Study reveals having Cat as pet in childhood can lead to Schizophrenia later in life

originally posted by: BlueJacket
a reply to: Indigent

Perhaps only RH negative folks like me should have cats?

One idea is that Rh negative people may be resistant to some of the effects of the parasite Toxoplasma. This parasite can invade our body and damage the brain, especially in babies.

It looks like Rh negative people may be less affected by this parasite. In areas with a lot of Toxoplasma, being Rh negative might be an advantage. The less severe effects of the parasite may outweigh the effects on pregnancy.

Just saying...cats arent necessarily the culprit in all cases

genetics.thetech.org...

Some humans have evolved a defense mechanism against these dastardly felines and their bio-weapon.
I'm positive.... A-positive, that is... so no immunity for me.

originally posted by: SLAYER69
Pet lover here

Cats, Dogs, birds, fish etc.


Parasite or not they give comfort and unconditional love. So, if my cheese eventually slides off my cracker so be it.

Dogs are goood.
Cats are bad.
Mmmkay?

I have had both cats and dogs, love them all. I currently own two cats.

To be fair, dogs spread diseases to humans, too:

www.gopetsamerica.com...

Some diseases include campylobacter enteritis, chagas disease and pentastomid infection.


BTW...My cat acts like a dog and will fetch, sit and shake hands.

I hate these kinds of articles. They're so vague. They say this virus only affects those with weakened immune systems. Do they mean that schizophrenia only happens to those who had weakened immune systems when exposed? What do they mean by weakened immune systems? Do they mean someone with a chronic disease like heart disease or diabetes, or are they talking about temporary weakened immunity while down with the flu? They mention that a high percentage of people with schizophrenia had cats as children, but what about those who didn't? How did they get the mental illness? How do we know that the ones with cats didn't get the illness the same way as the ones without cats?

I'm just having trouble buying this whole schizophrenia thing until more info comes out, which rarely happens after one of these "studies" gets released to the media. I am, however a firm believer in keeping cats indoors, as that will reduce exposure to all kinds of diseases and other dangers. That's just common sense.

I guess some kids need to be told the cat box is not a sandbox.
My kids are safe. When it came time to clean the cat box homework all of a sudden became important.

I had cats. And so did I.

a reply to: kaylaluv

It's "junk science". This mess crops up every few decades.

originally posted by: AutumnWitch657
I guess some kids need to be told the cat box is not a sandbox.
My kids are safe. When it came time to clean the cat box homework all of a sudden became important.

There were cats in my abode when I was married to my second wife.
She liked cats.
When I would see the cats walking around the house with poop clinging to the outside of their anal orifice, it bugged me.
It bugged me even more when I would see them sitting on the dining room table and kitchen counters.
I was tasked with endlessly cleaning the poop smears off off the window sills where they liked to sit a lot of the time.
Yuck.

Crazy Cat Lady here, armed and ready to throw my cats at the haters.

a reply to: texasgirl

My cat plays fetch and will sit and shake hands too. She also stands on her hind legs to give a high five when I ask her.
I'm very doubtful about this "study". What professional publications have reviewed their findings? Who has done corroborating studies?

a reply to: zazzafrazz

And not a de-clawed feline in the bunch. Go granny go!

a reply to: AutumnWitch657

if you want to pay for the real paper from the peer reviewed magazine www.schres-journal.com...

The thing is 2 pages long, ummm i think i will convert to be a cat lover now

ac.els-cdn.com... 0b5a65e4c97c547c

a reply to: butcherguy

What???? I've had ten cats in my lifetime and never once did they ever leave feces hanging on their back ends. Not ever.
Now as for disinfecting well they use the cat box then walk on the table or get up on the counter so yes it's a must if you have kitties. But poop smears? I can honestly say not my experience.

originally posted by: butcherguy

originally posted by: AutumnWitch657

I guess some kids need to be told the cat box is not a sandbox.

My kids are safe. When it came time to clean the cat box homework all of a sudden became important.

There were cats in my abode when I was married to my second wife.

She liked cats.

When I would see the cats walking around the house with poop clinging to the outside of their anal orifice, it bugged me.

It bugged me even more when I would see them sitting on the dining room table and kitchen counters.

I was tasked with endlessly cleaning the poop smears off off the window sills where they liked to sit a lot of the time.

Yuck.

Well, then, why didn't you tell your cats to pick that poo sticking to their butts off before leaving the box? Like they can do that, right?

Most cats that scoot on the floor or have poop smears on window sills have a digestive issue of some sort. Or anal sac problems. A trip to the vet would've most likely solved this issue.

My client's dog scooted his rear across the grass and inside the house because he was fed too many treats and he had to poop several times.

Just saying....

originally posted by: AutumnWitch657
a reply to: texasgirl



My cat plays fetch and will sit and shake hands too. She also stands on her hind legs to give a high five when I ask her.

I'm very doubtful about this "study". What professional publications have reviewed their findings? Who has done corroborating studies?

That's pretty cool! My cat doesn't do that but when he's tired of all my kisses he sticks his paw in my face like he's saying "NO MORE." LOL.

a reply to: texasgirl

Most cats that scoot on the floor or have poop smears on window sills have a digestive issue of some sort. Or anal sac problems. A trip to the vet would've most likely solved this issue.

Thanks, but they had plenty of expensive veterinary care. Anal glands expressed, shots, special food.
I see other people's cats with the same poo specks dangling off their outhole.
I have a coworker that has a cat that poos outside of the litterbox. She took the feline to the vet, got the old "anal glands need expressed... that'll do the trick" song and dance and a $200 dollar bill to pay. Cat still craps on the floor.

Oh, I forgot to add...
I found the solution. I got rid of the wife and the cats.

a reply to: butcherguy
Rebellious cat. The cat is now on cat websites with an avatar that says "I hate Butcherguy".

I don't mind cats as long as they are in someone else's house.

originally posted by: Indigent
a reply to: HumansEh

The cat parasite grip on humanity is strong...


I wonder if the ones that saw the dress gold and white were severely exposed to cats during childhood

Thankfully it seems the majority of people is sane and do not own cats

And 30% of domestic cats have the parasite, so there is hope yet

I bet those cat owner numbers have gone way up since 2006. That was before cat ownership was called "rescue" and the whole big movement with Barcs (no pun intended), and other animal shelters popping up all over the place as a result of cat populations skyrocketing because folks abandon cats. If people are smart when cleaning the litter boxes, they shouldn't get the parasite, but I could see how kids would be more susceptible.

Does your standard de-worming get rid of this parasite as well? If so, then being a smart owner goes a long way.

To me, owning a cat is not risky in the slightest. It's like eating sushi or steak. You can get parasites or mad cow disease, but that doesn't stop us.

a reply to: butcherguy

Come on BG your cat hatred stems from your failed marriage, ease up. Not everyones experience with them is like that. Some people have their pets save their lives. Be a bit kinder.

a reply to: Indigent

I'm calling BS on this one!