The Internet Asks: Do cats cause mental illness?

Source:

Science’s Answer: The rumor that cats can cause mental illness stems from the fact that some cats carry a parasite called Toxoplasmosis gondii, which can cause the disease toxoplasmosis under the right circumstances. However, you are just as likely to become infected with the parasite by eating under-cooked meat as you are from owning a cat, and most people infected with the parasite are not even aware of it (immune system FTW). Scientific studies have not found a relationship between cat ownership and the development of mental disorders. That being said, the CDC does caution pregnant women against cleaning the cat litterbox, because toxoplasmosis shed in cat feces may harm fetal development. In the end, probably just thoroughly cook your meat and don’t eat cat poop.

While it’s true that cats just see us as very warm, very loud, food delivery animals, and are probably plotting to overthrow the human race, they definitely have not developed mind control capabilities quite yet (or have they?).

The Internet Asks: Are cats colorblind?

Source: Quora

Science’s Answer: No. Cats are not completely colorblind – but they do not see colors the same way that humans do. Humans have trichromatic vision, which means our eyes have three different kinds of cone-shaped cells (called cone cells) that allow us to perceive different colors. There is some evidence that cats may also be trichromatic, but a more recent study suggests that cats, like dogs and most other mammals, are dichromatic (two types of cone cells instead of three). Despite their possible trichromatic status, the cat eye has a different composition of cones than the human eye, so their perception of color is different. Scientists and veterinarians have compared a cat’s vision to that of a red-green colorblind human, where they have trouble distinguishing shades of red and green. In summary, cats probably just see a dulled, blurrier version of what humans see (so, basically me without my glasses).

The Internet Asks: Why are cats afraid of water?

Source: Yahoo! Answers

Science’s answer: Actually, not all cats are afraid of water! Cats are excellent swimmers, and some cats love to swim. The Asian fishing cat, for example, likes to dive for its prey, and the Turkish Van cat has been dubbed the “swimming cat” due to its fascination with water. Much of the time, a cat’s water behavior is determined by the climate – cats from warmer climates, like leopards and tigers, don’t mind taking a dip to cool down, and cats from colder climates, like lynxes and bobcats, generally don’t like water because wet fur does not hold heat very well.

The aversion to water we see in domestic cats is probably due to a combination and behavioral and evolutionary factors. Since cats do such a good job at grooming themselves, they don’t usually need a bath, so they simply aren’t used to water. It could also be related to their heritage – most domestic cats descend from the African wildcat, a desert cat that is not exposed or adapted to a water-rich environment. This hypothesis is somewhat supported by the fact that an increasingly popular breed: the Bengal cat, is a documented water-lover. Bengals are a cross between the domestic cat and the Asian leopard cat – a wildcat that is very comfortable in the water.

In the end, your cat can swim – it probably just doesn’t want to. Just like your cat can sleep in the expensive cat bed you bought it instead of the torn up Amazon box in the corner – it probably just doesn’t want to.