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New medical research suggests that owning a cat could double the risk of developing schizophrenia. To reach that conclusion, scientists in Australia analyzed 17 studies published over the last 44 years from 11 different countries, including the US and the UK. “Our findings support an association between cat exposure and an increased risk of broadly defined schizophrenia-related disorders,” the authors wrote in their analysis, published in the journal Schizophrenia Bulletin. “We found that individuals exposed to cats had approximately twice the odds of developing schizophrenia,” wrote the research team from the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research. Schizophrenia is a...

Disturbing new video obtained by The Post shows demented Robb Elementary School shooter Salvador Ramos grinning as he holds up a bag of blood-soaked dead cats. The deranged 18-year-old gunman is seen smiling in the undated footage while sitting in the passenger seat of a pal’s car — holding up a clear plastic bag with at least two bloodied cats visible inside. [cut] The sicko was previously rumored to have had a fascination with dead cats and had threatened to kidnap, kill and rape girls who shunned him online. “The shooter was known for hurting cats,” said David Trevino Jr.,...

The single-celled protozoan Toxoplasma gondii is a fascinating parasite. Replicating only in cat intestines, it is excreted in feces and subsequently spreads to many other organisms, not just felines. Inside these critters, it winds its way to the brain and transforms into numerous cysts, patiently waiting to return to its desired nine-lived host. But, though dormant, it is not entirely inert. T. gondii actually alters its host's behavior. Mice, for example, grow less fearful of cats, making them easier prey. Just like T. gondii wanted... Humans are also affected by T. gondii. About one in ten Americans and a third...

Scientists at Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LLU) have taken to studying the progression of the coronavirus in cats, after it was discovered that not a single cat in the country has tested positive despite several possessing antibodies, Latvian Television, the state broadcaster, reported last week. Cats are one of the most popular pets for humans, and often live closely with them. This is especially true in Latvia, which has Europe's second highest percentage of cats ownership per household per capita. At the start of the pandemic, many worried that the virus could potentially affect their favorite feline...

Connor Reed, a 25-year-old expat from Llandudno in North Wales, has worked in a school in Wuhan, China, for almost a year. In November he became the first British man to catch the coronavirus...Day 9: Even the kitten hanging around my apartment seems to be feeling under the weather. It isn’t its usual lively self, and when I put down food it doesn’t want to eat...Day 11: Suddenly, I’m feeling better, physically at least. The flu has lifted. But the poor kitten has died. I don’t know whether it had what I’ve got, or whether cats can even get human...

Viking Cats – DNA Study Shows the Crucial Role Felines Played in Viking Life Apr 12, 2019 Reginald Martyr After conducting extensive research, scientists believe that they have stumbled upon an interesting revelation concerning the history of cats, a species which is among the world’s most popular pets today. New findings suggest that eons before cats became household pets across the globe, they were the frequent companions of ancient Vikings, in some cases accompanying them as they sailed across the globe. The first-ever major examination and analysis of ancient DNA from our feline friends provided these rather unexpected preliminary conclusions...

An analysis of students in the US has found that those who have a certain type of brain parasite are more likely to be majoring in business studies. Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite carried by cats. It can infect people through contact with cat faeces, poorly cooked meat, or contaminated water, and as many as one-third of the world’s population may be infected. The parasite doesn’t make us feel sick, but it forms cysts in the brain where it can remain for the rest of a person’s life. Some studies have linked infection with the parasite to slower reaction...

A three-year, $1.5 million effort to count the number of cats living in the nation’s capital launched Tuesday. The “DC Cat Count” census is being conducted a group of scientists and animal welfare organizations, the Washington Post reports. […] The results of the study will “facilitate data-driven cat population management” and improve the lives of both cats and other wildlife residing in D.C., the DC Cat Count website explains. …

Saturn's kittens are a group of small clumps and baby moons, or moonlets, that occupy the planet's F ring. Like the rest of Saturn's rings, this thin outer ring is made up of countless particles that range in size. When enough of those particles bump into one another and stick together, they aggregate into larger clumps — and become eligible for a kitten name. So far, the list of Saturn's kitten names includes several classics, like Fluffy, Garfield, Socks and Whiskers. These are unofficial nicknames for more-complicated (and less adorable) official titles like "Alpha Leonis Rev 9" (aka, Mittens). The...

On this special Breaking Trail Outtake, Coyote's new friend the Ocelot steals his socks! In an attempt to recover his last dry pair of Wigwams, a classic tug-of-war ensues with this feisty jungle cat. Who will win the battle? Well you’ll just have to watch to find out! Get ready Coyote, an Ocelot just stole your socks! Ocelot’s have a wide range stretching from Argentina to Texas and while they have fairly healthy populations in the topics they are extremely elusive and rarely seen by humans. There has never been another video like this and we feel so extremely fortunate...

A Berlin court has ordered a cat owner to have her hairless Sphynx cat castrated – because it would be animal cruelty to let the naked pet breed. Willi, a Canadian Sphynx, belongs to Berlin cat breeder Jacqueline Linke. True to his breed, Willi is almost completely hairless – a quality that makes Sphynx cats popular choices for those with pet allergies. Despite his questionable appearance, Willi emerged as champion in the 2013 Pedigree Cat Exhibition in Berlin, and has gone on to become a proud father to three naked kittens. However, Willi won't get to pass on his genes...

It's no secret to any dog-lover or cat-lover that humans have a special connection with animals.... paleoanthropologist Pat Shipman of Penn State University argues that this human-animal connection goes well beyond simple affection. Shipman proposes that the interdependency of ancestral humans with other animal species... played a crucial and beneficial role in human evolution over the last 2.6 million years... "Having sharp tools transformed wimpy human ancestors into effective predators who left many cut marks on the fossilized bones of their prey," Shipman said. Becoming a predator also put our ancestors into direct competition with other carnivores for carcasses and...

Cats' Family Tree Rooted In Fertile Crescent, Study ConfirmsCats, with their penchant for hunting mice, rats and other rodents, became useful companions as people domesticated, grew and stored wild grains and grasses. Eventually, cats also became pets but were never fully domesticated. Even today, most domestic cats remain self-sufficient, if necessary, and continue to be efficient hunters, even when provided with food. (Credit: Michele Hogan) ScienceDaily (Jan. 29, 2008) — The Fertile Crescent of the Middle East has long been identified as a "cradle of civilization" for humans. In a new genetic study, researchers at the University of California, Davis,...

Vietnamese authorities have buried thousands of seized cats – many believed to have been alive at the time – that were smuggled from China to feed the illegal cat meat trade. A truck carrying three tons of live cats crammed into bamboo crates was impounded in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, on Tuesday. On Wednesday a police officer said they had been buried in accordance with Vietnamese law on smuggled goods.

If you're partial to black and white "tuxedo" cats, an animal shelter in Novato, Calif., would like to talk. It seems someone has dropped off more than 100 of the cats over the last 18 months. The last dropoff occurred Monday, when a car pulled up to the Marin Humane Society and left behind three boxes with 24 cats. It was the fourth such occurrence in the last 18 months. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that all the cats, which range in age from kitten to full-grown, appeared to be in good health, with no fleas or diseases. The unidentified...

Every dog has it's day ... and in the case of the Lab/Chow mix that viciously attacked a little boy only to be scared off by hero cat -- his last day was Saturday. Sources at the Bakersfield animal shelter tell TMZ ... Scrappy was euthanized at the end of a 10-day hold following the attack. We're told the dog was aggressive during his stay at the shelter, even trying to bite a couple of employees. Scrappy was so ornery ... we're told he would try to attack staff even when they tried to give him food and water.

Circa 1911: Cat drinking from a bottle and looking through a telescope

circa 1915: Cat on a cannon The mascot cat of HMS Queen Elizabeth on a 15-inch barrel

Ire of the tiger! Stunning pictures capture bloodied beasts slashing each other with their claws in dramatic battle over territory • Dramatic battle caught on camera in the Londolozi private game reserve in Pretoria, South Africa • The clash erupted after one of the tigers delivered a vicious blow to the neck of its rival • After 45 minutes of bloody battle the larger tiger was deemed the winner This is the incredible moment a pair of bloodied tigers slashed each other with their claws in a dramatic fight over territory. The dramatic battle was caught on camera at the...

What Would Happen If a Lion Fought a Tiger? We've always been speculating about battles between superheroes. We know the outcome of octopus versus shark. At last we have an expert speculating on lion versus tiger. Which one would win? Since there's a good chance you've spent the weekend slowly tearing apart a ritualistically slaughtered bird, before going out and trampling your fellow citizens in arenas, you probably won't be too horrified by speculating on the outcome of animal fights. After all, the fights in question are, for the most part, in the past. Romans used to pit lions against...