Author Topic: Cats. (Read 5495 times)

poche · « **Reply #10 on:** October 05, 2012, 03:57:25 AM »

The only cats I will allow in my house is the picture of four tat hangs over the fireplace.

RomanCatholic1953 · « **Reply #11 on:** October 05, 2012, 09:26:51 AM »

I like my cat, She is now over 10 years old, She is kept indoors since she
was a kitten.

Belloc · « **Reply #12 on:** October 05, 2012, 09:38:40 AM »

Got 2 of my own, had one when got married and one took up with us, now we are used to having 2..had one from age 5-19, the next age 24 and on.....

Got a dog, too, but to me cats are regal and intelligent, love their independant attitude...

Traditional Guy 20 · « **Reply #13 on:** November 02, 2012, 06:59:14 AM »

Hmm we're talking about cats here, but if we think this way about cats I wonder what they think of us when we give them toys, or give them nasty water from the sink, or use baby talk when speaking to them; probably, "What is this idiotic creature doing? :rolleyes:" We say we can grow tired of cats and their antics, then I am most sure that cats definitely grow tired of our antics and stupidity.

JohnGrey · « **Reply #14 on:** November 02, 2012, 11:16:12 AM »

Quote from: Telesphorus

Cats are good for rodents, but they should be not be in the house, imo.

My cats are not amused, good sir.

As for T. gondii, there have been approximately 20 studies done since 1953 regarding any correlation between infection and the exhibition of severe psychological symptoms (not just schizophrenia) and in about half there was a statistically significant greater incidence. That said, wisconsinsheepgirl is correct in that not knowing the source or duration of infection makes that correlation of little diagnostic value.

Regarding the lack of fear of cats on the part of infected rodents, this fear is the result of successive generations of great selective pressure that have been expressed because the predisposition to such fear has led to greater survivability. There are, however, several mechanisms not directly related to mental illness that can be used to explain this lack of fear. It is known that cysts of T. gondii invade both the amygdala (which among other things provides emotional valence to fear/flight responses) and olfaction centers of rodents, and also in the nucleus accuмbens, which processes reward response via dopamine. It's not inconceivable that such dopaminergic overabundance would blunt a fear response.