Rats in the Belfry

10.11.10

My Feline Vindication!

I have never felt comfortable around cats.

Maybe it's a genetic thing- I remember my Aunt Pat referring to them as "nasty, skulking creatures" on more than one occasion and thinking "right on"!

Years ago, I came to believe that they were an alien race from outer space, who somehow fell to earth during the time of ancient Egypt.

Looking at the relics of the pharaohs, it seemed clear to me that cats had arrived out of the blue and taken over their minds, turning them into feline love slaves who devoted themselves to cat comfort at the expense of their once-thriving empire.

The rest, as they say, is history...

Needless to say, my theory has been rejected
and ridiculed over the years by many humans. Curiously, all of them claimed to "love" cats
and many kept them as "pets".

Say hello to Toxoplasma gondii.

T. gondii, as they call it down in the lab, sexually reproduces in cats. Our feline 'friends' may be their primary host, but until they need a love nest, these parasitic protozoa can live in all kinds of animals, including humans.

T. gondii infections have the ability to change the behavior of rats and mice, making them drawn to, rather than fearful of, the scent of cats.

This effect is advantageous to the parasite, which will be able to sexually reproduce if its host is eaten by a cat.

Studies have also shown behavioral changes
in humans, including slower reaction times and a sixfold increased risk of traffic accidents among infected males.

A study of 191 young women in 1999 reported higher intelligence and lower guilt proneness
in Toxoplasma-positive subjects.

The normal sex ratio in humans is 104 boys born for every 100 girls, but in women with high levels of antibodies against the parasite (ie - infected!), the ratio was 260 boys for every 100 girls.