Can owning a cat increase risk of schizophrenia? Here's what a study says

A new review found that cat parents are at double the risk of schizophrenia-related disorders. Here's all that you need to know.

Owning a cat can double the risk of schizophrenia-related disorders, said review of 17 studies conducted over 44 years and involving 11 countries, published in the Schizophrenia journal. Australian researchers involved in the review. The link between cat ownership and the mental disorder dates back to a 1995 study attributing the risk to exposure to the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, transmitted through undercooked meat or cat faeces. While some subsequent studies supported this association, others did not and hence a conclusive link between owning a cat and schizophrenia could not be established. (Also read | Thinking about getting a cat? Here are some essential pros and cons to help you decide)

The new analysis of 17 studies found that there was a significant positive association between cat ownership and an increased risk of schizophrenia-related disorders. (Freepik)

What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that can cause delusions, hallucinations, trouble with thinking and lack of motivation. There is no cure for schizophrenia. Toxoplasma gondii can be transmitted to human with the bite of an infected cat or its faeces.

How cat parasite may cause psychotic symptom

T. gondii can get into the central nervous system and influence neurotransmitters causing personality changes, onset of psychotic symptoms, and neurological disorders like schizophrenia.

The researchers said that the 17 studies, mostly case-control studies, cannot establish a cause-and-effect relationship, and the quality of some studies was deemed low. While findings varied, higher-quality studies indicated that unadjusted models might be influenced by factors affecting the results.

Connection between schizophrenia and time spent with cats in childhood

Studies also found that being around cats during childhood might can make a person more likely to develop schizophrenia symptoms. However, this was not supported by all studies.

The new analysis of 17 studies found that there was a significant positive association between cat ownership and an increased risk of schizophrenia-related disorders.

People exposed to cats twice the risk of schizophrenia

"After adjusting for covariates, we found that individuals exposed to cats had approximately twice the odds of developing schizophrenia," as per the team of researchers.

The researchers concluded that additional high-quality, large-scale studies are necessary to better comprehend the potential role of cat ownership as a risk factor for mental disorders.