Should We Be Worried About Parasites from Cats?
Via FunnyCatPix.com
You can never be slim or rich enough, said the late duchess of Windsor; but can you ever be too worried about your health? Epidemiologists are always finding new things for us to fret about, new threats in the environment for us to avoid if we can or bite our nails over if we can’t. It is, as the French say, their métier.
One of the latest scares is over a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, a protozoon parasite that until recently was thought to be harmless for everyone except for the fetuses of pregnant women and people with much reduced immunity, for example patients with AIDS or Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This parasite is, if not quite ubiquitous, very common, so if it really is harmful there might be a lot to worry about. This is no time for complacency: where health scares are concerned, it never is.
The definitive host of the Toxoplasma parasite is the domestic cat, but it can be passed on to other animals, especially those that provide us with our animal protein (although cattle are relatively resistant to infection), and it thus enters the human food chain.
A recent editorial in The Lancet contains a sentence that could become a locus classicus of epidemiological neurosis. Having pointed out “the widely held view that Toxoplasma gondii contamination in food and human infection in general should not cause public concern,” it goes on to say, “However, infections could have as yet poorly understood adverse consequences.” That no definite adverse consequences have not yet been discovered does not necessarily mean that they are not there; there is an old medical dictum that says that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Relaxation, about anything then, can never be justified.
But is there any evidence that infection with Toxoplasma gondii is actually harmful except to restricted groups (in whom, indeed, it can be very serious indeed)? The Lancet editorial refers to two pieces of research, one from Denmark and the other from the United States, that suggest that infection might do neuropsychiatric harm.
Danish researchers found that women who had antibodies against the parasite were more likely than those who did not to make suicide attempts, particularly by violent methods. (Although Denmark is a small country with a small population, it has a remarkable record of medical research on large numbers of people.) Altogether 45,788 women had their blood checked for antibodies against Toxoplasma while they were pregnant, and it was found that those who tested positive were 1.53 times as likely to attempt suicide as those who did not; moreover, the risk increased with higher levels of antibody.
In the United States, researchers found that people who suffered from bipolar affective disorder (both mania and depression) had an increased prevalence of seropositivity for Toxoplasma.
As the editorial points out, correlation is not causation; it could be, for example, that people with certain behavioral propensities are more likely to become infected with Toxoplasma. But it also points out that the parasite, which enters the human brain, has genes that can modify the production of the neurotransmitters that according to modern neuro-scientific doctrine play a determining role in our mood and conduct.
Dogs can be infected by Toxoplasma as well as humans, and the infection sometimes causes them serious symptoms. They are infected by cat feces, and indeed without cats there would be no toxoplasmosis. No wonder that dogs act on a variant of Dick’s famous advice in Henry VI Part 2: The first thing we do, let’s kill all the cats.
****
More from Theodore Dalrymple on health at PJ Lifestyle:
What about crazy cat women. My cousin is married to one of them, and she has also made him crazy too. They say ” Any more than three cats is a symptom of mental illness”. They have at least a dozen, and are staunch Democrats, need I say more.
Hm. Robert Heinlein was a cat lover. So were Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain and Winston Churchill. Ayn Rand. Ernest Hemingway. Of the people who write here at least Sarah Hoyt.
But unfortunately Lenin is on that list too.
Heinlein was fond of cats, but practical. In “Grumbles from the Grave” he relates an incident where he borrowed a friend’s pistol to put down a neighborhood feral tom who was terrorizing the Heinlein’s house cat.
That wasn’t practical, that was cruel.
What’s sad about that is that he had to borrow a pistol. My image of Heinlein has changed forever.
I am an admitted crazy cat woman. My wife and I have 5 indoor cats and we love them to pieces. Voted first time for Reagan in 1980, voted R every election, just picked up my Romney/Ryan yard sign, bumber sticker and gave 100 to the campaign chairperson here in Colorado.
In France they have a variety of wine that has that lil tiny smell, that they call “pipi de chat”, that is “cat’s pee”. France is 40% infected with toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis definitely has adverse effects on human health, and for what I know, there’s no cure for it. I have never been tested, but have reasons to believe that I have it. Cats try to infect all food with their feces, as it is in the food that mice go. Mice infected with toxoplasmosis actively seek cat’s pee, get it, and get caught — and eaten by cats. Quite a weird evolutionary trick.
Historically cats were so sacred because they protected people from mice spread of cholera, that made possible the growth of civilizations. For a reason they were holy in Egypt. Toxoplasmosis only helped.
Also, if you pay attention, in mating season (cats don’t make sex all year round, like drunk liberal women) toms imitate the cry of human babies. They’re telling mollies that their kitties will be able to move human compassion best. The baby cry is the noise that most urges humans to action.
Cats were sacred in ancient Egypt because they are such good mousers and protected stored grain.
I have several cats, all of them rescues. I also work with three organizations, rescuing cats from all kinds of terrible situations. Some very good people in history have loved cats. Frankly, I don’t trust a person who doesn’t like cats.
Hear, hear >^..^<
As a crazy cat lady I take great offense to being lumped in with Democrats.
Another eminent cat lover: Benedict XVI.
Seropositivity of toxoplasma gondii, which is known to cause mental disorders is extremely high, >85%, in both France and Saudi Arabia.
Connect the dots.
Parasites ON cats? Cats ARE parasites.
A dog will cheerily clean the kitchen floor after you drop something.
A cat yawns and wants to know who stole the throw-pillow from the sofa.
Yes, Cats are Parasites. And Con Artists too. We are sucked in by their charms every day.
Maybe they are Advanced Aliens from Outer Space come to conquer Earth?
Cats are sluts. You think they are out hunting but they are really at their other owner’s house eating food and getting attention.
My cat’s a floor licker too. Guess she passes the test for civilised pethood?
Hey by the way, you don’t have to follow cats around with plastic bags to collect their crap.
Ah, Ha thanks for that! I just finished dumping 5 litter boxes and filling them with 2 big bags of kitty litter.
Kitty litter, don’t even use it. She goes outside somewhere… I don’t ask questions.
So, you ridicule dogs because their owners have to clean up after them but admit you don’t clean up after your cat? Do you think your cat’s poop just disappears? Cat poop in public places is just as disgusting as dog poop.
Every urban area has millions of wild animals living in it, and they all drop their poop in public places.
Is cat poop any more disgusting than squirrel poop, rabbit poop, deer poop, or bird poop? Or skunk poop, raccoon poop, or coyote poop? The contribution of housecats to this problem is trivial.
Also, don’t assume that krontekag’s cat drops her poop anywhere off his property.
Well, yes, actually, it is.
The only thing worse is pig poop.
Cats bury their crap. They are like humans that way.
Cats don’t cover their poop to be clean. They cover it so the smell will last longer. Many dogs do the same thing.
Spoken like you never own a cat and just simply don’t understand them.
Cats are very fastidious about their poop, they bury them. Indoor cats are even more picky about the litter provided by their human companions.
It is the urine they spread to mark territory.
It’s clear that Toxo doesn’t have any obvious, immediate, serious effects. What is being looked at is that Toxo could have subtle, long-term, mild effects.
And since there are enormouse numbers of people affected – that could represent a lot of health damage.
About a decade ago (I’ll have to see if the link is still live), it was suggested that sub-acute toxoplasmosis made women, ahh, freer with their favors. If so, I suggest that we give a kitten to every woman that we know.
There are no cats in Antartica, and you hardly ever meet anybody with a bipolar disorder. QED. Anyhow, cas are much,much smarter than dogs. If one were to collapse, a faithful dog would sit by the body anxiously. Your cat, however, would yawn, stretch, and go find something to eat.
@krontekag,
It is people like you that make me HATE cats, and that was before it was made public they can kill you with their parasites!
When you open your door to let your “lil kitty” go outside to “do its thing”, YOU ARE THE CAUSE OF ENVIORMENTAL DISASTER!!!!
Not only does your cute lil kitty piss & shit all over your neighborhood (that should be illegal because if it is for dogs it should be for cats too) is it any LESS gross ou have to scrape a cat turd off your shoe?
When your cute lil kitty is in heat they like to spary their “musk” all over everything and that stinks for weeks on end! It also ruins A LOT of modern things like car tires that can add up very quickly in an area overrun with cute lil kitties.
Last but not least, they like to hunt. Since YOU feed them everyday they are not hungry and only hunt for the fun of killing and that puts a hell of a strain on the local wildlife.
Everytime I see a protected spiecies of bird being killed by a cute lil kitty just for the hell of it….it makes my blood boil that humans cannot be held accountable just because its a freakin K-A-T.
I would truely be a happy camper if every single domestic cat was killed off and a permanent hunting of them allowed in all 57 states.
If Obumbles can eat dog and get away with it then americans should be able to kill of this dangerous preditor that has NO NATURAL ENIMIES and is allowed to reproduce unchecked all across this land.
Like I always say:
If the shit hits the fan and society breaks down, cats will be “on the menu” for years to come and that is the ONLY positvie thing I can say about CATS!
Button pushed?
Check.
cool down and get some lessons of true Nature, you Ms Endangered Species
Dear Spymyeyes: to be sure they are merciless, indiscriminate killers, but FWIW, they have increasingly been getting their comeuppance from the coyotes, who are naturalizing in practically every suburban environment east of the Mississippi.
Maybe you should lay off the caffeine for a few days….
I agree. Birds > cats.
People who let their cats roam outside are irresponsible. It is bad for wildlife and it is the end of many a cat.
Birds are not being killed off by domestic cats, they are dying out because humans are destroying their habitats. As for cats hunting, so do dogs, foxes, raccoons, raptors, coyotes, wolves, cougars, bears, etc… And so do the humans bold enough to kill their own meat. Are you a vegetarian? EVERYTHING outside is killing to eat and depositing their waste everywhere. Unless you plan on living in a sterile bubble somewhere, perhaps you should try to get a grip.
Funny, I had a cat that went outdoors while I was growing up although none of mine now ever do. This particular kitty was certainly a hunter because we regularly found piles of bits of hair and feathers … never found whole bodies though. Someone was eating off her kills if she wasn’t doing it. In fact, one time we had a mouse in the house. It took her all of a week to stake out the place where it was and catch it, and after proudly playing with the corpse, she then settled down a crunchy, crunchy mouse meal … right in front of us. This was despite the regular feedings she got from us.
Guess we got the world’s only paleo-diet cat.
Global Warming must be losing it’s impact, we need another “threat” to civilization for the MSM to get worked up about and distraught. Seems like they revive this story about every three to five years. It never seems to get the traction they’d like. I wonder why that is?
That beautiful orange and white cat looks very much like my own little pal. He’s a good friend.
Maybe this article was an experiment by Dr. Daniels to see how much of a reaction he could get from the cat people v. dog people.
the whole country has a serious parasite problem, and no, not just the two that have taken up semi-permanent residence in the big white house on penn.ave. i’m talking about the 10′s of millions of lazy, drug addled scum-suckers that have infested uncle sugar’s every crevice.
it appears an immediate mitectomy is in order.
After living with and near cats for over 10,000 years, we should have had the time to develop resistances to what the little beasties can infect us with, and vice-versa.
Here at the shipyard I’m presently at is a pride of about a dozen semi-feral whiskers lounging and scrounging about…a veritable maritime version of the Jellicle Cats.
I have 4 cats and one dog at home, indoor/outdoor, and I worry more about rabies than toxoplasmosis.
And to put the eternal argument about cats vs. dogs in its proper perspective;
Dogs think of humans as “family”, cats think of humans as “staff”.
I am the cat person in the family. My wife is the dog person. We are down to one of each. The main thing is we really like both our animals. I think it would be a sad world if we didn’t have our furry buddies.
Both animals are fine with whatever your income is, what you drive, where you live, if you look like the south end of a north bound mule, if you have bad breath, etc., etc. and they are generally happy to see you when you get home.
We have found that if you treat your animals with love and patience, they will reward you with undying love and loyalty.
Excuse me while I go strangle my cat for drinking my tea…. the dog already got my blueberry muffin.
You think in a story about cats, they would have a picture of a cat.
What is the point of this article? To point out what the Lancet article said: that toxoplasmosis presents real health risks to certain groups of people? Although my wife hasn’t been pregnant for 15 years, she still uses the toxoplasmosis excuse to avoid changing the litter boxes..
When I think about it this virus sounds just like something a cat might dream up. It requires no work. It provides a reward for very little effort. The newly infected cat ladies will spend all their money getting cat food. Best of all the cat will not have to spend time pretending to like the human hosts it has infected.
perfect.
I have done in depth empirical studies on cats since I was five years old.
All my research indicates that the furry small animals you think you see are actually three-dimensional holograms projected from an alternate universe where planets are composed of crispy plastic and yarn balls.
Beware, friends. When they come in the bathroom in the morning with you, they are actually taking notes to report back to their home planet.
If it were that big a problem, I’d be dead. I’ve rescued or fostered countless cats. And none of my dogs who have “raided” the litterbox over the years have ever attempted suicide.
I guess I’m doomed. I’ve nearly always had at least one cat in my life. At times, I’ve had as many as five down to our present total of two. All of mine have been rescues of some sort or another, and what was I supposed to say? No? Lucky I found other homes for many.
I’m sure PETA will be all over this one.
Frequent hand washing using proper technique solves a lot of problems.
Cat people probably don’t worry about toxoplasmosis because they don’t clean up after their cats anyway, they let them loose to defecate all over their neighbors’ yards. When you confront them about their beast’s habit of covering your yard with feces (no they don’t bury it, who started that myth?), killing birds, hacking up hairballs, destroying insulation, yowling under your windows at night, spraying your buildings, grinding they muddy feet into your car’s wax finish, and all the other “charming” things cats do, they’ll look at you blankly and call you a cat hater, thinking that now that they have called you a name you will go away and they will not have to take responsibility for their pet. Has the toxoplasmosis caused them to think this will work? I’m doing my part to stop the spread of toxoplasmosis. I use a cat trap and a kill shelter.
This column merely reflects the old truism that dogs have masters, but cats have staph.
You realize that that’s the literary equivalent of sinning against the Shekinah.
“harmless for everyone except for the fetuses of pregnant women ”
Good, so utterly harmless as there’s never been a pregnant fetus
You know the “Old Wives Tale” about not letting a cat near a sleeping baby. Well, believe it.
When I was an undergraduate student at MIT, I rented a place in Allston, Mass. as digs for my Summer job. Well, I was gone vacationing for much of June, so when I arrived, I found a buddy of one of my roommates using my room. Fine, I’ll just sack out on the couch, fix things tomorrow. Well, about 7:00am, I’m having a dream that I can’t breathe. I sort of wake up, and guess what, I REALLY can’t breathe. Why? There’s a stupid CAT asleep on my face.
Do you know that you can play a perfectly adequate game of three-cushion billiards with a cat if the walls are arranged correctly?
Moms, don’t leave your infant alone in a room which a cat can access…please.
Dogs must have that too
Because the Poop that the Cat Poops and buries
Dogs eat any Cat Poop that they can find
Its like Ice Cream /Candy to Dogs
Then the Dog licks you
errrr um