By Sarah Fader

I gave a schizophrenic a cat

I gave a paranoid schizophrenic person my cat. She is my friend, Michelle, and she makes art and clothes. Sometimes the art is on the clothes. To be clear, before I gave her the cat, she had never owned a cat before.

There are several articles out there that allege that cats give people schizophrenia. Well, this proves that Michelle did not get schizophrenia from a cat, because she has never owned cat.

 

Cat parasite Toxoplasma gondii linked to mental illness – CBS News

Could owning a CAT give you schizophrenia? Study finds strong link – The Daily Mail

 

Now, while there are other schizophrenic people who own cats and have had them before they were diagnosed, I cannot speak for them or the concept that the cats gave them schizophrenia.

I am not a doctor, scientist, or someone who performs research. I don’t work for the FDA or any pharmaceutical companies, however the assertion that cats can give people schizophrenia empirically seems unlikely. But, again, what do I know, right?

I know many schizophrenic people who have cats. And, as I mentioned, I just gave my schizophrenic friend a cat. She asked me to write this article and I thought it was a fantastic idea.

It made me want to prove (using mathematical logic) that schizophrenic people are not given schizophrenia through feline transmission.

From what I remember- If P then Q is a logical theory. So if you own a cat you will become a paranoid schizophrenic. I fail to see the logic here.

What is it that cats have in their biological makeup that gives people a chronic mental illness? I have heard that cats can transmit toxoplasmosis to pregnant women, but I have never read an actual scientific study that says that cats give people schizophrenia.

Anyway…

My paranoid schizophrenic friend who is an incredible artist and person has a cat now. She wants her to kill the mice in her stove. I hope she gets her wish.

I Gave A Schizophrenic A Cat
Sarah Fader - Guest BloggerCEO of StigmaFighters.com
Sarah Fader is the CEO and Founder of Stigma Fighters, a non-profit organization that encourages individuals with mental illness to share their personal stories. She has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Quartz, Psychology Today, The Huffington Post, HuffPost Live, and Good Day New York.

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