Blood Pressure

It's often said that having pets is good for your health, as patting a dog or cat reduces your blood pressure.

I'm starting to wonder if there's some point at which the opposite is true, as pets certainly have the ability to make blood pressure rise! There could be a formula for it, based on the number of pets, their age and breed.

You could draw a diagram of it, it would look like a game of reverse Snakes & Ladders.

I sometimes think in my house it's 50/50 - having 5 cute, pattable pets brings the pressure down, dealing with the noise and mess they all make (and trying to keep the peace so they don't kill each other) sends it straight back up again. So we're no better off than if we didn't have them, if we're measuring only blood pressure.