We have all heard stories of the crazy cat lady. You know the lady we are talking about. She lives with 23 cats. She dresses some of the cats in doll clothes and allows all of them to eat at the dinner table with her. The only question is, was she crazy before she started cohabitating with cats, or did the cats push her over the edge?
Along with recalling the crazy cat lady, you likely
recall the cliché “dogs have owners, cats have staff.” It’s true. As someone
who lived with as many as three cats at a time, I can attest to the fact that
cats will tweak your brain over time.
When I lived with three cats, I sometimes felt like
nothing more than a meow-operated canned cat food opener.
Turns out science might be able to prove that cats
drive us crazy. A recent review of 17 separate studies conducted by researchers
from the University of Queensland, Australia, found that individuals exposed to
cats before the age of 25 had approximately twice the odds of developing
schizophrenia. The research team used meta-analysis of existing research from
11 countries, including the US and UK, published over the last 44 years.
Scientists postulate that the link to mental
disorder is likely due to a parasite found in pet cats called Toxoplasma
gondii, which invades the body via a bite. The parasite can then enter the
central nervous system and affect neurotransmitters in the brain, leading to
personality changes, psychotic symptoms, and psychiatric disorders such as
schizophrenia.
—Mitchell
Hegman
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk
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