We love our cats but there are some people who love them maybe just bit too much and seem to collect them like other people collect stamps or bottle caps the only problem is that at some point they cross the line from being a cat lover to being that crazy cat person that we all like to make fun of.

In fact if the research of evolutionary biologist Jaroslav Flegr from the Charles University in Prague is even close to being on the money those crazy cat people could be suffering from a medical illness due to those cats that they love so much.

Now it is a well know fact that cats carry a very tiny organism that gets excreted in their feces and is potentially dangerous to humans. This is one reason that pregnant women are warned to stay away from cat litter boxes during their pregnancy as the parasite can be transmitted to their unborn child and could lead to brain damage or death.

The parasite is called Toxoplasma gondii (T.gondii or Toxo for short) and Flegr believes it can also affect a healthy person’s brain.

But if Flegr is right, the “latent” parasite may be quietly tweaking the connections between our neurons, changing our response to frightening situations, our trust in others, how outgoing we are, and even our preference for certain scents. And that’s not all. He also believes that the organism contributes to car crashes, suicides, and mental disorders such as schizophrenia. When you add up all the different ways it can harm us, says Flegr, “Toxoplasma might even kill as many people as malaria, or at least a million people a year.”

via The Atlantic

Flegr has been pursuing this theory in relative obscurity for decades, and a certain ridicule from those that have seen his research. However that may change as some scientists, like Robert Sapolsky from Stanford, think that Flegr may actually be onto something with his theory.

 Flegr’s “studies are well conducted, and I can see no reason to doubt them,” Sapolsky tells me. Indeed, recent findings from Sapolsky’s lab and British groups suggest that the parasite is capable of extraordinary shenanigans. T. gondii, reports Sapolsky, can turn a rat’s strong innate aversion to cats into an attraction, luring it into the jaws of its No. 1 predator. Even more amazing is how it does this: the organism rewires circuits in parts of the brain that deal with such primal emotions as fear, anxiety, and sexual arousal. “Overall,” says Sapolsky, “this is wild, bizarre neurobiology.” Another academic heavyweight who takes Flegr seriously is the schizophrenia expert E. Fuller Torrey, director of the Stanley Medical Research Institute, in Maryland. “I admire Jaroslav for doing [this research],” he says. “It’s obviously not politically correct, in the sense that not many labs are doing it. He’s done it mostly on his own, with very little support. I think it bears looking at. I find it completely credible.”

via The Atlantic

So folks, the next time you see some crazy cat person disappearing into the home full of cats you might want to think twice about making fun of then because they may in fact be ‘crazy’.

It seems that the Crazy Cat Lady may have a medical explanation is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jaroslav Flegr has been studying cats for a while now, specifically the parasite known as Toxoplasma Gondii which lives inside of cats and cat be transferred to humans. While Toxoplasmosis, the disease we contract from the Gondii parasite is typically only dangerous to the fetus of pregnant women, Flegr believes it could be altering our brain activity.

The Atlantic reports that some of the biggest names in neurobiology are backing up the researchers claims. He posits that taxoplasma gondii which is most often transferred through cat feces doesn’t just infect humans, make them sick for a short period of time and then lie dormant in the brain forever, but rather that it changes our neural pathways.

Research has shown that rodents infected with T. Gondii become less wary of predators and have slower reaction times which makes them more attractive prey for cats.

As the hypothesis goes, the parasite is trying to work its way back into the cat where it has the capability to reproduce.

Conducting years of personality studies Flegr found that infected men become more introverted when they have been infected. He also found that men dressed more poorly and were more reckless in their general day-to-day lives.

In infected women toxoplasmosis made them more outgoing while they tended to be more well-dressed, and rule-abiding.

In both men and women it was discovered that reaction times slowed and both sexes were more prone to car accidents.

Flegr even posits that taxoplasmosis might be responsible for as many deaths each year as malaria “or at least a million people a year.”

More research is still needed but with the backing of renowned neurobiologists it’s likely Jaroslav Flegr will now have more help along the way.

Cat Feces Might Be Changing Your Brains Activity is a post from: The Inquisitr

Explaining YouTube is a post from: The Inquisitr

Maybe next time you’ll wise up and be a bit quicker with the gooshy food.

[Source Unknown]

Kitties and Phones is a post from: The Inquisitr

While you’re off doing kegstands, Gemma Correll is having the best party ever.

How Shy People Party is a post from: The Inquisitr

Taylor Swift’s new kitten has stolen the collective heart of the Twittersphere, after the country singer tweeted a pic of herself with Meredith, her unreasonably adorable adopted kitten.

The 21-year-old country singer told her nine million followers that she was “Hanging out with my new roommate, Meredith” late last week.

Meredith, for the record, is a rare breed of kitty known as the Scottish Fold. I know from personal experience of trying to acquire one (for a friend, because I’M A MANLY MAN AND ONLY KEEP ROTTWEILERS AND STUFF*) that these cats are rare as chicken teeth. A gene mutation in the breed leads to their ear cartilage containing a fold, which in turn leads to D’AWWWWWW.

Anyway, the cats usually weigh in at around $1,000 for a healthy, vaccinated animal, with demand for the kittens exceeding supply. While Swift probably had no issue sourcing a Scottish Fold of her own, most people who want one often find themselves on waiting lists, and little wonder – just look at that damn thing.

And hey, Meredith already has a celebrity admirer. Upon seeing the pic, fellow pop star Katy Perry tweeted Swift to ask:

“OH MY GOSH. Is this kitty for real!?!?”

“Yes!” came the obvious reply from Swift, who added, “And currently chasing her own tail. PS I miss you!”

* It was totally for me.

Taylor Swift’s New Kitten Charms Twitter [Pics] is a post from: The Inquisitr

When it comes to pets I guess I am rather pedestrian since anything beyond cats and dogs belongs out in the wild or possibly a zoo. Throughout my life I have had both cats and dogs as family pets and can attest to the fact that they can make your day feel a little better when chilling out with either (or both) by your side.

However the idea of going to a cat cafe to get my daily dose of feline comfort strikes me a just a little strange, however it would seem that residents of Tokyo feel differently as cat cafes are becoming all the rage among the upwardly mobile citizens.

Granted Japan has always had a rather weird obsession with pets. After all this is the home of the mobile pet cremation service and the dog washing machine but cat cafes?

It seems that in order to even enter one of these shrines to kittydom you first have to go through a cleaning ritual and then through an education room where you learn the finer points of interaction with the furry felines in the cafe.

Once you are done with that you are introduced to a roomful, meaning hundreds, of cats that were reclining in comfie chairs, couches, or just wandering around mingling with the rather large number of people that  can be visiting one of these cat cafes at any given time.

Of course you can relax and enjoy a fine cup of coffee and a snack all the while enjoying the comforting purr of a cat just sitting there waiting for you to pet it.

I think I’ll stick with my dog Ruby and a walk in the park for my calming time of the day.

via Fast Company

You to can be a crazy cat person but without actually owning any cats is a post from: The Inquisitr

“I love every kind of cat. I really love cats. I just want to hug all of them, which is crazy ’cause I can’t hug every cat.”

Pet All the Cats! is a post from: The Inquisitr

Scientists studying the feline immunodeficiency virus (the cat’s equivalent of HIV) have managed to create glow in the dark cats for study purposes.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic created the glow-in-the-dark kittens through gamete-targeted lentiviral transgenesis which uses a cats eggs and various genes to create the glow in the dark pet.

Researchers needed to create the glow in the dark effect which is noticeable under a special blue light so they can track modified genes and cells in the animals.

In an interview with  LiveScience Mayo Click researcher Dr. Eric Poeschla revealed:

“We want to see if we can protect the domestic cat against its AIDS virus, if we can protect any species, eventually including ours, against its own AIDS virus.”

The research not only helps study SIV but could ultimately be used in humans one day. The glow in the dark part of the animals could also help stop late night tripping hazards which sends thousands of people annually to the ER, while also preventing cat-based smothering while sleeping.

The cats in the study have been named by researches as TgCat1, TgCat2, and TgCat3.

Personally my cat freaks me out without looking radioactive, what do you think about glow-in-the-dark cat research?

Scientists Invent Glow-in-the-Dark Cats is a post from: The Inquisitr

While it’s slightly nerve-wracking to watch this baby obviously so enamored with this baby cat, it’s also the cutest thing you will probably see all week. Maybe all month.

[via TDW]

[Cutest Video Ever] Baby Hugs Kitten, Adorably is a post from: The Inquisitr

20-year-old Angelina Barnes was headed out to a Lady Gaga concert earlier this week, and selected a rather unusual method of accessorizing.

Instead of a bubble hat or meat dress, Barnes actually drowned her family’s 15-year-old pet cat as part of a gruesome ensemble. She then cut into the animal’s corpse, removing its liver and eyes and painting her face with the cat’s blood.

A relative discovered Barnes covered in the tabby’s blood, and said Barnes had also at some time disabled light switches with electrical tape. The person then contacted police to say she was “very afraid that the suspect was going to try to do harm to her.”

Police who responded to the call described a pretty unsettling scene at Barnes’ home:

Back at home, investigators found purple hair dye and blood all over the bathroom along with the cat that had been drowned; sliced down the belly, eyes mutilated, the cat’s liver was found in a makeup case on counter.

Barnes has been brought up on charges of animal cruelty and was treated at a local hospital.

[via]

Lady Gaga fan mutilates pet cat for concert costume is a post from: The Inquisitr

Because cats will only cuddle if you’re not in the mood.

[reddit]

Every. Freaking. Time. is a post from: The Inquisitr

A study in the medical journal Emerging Infectious Diseases has come to a startling conclusion- on the subject of pets at bedtime, you cannot has. Or at least, you should strongly reconsider.

Dr. Bruno Chomel is a professor of a field that apparently exists called zoonoses, working at the University of California School of Veterinary Medicine at Davis. He co-authored the study, and says letting your pets in your bed is “not a good idea.” Most of the press focused on the report centers on dogs because, I’m assuming, telling a cat to stay out of anywhere isn’t really seen as a worthwhile pursuit.

Dr. Chomel says that out of the 250 horrible diseases that jump from other animals to human ones, 100 happily live in or on domestic pets, and there are the requisite horrifying examples to bolster the advice:

In one case a 69-year-old man, whose dog slept under the covers with him and licked his hip replacement wound, came down with meningitis. Another incident involved a 9-year-old boy who got plague, a potentially deadly bacterial infection, from sleeping with his flea-infested cat.

Other infections transmitted to people after sleeping with their cat or dog, kissing them or being licked by the pet include: hookworm, ringworm, roundworm, cat scratch disease and drug-resistant staph infections, the report said.

To recap: sleeping with pets can revisit the plague upon humanity. But before you go phoning up shelters, the same experts say pet ownership’s health benefits outweigh the risks. And pets aren’t the only villains in this scenario. Another expert quoted on the subject says that a cat owner gave his poor kitty H1N1 last season.

Study: Pets in your bed could make you sick is a post from: The Inquisitr

Come at me, bro!

[reddit]

On catnip it is… is a post from: The Inquisitr

Us puny humans have enough videogames to keep us going for the next eighteen centuries, but cats? Not so much! That’s sad, because the reaction in this vid to Hiccup’s (free!) Game for Cats suggests moggies are frustrated gamers.

It also shows dogs are above all this nonsense.

Dogs rule.

[iPadGameforCats.com, via iSmashPhone, via Digg]

[VIDEO] There’s an iPad game for your cat now. Of course. is a post from: The Inquisitr

I know the Wii is popular, but this is ridiculous: according to the number crunchers at GfK Chart-Track, Nintendo’s Wii console is now in one-third of British homes. That means there are more Wiis than cats (or dogs!) in the UK.

Needless to say, Nintendo has leapt on this (admittedly impressive) stat in its marketing for Christmas, which will involve the Queen appearing in an advert for the company. Or Helen Mirren. Which is sort of the same thing. Also appearing will be Terry Wogan, Alexandra Burke, and X Factor poppets JLS.

Nintendo’s dominance is greater in the UK than almost anywhere else – and just to prove it, GfK Chart-Track points out that one in six Brits own a Nintendo DS.

[Via GamesIndustry.biz]

Nintendo’s Wii more popular than cats in the UK is a post from: The Inquisitr

While this isn’t something that your poor feline is likely to run up against, other than in their nightmares, Calgary, Canada, artist Jeff de Boer hasn’t let that stop him from conceiving of and making armor for mice.

via StewPig

This would be your cat’s worst nightmare is a post from: The Inquisitr

So what do you do with 100 cats all gathered into one place in one night on purpose?

Well if you are the IKEA store in Wmbley, London, you use them as part of a “Herding Cats” experiment in creating an advertisement for the giant company. Now these were ‘trained’ cats but rather the family pet variety that belonged to employees.

The cats were released into the IKEA store after it had closed for the day and then filmed while they explored their new surroundings. Then an hour or two before the store was set to open for the day’s business the store was returned to normal.

The following video is a behind the scenes look at what went into making a future ad.

via Geekosystem

Next up for IKEA? Cats, lots and lots of cats is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ninja Cat: by the time you see it you’re already dead.

Beware Of Ninja Cat is a post from: The Inquisitr

A Texas woman has been saved from a savage pit bull attack by her pet cat.

39 year old Cherry Woods was set upon by two pit bulls May 21, and things were looking grim after her husband also failed to get the dogs off her. But that’s when Lima the cat came to the rescue by “scratching and hissing” at the dogs.

“Our cat came out of the bushes, and scratched one of the dogs and started hissing at it. They both turned their attention to the cat. I was able to grab my wife and pull her inside the house,” the husband told local media.

Apparently Lima’s status as a cat with balls of steel was unknown previously, with the owner noting that it was out of character: “She’s the most reclusive, timid animal I’ve ever seen.”

The cat was unharmed, and the pit bulls were captured and are currently behind held in a local pound.

In Texas, Cats Are So Tough They Beat Pit Bulls In A Fight is a post from: The Inquisitr