Can cats make you nuts? Not really

Can cats make you nuts? Not really


Good news for cat lovers: Your furball won’t affect your mental state — unless you count the times she misses the litter box or yaks up a hairball.

Previous studies have suggested that cat ownership may be linked to some mental disorders such as schizophrenia because of a parasite called toxoplasma gondii [toxo-plasma GON-dee]. House cats are known to be hosts for this onerous pest, which infects up to 60 million people annually in the U.S. It’s normally not a problem unless you have a compromised immune system, which is why pregnant women get a nine-month pass on cleaning litter boxes.

A study of 5,000 people in the U.K. found that children born into cat-owning households were not being treated for psychotic symptoms at a higher level than those who had no cats around the house. What was linked with developing symptoms of schizophrenia were overcrowded households during childhood, genetics, improper nutrition in utero and taking certain mind-altering drugs like methamphetamines or LSD. Toxoplasma gondii, however, can cause serious birth defects, so experts continue to recommend that pregnant women avoid contact with cat waste.

And cat scratch fever isn’t just a catchy song, it’s a disease caused when a cat carrying a bacteria called Bartonella henselae [hens-lay] bites or scratches you, breaking your skin. The bacteria is more common in kittens than it is in adult cats. Symptoms are similar to those of a fever and will normally go away on their own.

So, owning a cat likely won’t adversely affect your mental state unless you have a weakened immune system — or if you try to engage in a battle of wills.

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