Thoughts On Schizophrenia And Toxoplasma Gondii With Cats?

[saleri]

15 reasons science says feral cats are a disaster

All the points I thought were pretty interesting, but 9-12 is what I was primarily focusing on.

What are vets thoughts on this, and as an owner of two indoor cats(though they get walks outside), should I be worried? Should I do anything about it?

 

[abyeb]

People don’t get toxoplasmosis just from cats. People can also become infected through handling or eating raw meat, drinking contaminated water. Transmission can also be congenital, passed from mother to child. (CDC - Toxoplasmosis - General Information - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs))

So, I think it’s unfair to blame toxoplasmosis entirely on cats. If someone becomes infected, it’s impossible to tell where they got it. They might have even been born with it! Of course, there are some precautions you should take such as washing your hands after cleaning their litterbox, and keeping the litterbox clean.

 

[saleri]

People don’t get toxoplasmosis just from cats. People can also become infected through handling or eating raw meat, drinking contaminated water. Transmission can also be congenital, passed from mother to child. (CDC - Toxoplasmosis - General Information - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs))

So, I think it’s unfair to blame toxoplasmosis entirely on cats. If someone becomes infected, it’s impossible to tell where they got it. They might have even been born with it! Of course, there are some precautions you should take such as washing your hands after cleaning their litterbox, and keeping the litterbox clean.

Yeah I do feel like the articles exaggerate some of the stuffs, but I was impressed by with the amount of work put into it.

Any thoughts on what they said about schizophrenia and kids, and no.15 on TNR?

 

[Willowy]

I don't know what they want to do, lol. They said that trap-and-kill doesn't work, that shelters can't keep up with the flow of feral cats, but TNR doesn't work either. . .what else is there? Do they think feral cats will just disappear if we wish hard enough?

Most of the people in the world have been exposed to toxoplasmosis. It's less common in the US due to modern farming techniques, better sanitation, and food safety laws. Which means that cats probably aren't the biggest factor. Although, yes, the parasite does need a feline vector. But we'd have to eradicate every feline in the world (including hig cats and wildcats) to eradicate toxoplasmosis.

Also, what do they think will happen if feral cats disappear? Nature abhors a vacuum. There will be 6.9 billion more small mammals running around. That's sure to attract other predators. Foxes, bobcats, coyotes, mink/weasels, etc. Are those better than cats? Probably not.

I don't know if the correlation between cat ownership in childhood and mental illness has been properly explored. Most mental illnesses have a strong genetic factor. Perhaps mentally ill parents are more likely to have cats, for some reason.

I don't necessarily disagree with them on any point. I just don't know what they want to do about it.

 

[saleri]

I don't know what they want to do, lol. They said that trap-and-kill doesn't work, that shelters can't keep up with the flow of feral cats, but TNR doesn't work either. . .what else is there? Do they think feral cats will just disappear if we wish hard enough?

Most of the people in the world have been exposed to toxoplasmosis. It's less common in the US due to modern farming techniques, better sanitation, and food safety laws. Which means that cats probably aren't the biggest factor. Although, yes, the parasite does need a feline vector. But we'd have to eradicate every feline in the world (including hig cats and wildcats) to eradicate toxoplasmosis.

Also, what do they think will happen if feral cats disappear? Nature abhors a vacuum. There will be 6.9 billion more small mammals running around. That's sure to attract other predators. Foxes, bobcats, coyotes, mink/weasels, etc. Are those better than cats? Probably not.

I don't know if the correlation between cat ownership in childhood and mental illness has been properly explored. Most mental illnesses have a strong genetic factor. Perhaps mentally ill parents are more likely to have cats, for some reason.

I don't necessarily disagree with them on any point. I just don't know what they want to do about it.

I think awareness is the main idea, since a lot of people just aren't even aware of how bad the feral cat problem is in some areas.

 

[KarenKat]

Nature abhors a vacuum. There will be 6.9 billion more small mammals running around. That's sure to attract other predators. Foxes, bobcats, coyotes, mink/weasels, etc. Are those better than cats? Probably not.

To be fair, domesticated housecats are technically an invasive species on most continents. I would expect that whatever used to eat the prey animals may take over what the feral cats leave. And there may be more critters, but nature has a way of reverting back to what the typical predator had been. Also, many animals have gone extinct due to feral cats, and I have read in other sources about their poor ratting results as well. ("Lion in the Living Room" had a chapter on a lot of what was in the article).

That being said, there still isn't a great solution to the prolific cats. Living with them humanely and TNR seems to be the best way to try and mitigate the issue.

 

[Kieka]

The region I live in it technically a desert. With humans in the area more mostly invasive birds, lizards and other small prey types prospered with more food and water access. I've always reasoned that the influx of cats that came along has helped curb the unnatural growth of those animals. If feral cats weren't out there, more coyotes, raccoons and foxes would take their spot in the area which would result in people outraged by coyotes eating their small dogs, raccoons in trash cans and foxes denning under sheds at a higher rate. People will complain either way and nature will find a way.

I'd agree that the entire world wide cat population would have to be wiped out to dent the virus aspect of this conversation. But I have a suspension the virus would mutate to a different host if that happened or a similar virus would appear. Part of that whole nature abhoring a vacuum thing.

As to schizophrenia, until my generation at least one person in my family has been diagnosed as schizophrenic every generation (along with bipolar being popular). Even when there wasn't a diagnosis if you read the family history it appears there was at least one "odd" person every 30-40 years for the last 300 years. My uncle was an early diagnosis and has been in a group home his entire adult life (needed trust me). That said, keeping pets was never a thing in my family. The occasional dog maybe but definitely not cats and not in the house even if they were around. I seriously doubt the link goes cats cause mental illness prevalence and it is more likely the other way around. Cats are seen as easy pets, so if you have a family member who takes a lot of attention and desire to have a pet a cat is an easy choice. Since cats have been seen as actual pets and not working animals for such a short period of time there really isn't any statistical evidence to use. Unless the study says that those mental illnesses have only been around for 150 years or so it's drawing controversial conclusions just to get funding.

 

[Willowy]

I would expect that whatever used to eat the prey animals may take over what the feral cats leave.

Yes, absolutely. But most Americans decidedly do NOT want foxes, skunks, coyotes, and/or bobcats living in town. Most people are far more accepting of "domestic" cats, even if they're not all that domesticated. It would take a lot of people changing their minds about freaking out when they see a wild animal.

 

[saleri]

Hey sorry didn't mean to start an argument, was just curious on people's thoughts on this.