Dear Anonymous and all. Ever since reading a few years ago that rodents infected with toxoplasmosis lose their fear of cats (very bad for a mouse; very good for a cat and a toxoplasmosmis parasite living inside the cat), I began to wonder if there might be a connection between the parasite and cat hoarding.
Might infection in a human cause some sort of affinity for cats beyond what we would consider normal cat fancying?
I think someone should study this. Meanwhile it is good to see that others besides me are wondering about a possible connection.
Mary
Hi Mary… thanks for posing the question. I have heard of this but never seen anything solid that supports the theory.
People who hoard cats are sometimes mentally ill, it is said. Toxoplasmosis can caue psychosis (a type of severe mental illness) and affect thinking.
So there would seem to be a potential for it to cause cat hoarding. But as I said I have not, as yet, seen anyone link up the two definitively.
Best
Michael
Could Toxoplasmosis Cause Cat Hoarding?
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| Apr 25, 2010 | Yes, they are good-hearted Ruth, I agree with you to a certain extent. In fact, I fit the profile of the potential hoarder. I am “older” (though not yet elderly), live alone, and have managed to collect seven cats, six more than I ever intended to have. And you are exactly right: once people know you are a soft touch they come to you with hardship cases and you end up taking in another cat. The “infected” hoarder I had in mind was the one who ends up with dead and dying cats in their hoard. Although, I have to admit, they often have other animals, too. We had a house locally that was cleaned out by animal control that also had a few dogs, ferrets, and a parakeet! I can only guess that this was one stressed-out bird. 🙂 Mary |
| Apr 25, 2010 | Cat hoarders I haven’t seen anything concrete either to link toxoplasmosis to cat hoarding but I have known a few cat hoarders over the years and they are usually people with a heart of gold. |
