I think this may be why I feel the need to shop:D so much... LOL!


Can cats make you crazy?
Parasite may be factor in mental illness

By Tamara Ikenberg
[email protected]
The Courier-Journal

Cats: fluffy puffy friends, or instigators of mental illness?

According to a study by Stanford University researchers called "Parasite Hijacks Brain With Surgical Precision" published April 2 in New Scientist and the new book "Survival of the Sickest" (Morrow, 267 pp. $25.95), by neurogeneticist Sharon Moalem, they could be both. The scientists theorize about toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that can reproduce only in cats and has the power to trigger schizophrenia and other particular behaviors in humans.





We talked to Moalem about this new insight that could make "the crazy cat lady" more than a myth.

Q: Cats have long been suspected of being in league with witches and dark powers. Could there be a connection?

A: There could be. People could've noticed that those who tended to have a lot of cats tended to be strange. There may be something to that old mythology of the crazy cat lady now that we know there's some kind of weird mind control going on.

How does the parasite get to the cat?

It changes the behavior of mice and rats. It controls the mouse or rat's behavior to such surgical precision that they just lose their fear of cats, cat urine or cat smell. The parasite literally turns them into cat food. In a weird way, it saves them for the cat. It really doesn't do anything to the cat. It's almost to the cat's benefit to have the parasite. It gets them food. That's really why you shouldn't let your cats out.

Why can T. gondii only reproduce in cats?

It's just one of those quirks of nature. It's called co-evolution; one evolved with the other. How it arose? No one has any clue. It needs the cat to do its sexual reproduction. It's just so freaky. It makes an animal lose a fear of only one other animal, and that's the animal it's trying to get to.

How does it get from a cat to a human?

The eggs that come out that can infect you are shed in cat excrement. So it's because of the litter box. It'll stick to cat litter; so if the cat drags it out and you ingest it by accident, you can get infected.

I have three cats and am already plenty strange. But I don't let them out.

That's fine. As long as they've never had access to mice.

They're all rescued.

Then most likely they could be carrying the parasites. … If you're exposed to that parasite when you're young, like in the first few years of your life, that may be the worst time to be infected by it. That's when your mind is being formed; structurally it's kind of being put down. The first few years of childhood are so crucial. I find it funny: Parents spend so much time, money and effort to make sure their kids get the best education, not realizing that the cat they have can put them at risk for schizophrenia. Parents buy a good car seat, they drive a Volvo, but the cat could be causing problems. … Pregnant women should not be emptying litter boxes. If you get an infection with this parasite when you're pregnant, it's bad news. You can lose the baby.

What other curious behaviors does T. gondii trigger?

Women infected with this parasite tend to be hypersexual; they have more partners. The men (with the parasite) tend to be more withdrawn and pick more fights. With women, there also seems to be an obsession with shopping and appearance; a change in behavior. From a host-parasite relationship, it makes total sense, especially if you think of something as accepted as rabies. It makes animals more aggressive. That's just a simple virus, and look at that behavioral control it's doing. T. gondii is much more complicated than a simple virus.

This all makes me think of Don Konkey on the F/X series "Dirt," the schizophrenic photographer who adores his cats so much he made a shrine for a recently deceased furry friend.

It fits so well. What's interesting and we should remember, too, is (that) it's not a cause of schizophrenia, it's just another risk factor that could push you (over the edge). You have some underlying things that are going on, and if a parasite is manipulating and changing your brain structure anyway, that's what happened.

I am afraid these findings will make people hate kitties.

I think there's enough anti-cat sentiment. It's just not cats. Cats do get the bad rap because that's where they (the parasites) go to reproduce. You can also get this parasite from undercooked meats. There should be a movement to try to make a vaccine or try to get cats free from this parasite completely. It's something that's preventable. Tapeworm used to be in every single pig you'd buy and eat. We've made changes to get that not to happen anymore.

Will any of these findings eventually benefit cats, mice or people?

It lends more strength to the idea that if something affects the behavior of a mammal with such surgical precision, there's likely an effect on us. There's work under way to give people with schizophrenia drugs against T. gondii and see if that treats schizophrenia.

To heck with gun control, we need to outlaw cats! I've said that for years. The way they sit on the TV staring at you. You know what they are thinking. They're thinking that if you died, they could live off your corpse for months. I HATE CATS!

True, and have you ever noticed how they strategically position themselves right behind your feet next to a large flight of stairs... or how they feel the need to extend their claws as they jump onto you... I think they are going for blood.

Well yes, and as a matter of a fact, when they come up to you and start rubbing on you it's not because they love you, it's because they have been rolling around on a pile of dead rats and they want you to smell just like their favorite food! YUCK!

Or its all a plot.. they want you to think they love you, when really they are just waiting for the right time to strike...

Lol wow both of you sound cooky hehe:) αre you sure you guys don't own cαts:D

No, they are much more cunning than that. They are doing dirty little things to you when you are not looking. For example: A dead, dried, diseased mouse just suddenly appears in my underwear drawer. See what I mean. Add up all of those little things and what have you? Nothing short of cat terrorism.

Yes blαme it αll on the cαts-- might αs well weαr α tin foil hαt mαgprob:Dhehe

Who told you about my tin foil hat? Boy, you can't keep any secrets here on AMHD!

It isn't me talking, it's the parasite... I grew up with cats... hate them now... haha terrorist cats... awesome!

Hey now.. it isn't tin foil... it is a fool-proof parasite protection device! You are just jealous that you don't have one...

I had that same disease and I went into a Catatonic trance. My friends took me to a witch doctor deep in the jungles of Mexico and that was the only thing to save me. Modern medicine is no match for it. Needless to say, I will never allow another cat in my house and when I see one nearby, I do the cleansing ceremony the witch doctor taught me. It really works.

Man you were lucky I went all the way to the Philippines to have psychic surgery performed on me to remove the parasite, but all doctor Jun Labo found were some chicken livers... those dang sly cats!

Yea, I had sugery performed on me by that same dude and he started pulling chicken innards out of my belly. Well, needless to say, I wasn't going for this crap for another minute! I stopped eating chicken innards that very day and now I seem to be fine.

Wow I hope you guys αren't being serious now...

Meow

Serious as a car wreck!

I'm telling you... those cats are trying to take over the world... they are going to turn us all into their robot slaves!!

hαhα wow-- I like cαts.. don't own one but I prefer them over dogs.

Don't worry, I have Cataloged every incident and I am ready to turn my report into the FBI- Feline Bureau of Investigations.

Oh God, that was bad!