Someone mentioned the calming effects of cats and I believe it.
One of my cats has a routine of sitting on my lap around 4 o'clock each day. I start rubbing her and immediately feel myself slowing down. That's got to be healthy!
And nothing like the sound of a purring cat :)
I showed this thread to my DH b/c he loves animals as much as I do. He loved all the pics!! And he laughed at all the avatars b/c so many are cats and dogs :D:D