Can a Cat Make You Smarter?

It has been rumored for years that babies serenaded by strains of classical music grow up smarter than those rocked to sleep by Heavy Metal tunes. Now a study of 200 young people, who owned cats, fish, and other small animals were shown to have scored above average on standardized tests, such as the SAT. This same group also tended to have higher grade point averages. The study was funded by the American Pet Products Manufacturing Association. Cat owners had a GPA of 3.6, versus 3.2 for those students who shunned a bit of fur on their homework.

Some of the improvement may be due to a pet's calming influence. Research has shown that just petting a cat can drop your blood pressure and soothe your nerves.

So next time you have pretest jitters, give your pet a little hug. It can't hurt and it just might help.