The continued stories in online newspapers about the Toxoplasma gondii parasite and how it can infect people and travel to the brain is harmful to the image of domestic cats. The problem is that the whole thing is being exaggerated and misrepresented. They keep chewing on the same thing, putting a new spin on it and omitting to mention important medical aspects of the disease toxoplasmosis.
I’ll briefly describe the four main facts regarding this parasite and then refer to a couple of recent reports in the press to show you how people who dislike cats are using it to damage the reputation of the cat.
The Facts
- Cats become infected by eating infected birds, rodents, raw or undercooked pork, beef, mutton and unpasteurised dairy products all of which can contain the toxoplasma organisms.
- People can become infected by eating raw or undercooked pork, beef, mutton and unpasteurised dairy products all of which can contain the toxoplasma organisms.
- The feces of infected cats contain Toxoplasma gondii oocysts that can infect people by being in direct contact with it.
- “The majority of human cases – by a wide margin – come from eating raw or undercooked meat, particularly lamb or pork” – Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook.
To recap most people get the infection because of what they do in relation to what they eat. This page expands on the above.
The Distorted Facts
Yet, this is almost completely ignored by Tory Shephard in his (her?) article: Cat poo contains a common bug that may be controlling your mind in The Australian.
Tory kicks off by saying
“Are you a cat person? Maybe it’s time to consider getting a dog. A parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, hangs out in cat poo and can easily infect humans – in fact up to half of us may already be infected with it”
Well it can’t “easily infect humans” and by far the biggest reason why half of us may be infected is because we eat food that we have prepared inadequately. It is nothing to do with cats.
This author goes on to say the parasite can make a person mad or behave strangely. He is more or less saying that your cat can make you mad. This is a gross misrepresentation of the facts.
Another example is the article OMG! Cat poop can control your mind in the Daily Bhaskar.
I won’t go into detail on that one but suffice to say it is biased and scaremongering. I don’t like to see journalists damaging the image of the domestic cat. This is serious stuff. Words can change people’s perceptions.
I don’t know how to stop this happening. But stop it must.
The next time that someone tells you that you live in a psychotic bliss of self-inflicted ignorance because you won’t even bother to educate your own sorry self — believe them.
The studies of how this cats’ brain-parasite is hijacking human minds is all over the net. The latest interesting study is that they found that Chanel #5 perfume’s success might be due to men who have this cats’ parasite in their mind. Humans that get their brain hijacked by this parasite are attracted to the scent of cat urine, just like what happens to rodents that become infected by this cats’ parasite. Cat pheromones were put into Chanel #5 perfume. It triggers attraction in men infected with Toxoplasma gondii parasites in their mind. Interesting stuff.
The Toxoplasma gondii parasite is also linked to brain-cancers, autism, and schizophrenia. There’s a valid medical reason now for “The Crazy Cat Lady” syndrome — cats’ parasites in women’s minds.
Another interesting recent study: They found that women infected with this cats’ brain-hijacking parasite are 1.5X’s more likely to commit suicide. And an interesting note to this is that T. gondii infected women were far more likely to commit more gruesome and painful acts of suicide — like leaping to their deaths or severing arteries. None of that peaceful failing to wake-up from a drug overdose for Toxoplasma gondii infected women! No-sirree! It’s gotta be bold and gruesome! More power to them, I say!
ALL THOSE ANIMALS ORIGINALLY GET IT FROM CONTACT WITH THE CAT-SHED OOCYSTS.
CATS ARE THIS PARASITE’S PRIMARY HOST ANIMAL.
I have deleted the remainder because it is rude, crude and insulting.
You don’t mention that most people by a large margin contract the disease (which has nearly always has no symptoms) through eating meats that they have prepared. Neither do you place any blame on the animals who carry the disease that the cat might catch and eat as prey. Aren’t these animals equally to “blame” if blame to be apportioned?
You are a most obnoxious, made and bad maniac.
Totally agree. Falsehoods in the press change things slightly. It is irresponsible. It’s like violent computer games. The psyche of kids changes imperceptibly for the worse. I don’t whether we feed the press or the press feed us.
Hi Michael,
You nailed it with “However, a lot of people, perhaps the majority of people don’t think that much about whether these stories are accurate or not.”
That’s the problem.
There is another problem. Even for those of us who take everything in with a grain of salt end up believing false stories from time to time. I don’t like being lead astray like that.
=^-^= Hairless Cat Girl =^-^=
Thanks for the support Dan. It is nice of you. I feel that people who respect animals need to protect animals from the irresponsible and human-centric types. What I mean by “human-centric” is people whose who world revolves around people to the exclusion of animals.
I am just beyond words for these irresponsible reporters/papers. Do any of you read the Cat Times/Dog Times? They did one of their cute-photo-spreads on cats pix with signs saying what bad things they did. Those animals misbehavior was SCREAMING for professional help. Cats that poo/pee outside their boxes may have health or territory issues. Cats that bite and destroy things may have health, emotional or territorial issues. Still, they were just irresponsible, it hardly compares to the outrage above! What planet do they live on? I am just stunned by such medieval thinking! grrrrrr