Curio #478 - Are cats actually making their owners crazy?
An amusing fact for October 24, 2014 from Justin Kitch, Curious CEO
Warning: feline lovers might not want to read this. Your cat could be making you crazy... literally. A single-cell parasite present in cat feces, called Toxoplasma gondii, has long been known to cause toxoplasmosis in humans. The disease is only dangerous to fetuses, and otherwise just causes brief flu-like symptoms. Or so they thought. Now a Czech scientist named Jaroslav Flegr is claiming these tiny organisms can creep into your brain and mess with your mind, even causing schizophrenia. He believes they tweak how our neurons make connections--altering our personalities, how we trust others, and how we respond to potentially frightening situations. Flegr's theory has been ignored for years, but scientists are running out of reasons to doubt it. Recently this same parasite was found to change a rat’s inherent aversion to cats into a strong attraction by rewiring how its brain dealt with fear. Dear cat lovers: there is some hope. Flegr believes himself to be afflicted with this brain disorder, so his theory could just be the ravings of a mad--albeit very brilliant--scientist. At least mine poops out doors day or night.
I live in a house full of nut cases including the cat ant64 so maybe Flegr is right or not? I will happily take my chances though but when our old cat (16) dies there will be no more. Well, that is what I say now. Take care xxxxx
Ah that's exactly what I said when my old moggy died sassy. And guess what - 4 months later I got a kitten The place is so empty without a pet
coughalot x
• in reply to
sorry was trying to answer hard as we all know when we are violently coughing but poor me has to hang on for dear life to keep my incisional hernia in place
pssst, coughalot, your invisibility cloak does not seem to be working very well at the moment. x
exactly what I said when my last dog died but weird as it may be this cat adopted me as long as I fed her and that was 3 years ago now she sleeps on my bed and in a morning she goes out checking her manor while I have my shower shave and breakfast. Then up pops Zebedee just in time to start her head butting session of the morning leaving her scent on me and claiming me as her own ugh! I hate it when she raids the foxes cache and brings me in a juicy headless rabbit.
Out two are sisters the one is a hunter the other is happy for me to go to pets at home to hunt on her behalf she spends many hours curled up in the dogs bed and when my husband put the kettle on he she will follow him for milk, I would not be without them
Hi I have a 14 year old ginger n white long haired male cat.
I don't own him he owns me!!!!
He is very much like Garfield lol.
When he isn't out . He curls up on my pillow waits for me. Or came to sit and paddle down into my lap even tho.
He is a biggish cat. He still paddles and purrs basically his way of saying stop moving around take a chill pill. He sits right snuggled up its so calming he gets the right hump if I should even dare attempt. To move.
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The place is so empty without a pet 
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