Current Events

TOPICS:

Previous

PAGE: 

1 ... 

28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32

 ... 434

Next

Previous

PAGE: 

1 | 2 | 3

Next

gutterman

gutterman

Austin, TX
August 2003

DEC 16, 2007 06:37 AM

This is a clear indication that dogs are better than cats. But then you think about the fact that dogs eat cat shit, then lick everything. They go outside, eat a bunch of turds. Then they come inside and tell you how much they love you by licking your face.

Christalynne

Christalynne

Leominster, MA
March 2007

DEC 16, 2007 09:06 AM

now i wonder is the parasite effects dogs...it must. because my mom has a cat and two mini daschunds and they sometimes eat out of the litter box if she doesn't scoop it immediately...so yea.... her dogs are becoming dumber...and more attracted to litter box...like a DRUG! AHH!!! miao!!

LittleFierceOne

LittleFierceOne

Carrboro, NC
July 2005

DEC 16, 2007 11:21 AM

starblood said:
I don't know why they report stuff like this. I know it's science but all it does is add to the bad reputation that cats already have among the ignorant. For every "crazy cat lady" there are thousands of normal, well-adjusted folks who have an appropriate number of cats in their home.



+1

...though not B.S., the story is sensational. Humans are not one of toxo's natural hosts; a healthy immune system keeps it at bay. That's why people don't get heartworms, too (but we do get malaria).

TigerAngel

TigerAngel

Aurora, CO
February 2005

DEC 18, 2007 01:34 PM

If people don't know enough to keep their litter boxes clean and to wash their hands after cleaning said litter boxes, then they are clearly already displaying some sort of genetic propensity toward stupidity.

I hate inflammatory articles like that against animals. They serve no purpose except to get some asshat to exclaim "Oh my god, cats are the devil and could kill us all." Yellow journalism at its best.

Cats excrete the pathogen in their feces for a number of weeks after contracting the disease, generally by eating an infected rodent. Even then, cat feces are not generally contagious for the first day or two after excretion, after which the cyst 'ripens' and becomes potentially pathogenic.



The feces have to be sitting in the box for a couple DAYS to even become infectious.


Cat feces don't kill people.
Stupid people with unwashed hands kill people.


Other ways of transmission:

*Ingestion of raw or partly cooked meat, especially pork, lamb, or venison containing Toxoplasma cysts....Oocysts may also be ingested during hand-to-mouth contact after handling undercooked meat, or from using knives, utensils, or cutting boards contaminated by raw meat.

*Drinking water contaminated with Toxoplasma.

*Transplacental infection in utero.

*Receiving an infected organ transplant or blood transfusion, although this is extremely rare.



...Contact with infected undercooked meat seems to be a more important cause of human infection in many countries.




I do, however, agree that it may be part of the feline plan for world domination.

malkav11

malkav11

Saint Paul, MN
July 2003

DEC 18, 2007 07:31 PM

I swear I read about this as part of a book, short story, or comic.

...oh, right, "Peeps", by Scott Westerfeld. S'about a parasite that causes, effectively, vampirism. And so chapters are interspersed with the main character telling the reader about some parasite lurking in nature to spring upon the unwary. Cool book.

Necia

Necia

San Francisco, CA
August 2005

DEC 22, 2007 12:25 PM

LittleFierceOne said:

starblood said:
I don't know why they report stuff like this. I know it's science but all it does is add to the bad reputation that cats already have among the ignorant. For every "crazy cat lady" there are thousands of normal, well-adjusted folks who have an appropriate number of cats in their home.



+1

...though not B.S., the story is sensational. Humans are not one of toxo's natural hosts; a healthy immune system keeps it at bay. That's why people don't get heartworms, too (but we do get malaria).



That's what I was wondering. The one person I know of who got toxoplasmosis was (I believe) the first American (or one of the very first) to die of AIDS.

Clidna

Clidna

Emo, ON
January 2005

DEC 23, 2007 12:49 PM

Doxie said:
This is the parasite that some medical doctors are not very well informed of. OB/ GYNs may tell pregnant moms that the only way to "save their baby" is to get rid of the cat - when all you really need to freakin' do is WASH YOUR HANDS.


Most doctors just recommend you have your husband or someone else clean the litterbox for the duration of your pregnancy. I have never heard of any doctor telling a pregnant woman to get rid of her cat. I have only heard of doctors telling pregnant women not to get a cat while pregnant if they don't already have one, because their immune systems may not have built up a tolerance to toxoplasmosis and it can damage the fetus if this is the case.

Clidna

Clidna

Emo, ON
January 2005

DEC 23, 2007 12:50 PM

bald_eagle said:
To be completely safe, microwave all cat poop before eating it.


What are you crazy??? That just mutates it into a super-parasite!

Clidna

Clidna

Emo, ON
January 2005

DEC 23, 2007 12:55 PM

It surprises me not at all how many people are annoyed or irritated by this story... how many cats have you had in your life? THEY'RE TAKING OVER YOUR BRAIN!!! biggrin

Previous

PAGE: 

1 | 2 | 3

Next