As Mad as a Catter
Can cats damage mental health?

Also in News Stories : -

More info...

£0.00

Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, president of Stanley Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, is investigating a link between a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii (commonly found in cat droppings) and the onset of schizophrenia later in life.

"Most people have not thought of schizophrenia as being caused by a virus or bacteria or a parasite," Torrey said. "This is a relatively new idea." But Torrey's study is inline with a growing interest in environmental influences on development of mental illnesses.

The preliminary results of the study found a 53 percent increase in risk for schizophrenia if you owned a cat during childhood, but this is still far from conclusive.

By way of demonstration is could be shown that there is also a 51 percent increase in risk if you were breastfed. For an increased risk to be considered 'recognized' by the medical community the increase would have to be above 200 percent.

"We haven't proven anything," Torrey said. "Infectious agents, virus, etcetera really need to be looked at very carefully in these cases."

Nonetheless, Torrey has been testing antibiotics against the feline parasite to treat schizophrenia, and he feels that ingesting or inhaling parasitic spores from cat waste may well cause schizophrenia.

Torrey is still cautious, adding that "Personally I would not buy a kitten for a small child," he said. "I don't think we know enough to be able to say there's no risk. He advises parents not to buy pet cats for young children, and to cover outdoor sandpits to prevent cats from using them as litter boxes.

Certainly the link between cats and toxoplasmosis in pregnant women, women who are about to become pregnant and people with weakened immune systems has been long established and it is generally accepted that such people should avoid cats and cat litter.

What do you think? If you have an opinion about this story, please email us

This article was first published in The Purr Company's regular Mews-letter, visit us for more cat stories and articles, a gallery of our visitors cats , cat videos and our online shop.

You may reproduce this article free of charge in any free newsletter or on any free web site on the condition that this resources box is included with any reproduction.

© copyright The Purr Company

Click here for a printer friendly version of this page
If you enjoyed this article please link to us
Share

Comments

No comments found for this article.

Leave a comment