Like when the cat-averse assert that cats are both indifferent to people (“they only want you to feed them!”) and are bent upon our total destruction (“they are just waiting for a chance to savagely attack you!”)
Well, which is it?
the indictment
As I describe in my post, Cats & Expecting: The Mother of All Myths, I discuss how it makes sense for a pregnant woman to have someone else handle the litter box duties for the duration. (And carefully prepare and cook food, and wear gloves while gardening.) A highly common parasite, toxoplasmosis (T. gondii) can, in rare instances, cause serious birth defects. If contracted by a non-pregnant adult, it is usually so mild they don’t even know it, and their body rids them of the infection in a few weeks.
Ever since it was discovered that mice infected with toxoplasmosis lose their fear of cats and become even easier prey, the people who hate cats have had a romping good time suggesting that human toxoplasmosis infection causes mental health issues in humans. I’ve even seen them claiming that it must be such a brain aberration that makes people “think they like cats” in the first place.
This assertion gives cats evil genius status: they take over the world by using a targeted biological weapon. Or at least, get a sweet deal as pets when no one in their right mind would want them around.
So this story goes.
the evidence
Turns out, none of these wild accusations are supported by science.
Researchers from Duke University found that “on the whole, there was little evidence that T. gondii was related to increased risk of psychiatric disorder, poor impulse control, personality aberrations, or neurocognitive impairment.”
Turns out it’s probably not your cat that’s making you crazy
This is exactly what science is supposed to do: come up with theories, and test them to see how right they might be. Good theories, like the theory of gravity, are so solid that not only do they support many other theories about how our physical world works, there is no documented evidence of it ever failing to operate. (Cats have been testing this theory for centuries.)
Facts might help stem the tide of cat hating, but I suspect there will be continued claims and wild speculation, because that is what cat haters do. They really don’t care what the science is until there isn’t the slightest chink they can use against cats, and the people who love them.
I must admit, the science fiction side of me thinks it’s an incredible story. Imagine, people living with fuzzy, cute, alien beings — like Tribbles! Only these pets are super-intelligent, and have bio-engineered a kind of brain virus which makes people fall in love with them.
They could do it. Some of them have thumbs.
They are planning to steal all the tuna in the ocean. Then no human will be able to make tunafish sandwiches. Ever again.
The first step? Taking over the Internet. Hmmmmm…
the verdict
Of course, super-intelligent cats with advanced biology skills could create their own species of self-canning tuna, which is probably easier than faster-than-light travel and a time machine that places them at the dawn of civilization. I’m really not worried. (I like mackerel better, anyway.)
Am I making fun of cat haters? Always. Because this is an irrational fear, one which drives them to create wild and ridiculous reasons that people like cats, such as them falling for cat con artists, or pretending cats love them back, or that there’s a secret reason cats hate us and wish to do us harm.
It’s all about them trying to rationalize their fear of cats, when they could just admit they don’t like cats, and leave the rest of us alone. There’s plenty of things I’m not fond of, like Bing Crosby Christmas carols and Laffy Taffy, but I would never try to stop other people from enjoying them. After all, I’m a fan of Mrs Miller.
Their eagerness to denigrate cats does real harm to cats and those who love them. Plenty of people are missing out on some great fun and interaction because they don’t know enough about cats to understand how ridiculous some of these “reasons” are.
The researchers appear grateful to finally have evidence that might put to rest the theory that there is a correlated association between T. gondii and mental health problems. They cite that the already large number of scientific papers attempting to link the two is at least in part a result of a “frustrating scientific search for biological causes with large effects in common mental disorders and processes.”
I am grateful, too. This kind of definitive study is one I have been anticipating for what seems like several years now, while click-bait headlines about “study says cats drive us crazy!” swarm over the web at regular intervals.
But, come to think of it: that mouse thing. If cats did do that, they really are geniuses!
Just, not evil ones.
Find out more about things people think about cats which aren’t so.
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