A Michael Broad Blog
The online news media have once again misrepresented a scientific study. This happens a lot. It is all over the internet: that there might be a connection between cats and the worse type of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) which is described as premenstrual dysphoric disorder. For example: ‘Why your cat might be causing your PMS …
It has been suggested (please note the word used) that the faeces of feral cats living on Hawaii have killed eight rare monk seals because the faeces contained the oocyts of T. gondii. We know that cats carry the disease. There are approximately 1,300 monk seals in existence in the wild so the death …
This Russian rat is fairly large and not frightened of cats. Why? It is suggested that the rat is infected with toxoplasmosis. The audio file below explains why rats which normally avoid cats go towards them. The toxoplasmosis protozoan changes their brain function such that they are attracted by the cat’s scent. In this …
There are indications that the parasite causing toxoplasmosis, Toxoplasma gondii, could be used in the future in treatments to cure cancer. This is great news because toxoplasmosis is used as a rod to beat cats. It is a parasite which is frequently used as a reason to malign, denigrate, criticise and kill stray and …
Can cats get rid of rats? This is a question people ask using Google search. The answer depends on whether you like or dislike cats! That is not entirely true but it’s a factor when discussing this subject. The question could be “should cats get rid of rats?”. The reason why I want to …
It has happened before (e.g a link with schizophrenia which fizzled out). Now we have an article in the online newspapers about a so-called “link” between toxoplasmosis and a human psychiatric condition known as intermittent explosive disorder (IED). I would like to comment on this in defence of the cat. Firstly, it is important …
Can animals be suicidal? Well, the answer appears to be yes, on occasions when the intention of the suicide is to protect the genes of the species. In other words, the life of one is better taken away when it benefits the whole, the species. That’s a biological reason but the fact of the …
At the date of this post, there are a plethora of articles about how the toxoplasma gondii (deliberately described as “toxoplasma protozoan” here) can cause mental illness in people. It is all over the Internet at the moment. Recently TIME also published an article about it. It is disturbing to cat lovers. It should …
