[Ansteorra] Cats could make you crazy

[katherine watson]

Good Sir,

I beg to differ with your findings (the article). After a half century of 
living, I have had cats living  with me all my life, especially as a child. I 
have never had a problem with cats living with me. In fact, all of my family 
owns cats and have done so for many years. 

This attitude reflects on individuals who dislike cats or hate them. That is the 
same attitude that much of Europe and the British Isles had during the duration 
of the annual cycles of the Black Plague. The people superstiously, believed 
that cats were evil, because they were supposedly associated with witches. Many 
of them thought that the cats brought the plague, so they killed the cats. 
Tragically, that was a mistake, because the cats were keeping the rodent 
population down (who were in reality bringing the contaminated fleas into Europe 
and the British Isles). Where the cats were destroyed, the rodents flourished 
and so did the plague. Where the cats flourished, the rodent population was 
curtailed and so was the incidence of plague.

I like cats, because they are great companions, clean and can walk themselves to 
their litter boxes. I am a cat person and proud to be one. Blessings to Duchess 
Willow and her love for cats.

I apologize to the Kingdom of Ansteorra for my long winded speech. I will now 
step off my soap box and let someone else have the floor. This was my own 
opinion and is not the official opinion of my Barony, Baronage or the populace 
of the Barony.
May all in the Kingdom have a Great Weekend and hope to see many gentles of the 
Kingdom at the Ansteorran Heraldic and Scribal Symposium tomorrow. 


Yours In Service,

Lady Caitilin inghean Ronain ui Cheallaigh
Sentinel Pursuivant, Barony of Stargate


________________________________
From: Angus MacKnochard <glnn_jhn at yahoo.com>
To: "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." <ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org>
Sent: Fri, July 29, 2011 10:40:03 AM
Subject: [Ansteorra] Cats could make you crazy

All of this talk of Animal Hording reminded me of this article.
 
 
Recent epidemiologic studies indicate that infectious agents may contribute to 
some cases of schizophrenia. In animals, infections with Toxoplasma gondii can 
alter behavior and neurotransmitter function. In humans, acute infection with 
the cat virus "T. gondii" can produce psychotic symptoms similar to those 
displayed by persons with schizophrenia. Two other studies found that exposure 
to cats in childhood was a risk factor for the development of schizophrenia. 

Since 1953, a total of 19 studies of T. gondii antibodies in persons with 
schizophrenia and other severe psychiatric disorders and in controls have been 
reported; 18 reported a higher percentage of antibodies in the affected persons; 
in 11 studies the difference was statistically significant. 

 
http://schizophrenia.com/prevention/cats.html


Angus MacKnochard Bagadur
ANDA GDH
KSCA
CSS LXVIII, 


snerta er vald
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