Crazy via Cat

“Do you think that our human servants, Mewreen and Meugh are acting odd lately,” ask Pawline?

“You mean more weird than the usual picking us up, rubbing their faces in our fur, and saying, ‘kitty, kitty’ periodically for some reason,“ replied Patchtricia?

“How very observant of you my dear sisters,” added Lamont. “They are indeed becoming increasingly, weird or odd, addled, or a bit whacko. Crazy is and crazy does and I know why.”

“Really oh fount of knowledge,” said Paw. “So why pray tell do they seem to be going around the bend?”

“Parasites,” replied Lamont, “tiny little organisms are sneaking into their bodies. And,” Lamont added dramatically, “those parasites come from us. Sisters, it is highly likely we are driving Mewreen and Meugh whacky.”

“Oh my,” commented Patch, “we are driving are dear servants around the bend. How can that possibly be? I would think that we are bringing calm and happiness and a sense of purpose to their lives not making them dingbats.”

“Let me explain,” continued Lamont. “It is normal for we felines to have within us a wee parasite called Toxoploama gondii or T.gondii or Toxo in scientific parlance. Furthermore we poop those little buggers out regularly.”

“Gross,” muttered Paw!

“Perhaps, but it is why some scientific types warn pregnant women to avoid cat litter boxes to avoid being infected. If infected the pregnant women cat pass the disease onto the children resulting in brain damage or even death,” continued Lamont. It was a complicating factor that was recognized at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic.

“However, healthy children and adults usually only end up with flu like symptoms. However, those little Toxos lie dormant in the brain.”

“So what’s the problem,” asked Paw?

“Well,” said Lamont warming further to the subject, “there is this guy Jaroslav Flegr. Here’s his picture.”

“He doesn’t look too stable himself,” said Patch.

“He might not be. In fact, he thinks so himself,” continue Lamont. “Ol Jaroslav is a Czech biological scientist. He is your typical absent-minded professor who wears odd clothes, and whose hair looks like a reddish fright wig.

“In the 1990’s Flegr came to the belief that he was indeed having his personality manipulated causing him to act strangely. Being a curious type of dude he came to the conclusion that his odd behavior came from cats, or more precisely the said Toxoplasma gondii; ol Toxo was making him weird.

“Doesn’t look to me as though he had a long drive,” chimed in Paw.

“A lot of folk have looked his theory with similar skepticism likening him to UFO nuts and the like. But he also seems to do pretty solid science,” said Lamont. “A neuroscientist from Stanford, Robert Sapolsky, reviewing Flegr’s science, says it seems quite plausible. Saplosky and some British scientists have concluded that the T. gondii is capable for turning a rat’s aversion to cats to attraction. So, if a rat walks up to you and says ‘eat me’ you can thank the good old Toxo for getting in his brain.

“Another respectable scientist, E. Fuller Torrey who is the director of the Stanley Research Institute in Maryland thinks Flegr is on point. And he is a schizophrenia expert. He find Flegr’s research quite plausible.”

“Holy cat bugs, we really might be driving our human servants schizoid,” said Patch with surprise.

“Indeed, Flegr even had his own blood tested and found that he had the Toxo parasite happily swimming in his blood stream. He looked at parasites that came from all types of animals who have parasites that affect human beings.

“Even with Flegr’s limited budget he discovered that there are lots of infected people. Compared to those who lacked our little Toxo bug there were behavioral differences. For example, those with the Toxo found that the men tend to be messy and sloppy dressers whereas their female counterparts were generally well dressed. Infected men were more hesitant than the uninfected and infected women were more trusting and generally did as they were told.

“Flergr wondered about these gender differences and in consultation with some psychologists figured that women tend to want to be social and be like to be in groups when infected whereas men tend to be loners when their wires get crossed.

“One study found that men with the toxo had higher levels of testosterone and thus more appealing to women.

“I could go on, but that seems enough. This final thought. Have you noticed that the normally dapper Meugh seems downright dowdy these days while Mewreen’s wardrobe is blossoming? It makes you wonder. Though it is Meugh that generally empties our litter boxes. Still it is food for thought,” concluded Lamont.

“Indeed it is,” replied his sisters, as they all lay down and contemplated this information.

After a bit Patch said, “Oh well, whacko or not, as long as they bring on the food and water, and brush and play with us, it’s okay with me.” And with that she trotted off to the nearer litter box to deposit a bit of Toxoplasma gondii.