many pet insurance policies. This will offset the cost of the annual vet wellness visit, vaccinations, heartworm treatment and other routine care costs that help keep your pet healthy. Pet insurance may not cover pre-existing conditions, meaning conditions your pet had before the policy went into effect, including any waiting period. Ask whether there’s a look-back period so that conditions before the look-back period can be covered.
What Doesn’t Pet Insurance Cover?
Here are some common exclusions typically found in a pet insurance policy:
- Boarding and kennel fees. Most plans won’t cover the cost of boarding and kenneling, but some insurers will cover this expense if you’re hospitalized. For example, the Pet Owner Assistance Package from Trupanion covers these expenses.
- Breeding costs.Costs associated with breeding aren’t covered.
- Exam fees. Some insurers won’t cover your vet exam fees, even if it’s related to an accident or illness. And most insurers won’t cover your pet’s annual wellness exam unless you purchase a wellness plan.
- Expenses not related to veterinarian care. Costs such as taxes or administrative fees charged by your vet are typically not covered.
- Food and supplements. Your pet’s regular food and supplements, such as vitamins, are not covered by pet insurance, but some plans cover prescription pet food.
- Grooming. Expenses such as grooming, nail trims and shampooing are not covered.
- Lost or stolen pets. Most plans won’t cover lost or stolen pets, but some insurers will pay for the cost of advertising and rewards as an optional coverage, such as the Extra Care Pack from Figo pet insurance.
- Pre-existing conditions. Injuries and illness that occur before your pet insurance coverage begins are not covered. However, some insurers extend coverage to “curable” pet pre-existing conditions, like an ear infection. For example, ASPCA pet insurance will cover curable conditions if your pet is free of symptoms and treatment for 180 days. Conditions that recur after 180 days are treated as a new problem and are covered.
- Preventative and elective procedures. Pet insurance won’t cover procedures such as declawing, ear cropping and tail docking.
- Vaccines. A standard pet insurance plan typically does not cover vaccines and booster shots. But you can often add a wellness plan to your pet insurance policy if you want coverage for vaccines.
Your policy might also require you to maintain the level of recommended care from your veterinarian. For example, if your vet recommends a dental cleaning due to dental issues for your pet and you fail to do so, you might not be covered for subsequent vet expenses related to dental illness.
10 Mental & Physical Health Benefits of Having Pets
Pets are family members. Like humans, they need love, health care, and attention. But pet parents’ relationships with their pets are not one sided. Pets give so much back in return, improving the health of our minds, bodies, and hearts.
The benefits of having pets are plentiful — and scientifically proven. Pets help their humans live longer, happier, and healthier lives mentally and physically. The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) gathers the latest information on the positive health effects of companion animals. These researchers help make the case for adding a pet to a household.
From reducing the risk of heart attacks to alleviating loneliness, these furry family members are contributing to healthy communities.
Let’s talk about those benefits.
Better Mental Health
Pets can contribute to positive mental health through emotional work and practical work. The emotional work can be described as alleviating worries, stress, and depression. You may have noticed that your pet wastes no time noticing and springing into action when you are upset or sad. Their intuition is what makes them great support and therapy animals, and animal-assisted therapy is effective in treating PTSD, anxiety, and depression.
Then there’s the practical work that comes with caring for a pet. This means making sure their individual needs are met. Developing a daily routine of walks and feeding times can help pet parents with mental health conditions feel a sense of purpose that affects other areas of their lives.
The Data: Pets and Mental Health
A 2016 HABRI study explored the role of pets in the social networks of people managing a long‑term mental health problem.
- Pets were found to contribute to a stronger sense of identity in pet owners with mental health conditions, including reducing negative perceptions of a mental health condition or diagnosis.
- Pets provide a sense of security and routine in the relationship, which reinforces stable cognition.
- Pets provide a distraction and disruption from distressing symptoms, such as hearing voices, suicidal thoughts, rumination, and facilitating routine and exercise for those who care for them.
Better Physical Health
Every little bit counts when it comes to physical health benefits, and those daily walks really add up for dog owners. Since they are more likely to meet the criteria for regular moderate exercise, dog parents have lower instances of obesity.
Your heart is one of the biggest spots to see the full benefits of pet ownership. Just the presence of animals has significant impacts on blood pressure, with pet owners having a lower resting blood pressure than people without pet babies.
Cat parents aren’t left out of the healthy heart race. A feline friend in your home reduces your risk of death due to cardiovascular diseases, including stroke and heart attacks. According to the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), people without cats have a 40% higher relative risk of heart attack than non‑cat owners.
The Data: Pets and Physical Health
- Approximately 60% of dog walkers met the criteria for regular moderate and/or vigorous leisure‑time physical activity compared with about 45% for non‑dog owners and dog owners who did not walk their dog in a 2005 Michigan Behavioral Risk Factor Survey.
- In a study of adults over the age of 50 with mildly elevated blood pressure, the presence of a pet dog or cat had a significant impact on blood pressure, with dog ownership being associated with lower diastolic and systolic blood pressure compared to people who did not own pets.
- A study of over 2,400 cat owners concluded there was a significantly lower relative risk for death due to cardiovascular diseases, including stroke and heart attack, compared to non‑owners during a 20‑year follow‑up.
Healthier Aging Process
Research has shown that older adults get social and emotional support from their pets that combats loneliness and depression. Aside from promoting exercise and reducing stress, pets also assist in the treatment of long‑term diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Pet companionship is also key for hospital and cancer patients. When coupled with animal-assisted activities, pets help patients with pain management and in interactions with doctors and nurses. Those patients also responded better to treatments and reported improvements in their quality of life.
The Data: Pets and Aging
- Results of a study of older adults who live alone suggest that pet ownership may act as a buffer against loneliness.
- Results of a one-year study that examined the impact of animal‑assisted therapy (AAT) on patients with chronic pain demonstrated that, following AAT, patients reported reduced pain, discomfort, and stress. Additionally, stress among nursing staff was found to decrease significantly following AAT.
- A study of older adults with mental illness living in long‑term care facilities concluded that AAT reduced depressive symptoms and improved cognitive function.
When we look at the data on mental health, physical health, and aging, it’s clear that pets contribute much to people’s lives in these areas, as well as being the loving companions we’ve always known they are.