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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | APRIL 2018 53 Older adults can achieve the same benefits from dog ownership as younger folks. For example, a survey of adults 60 years and older showed that dog owners walk more than non-owners and have lower blood triglyceride levels. Pet owners are also more likely to remain more active than non-owners. Senior dog owners enjoy improved physical activity, spending more time outdoors and walking about twice as often as non-owners. Older dog owners also experience less stress and loneliness, better nutrition, and a stronger focus on the present. Seniors in mobile home parks in central California were asked to take typical daily walks. Dog owners walked once with their dogs and once without their dogs. Walkers carried a hidden tape recorder to monitor conversations during these walks. Non-owners tended to talk about health problems and the past, while dog owners were more likely to talk about their dogs and present day events. Walking with the dog also promoted light, social banter with the dog during the walk when not speaking with other people. Therefore, walking with a dog tends to promote a healthier focus on the present and not on one causing health concerns in seniors. The health benefits of having a pet include: reduced risk of allergies, asthma and eczema, lower blood pressure, a stronger heart, improved fitness, and greater calm for Alzheimer's patients. For example, simply petting an animal can cause one's blood pressure to drop. A study was done where hypertensive stock brokers were instructed to either pet an animal or take a hypertensive drug to help quell their mental stress. Those who adopted an animal had a better reduction in blood pressure than those who took a hypertensive drug. There are many health benefits of owning a pet. The companionship of pets can help manage loneliness and depression. Pets can increase opportunities to exercise, participate in outdoor activities, and socialize. Therefore, regular walking or playing with pets can decrease blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels. Remember, healthy pets = healthy people! Dawn Marcus, M.D. Pack Walks, all dogs are welcome and we practice techniques to calm barking dogs. • Saturday morning, 8 am, meet at the Spa parking lot • Wednesday afternoon, 4 pm, meet at the Summit parking lot (please, no retractable leashes) Dog Owners Group, Patrick and his dog, Ricky Ricardo: dog_owners@yahoo.com. ~ Patrick Gerety D.O.G. Tails & Trails - All Pets CAT TALES… THREE INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT CATS For those of us who own cats, we've learned to interpret their every distinctive meow, sound, and behavior. Cats are unique in so many ways, from the shape of their eyes to the reasons they purr. Here are three interesting facts about cats that remind us why they're such amazing creatures and companions: 1. Cats don't only purr when they are happy. While cats purr when they're happy or satisfied, they also purr in stressful situations, and this has spurred research about what purpose it serves. Researchers have determined that cats purr at frequencies between 25 and 150 hertz, a frequency range that can improve bone density and promote healing. According to Leslie Lyons, a professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis, cats may purr as a way to stimulate their bones and muscles without expending energy or stressing their bodies. In other words, purring is a means of communication and a potential source of self-healing. 2. Cats are possibly the only mammal that can't taste sweetness. Cats, including lions, tigers and domestics, lack the amino acids that make the DNA for the gene allowing them to detect sweet tastes. Researchers believe this may be related to the fact that cats are primarily carnivores and are descended from a long line of meat- eaters and have no need to detect the sweetness that is found in carbohydrates or plant-based sources of food. However, many of us have cats that love sweets (mine likes cake, ice cream, and anything raspberry flavored). Researchers attribute this to cats enjoying the sensation of creaminess, fat, or tartness, and not the sweetness of the item. 3. A cat's brain is biologically more similar to a human brain than it is to a dog's. Both humans and cats have identical regions in their brains that are responsible for emotions. We have a similar overall brain structure as well, according to Nicholas Dodman of the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. Just like humans, cats have temporal, occipital, frontal and parietal lobes of their cerebral cortex. Cats seem to think in the same pattern as humans, too, partly owing to the similarity of neurotransmitters, which are used in conveying data. Cats receive input from the basic five senses and process that data just as humans do. Our next meeting is Wednesday, April 25 in RCN 3. Contact us at fsbtailsandtrails@gmail.com or find us on Facebook at Four Seasons DOG | Tails and Trails. ~ Toni Adams

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