A new study has debunked previous research that cat owners are at risk higher risk of mental health problems. New findings suggest that feline lovers who often feed stray cats and keeping them are apparently not showing psychotic symptoms.

More specifically, cats carry Toxoplasma Gondii which is a parasite linked to mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. This association led scientists to believe that exposing oneself to cats in a household while growing up can trigger the development of mental illness. Now, a new study by a team from the University College London has sought to investigate this misconception.

According to the lead author of the study, Francesca Solmi of the University College London, there is no evidence that cats can pose a high risk of mental illness to children. The findings reveal that this small link between owning cats and psychotic symptoms by the age of 13 are apparently caused by other factors.

During the research, the team studied 5,000 cases of those who were born in 1991 or 1992 and were followed up until they were at the age of 18. This massive data also considered factors such as owning household cats while the mother is pregnant and while the children were growing up.

 

Solmi explains that controlled factors such as over crowding in a household including socio economic status support the new data that cats are not to be blamed for mental illness. Past studies that linked cat ownership and psychosis failed to consider other crucial explanations and factors.

These new findings are also the most reliable to date since it is the largest scope and longest in duration when it comes to linking cats and mental illness. However, researchers still warn about T. Gondii as it still poses a significant threat to pregnant women and the developing fetus.

According to the lead author of the study, James Kirkbride of the University College London, the new study suggests that cat ownership during pregnancy or early childhood do not have any direct risk for developing later psychotic symptoms. However, there is good evidence that T. Gondii exposure during pregnancy can lead to serious birth defects and other health problems for children. More specifically, it is not advisable for pregnant women to handle cat litter since it might contain T. Gondii.

This new study was published in the journal, Psychological Medicine.