Want a cardiologist cat ?

A glass of red wine, Low–dose aspirin, a cup of green tea, aerobic exercise, having your teeth cleaned regularly, and releasing anger have all been touted in medical research studies as ways of decreasing the risk of dying from heart disease. But rescuing cats is an overlooked therapy that hasn't been recommended –– yet. That is, until doctors hear about Carol Smith's experience.

When Smith found a scraggly, starving mother–daughter cat family home on the beach near her home in Saco, Maine, she also saved her own life. Molly and Miss Minnie at various times, over a number of years, became what Smith's cardiologist called kitty pacemakers.

The cats took turns waking Smith at night, massaging her chest, and keeping watch over her through the periods when her heartbeat was faltering during the night. It wasn't until she went to a doctor and described what the cats were doing, that the lucky patient learned they had been performing a life–saving medical procedure. After the doctor implanted a mechanical pacemaker in Smith's chest, the cats stopped their nightly vigil. She knows that if they ever start up again, it means she had better get a checkup right away. Smith says, "Over time, I have learned to listen to my kitty heart specialists more carefully. I discovered that they were far smarter about my health than I was."

Smith's story is included in the book Angel Cats: Divine Messengers of Comfort by Allen and Linda Anderson with an endorsement by actress and animal advocate Tippi Hedren (New World Library, October 2004).

Author Allen Anderson says, "Carol's story illustrates the spiritual relationships people can have with cats. Her extraordinary experience was verified by her doctor who realized that the cats Carol rescued had rescued her."

Given the depth of the closeness between humans and cats, it is no wonder that 77 million cats live in U.S. households, and Americans spend $31 billion on pet products. Millions of people view cats as family members – buying birthday and holiday gifts for them, calling themselves their cats' mother or father, and sleeping with kitty cuddlers in their beds. Recent scientific findings, reported in Angel Cats, show that a cat's purr is the same frequency that increases bone density and strengthens and heals fractures. Spending time with cats offers health benefits such as lowering blood pressure, lifting depression, and helping people to live longer.