A Michael Broad Blog
I like this article in The Independent newspaper about Tom Odell talking about mental health and loneliness (link at base of page). Although, I hate The Independent newspaper! But that’s another story. Tom Odell is a successful British singer-songwriter. He’s got his own Wikipedia page, which is a sign of status in human society. …
San Jose event brings hands-on surgical training to local veterinarians, boosting efforts to reduce pet overpopulation and improve community cat care. This work is always so important. Sadly, there is a minority of cat owners who are irresponsible. They cause animal suffering directly or indirectly. San Jose, CA (April 30, 2025) — With thousands …
Allowing your cat to sleep on your lap for long periods can have both positive and negative health implications for the caregiver. Let’s break it down. Far from me to even suggest that there might be some negatives to ‘lap catting’ but I think it is fair and useful to look at it in …
Here is an infographic summarizing, as per a Hungarian study, the joys and challenged of dog ownership (‘caregiving’ is a better description). More: buying dogs Although the Infographic relates to dog caregiving, similarities must exist between cats and dogs in terms of the upsides and downsides of ownership. Although domestic cats don’t tend to …
Another study, this time from Australia (the country where they hate feral cats), concluded that dog owners have a personality which allows them to better bounce back from stressful situations i.e. they are more resilient than cat owners who they conclude are more likely to be neurotic (‘demonstrating higher levels of neuroticism’). Let’s have …
This is another study which strongly supports the now accepted view that cat and/or dog companionship can compensate for the lack of a human network in single, over-50 people, living alone which is associated with a more rapid mental decline. I have presented the findings of this Chinese study in an infographic for succinctness. …
Elderly people should live with a cat or dog because there is firm evidence in studies that doing so slows natural cognitive decline and keeps you physically healthier. There’s a link between the two. There are lots of studies on how elderly people can benefit from cat and/or dog ownership. In this post I …
There will be different personal experiences on this topic. Some will say that sleeping with their cat or dog improves sleep. Others will say the opposite. Personally, I find that my cat interferes with my sleep despite getting very used to it but I fully accept it. It is my gift to him as …
