[holub008]

How about correlation between attractiveness and owning cats? Attractiveness and having a larger number of partners, which increases odds of exposure to cats / T. Gondii? These hypotheses seem plausible enough that I believe the authors are wrong in claiming causality.

[hunterb123]

Unless people are hooking up in barns I don't think frequenting partners that own cats would be correlated. House cats generally eat kibble, not infected mice.

Even then you'd have to infect yourself with the cat while getting together, as humans don't transfer to each other.

Personally I don't think there's any causation here at all with attractiveness directly.

It may be correlated with more outdoorsy people, those people are probably more attractive on average.

[jjj123]

I don’t understand why you keep mentioning hooking up, that seems irrelevant since it’s been clarified this is not an STD. The parent comment was saying people who own cats could be more attractive on average, and people who own cats are more likely to get toxoplasmosis.

[hunterb123]

> Attractiveness and having a larger number of partners, which increases odds of exposure to cats

Hooking up was simply an example of why the person would be at the other person's environment.

Replace it with getting together if you're getting hung up on it. Whether or not the humans met up to have sex, talk, stand on their head, or whatever is irrelevant.

The point was house cats generally don't eat infected mice, if you're hanging out in barns or on the patio with outside cats, sure maybe.

[holub008]

I wasn't implying infection was occurring during sex, but rather by being in the environment (many people stay around partners for more than sex).

[hunterb123]

I wasn't implying that either, indicated by "as humans don't transfer to each other."

I painted a scenario where your environment would occur, and dispute it by saying those cats in that environment generally aren't infected

Unless those attractive people are hanging out in barns or patios with outside cats.

Now that could be the case if you go at it from an outdoors perspective, outdoorsy people may be more attractive on average, and they may encounter infected cats more on average.

[mulmen]

There are house cats all over my neighborhood. I can think of four in the area. It’s extremely common to have an outdoor cat as a pet.

Your characterization of cat ownership is unrealistic.

[hunterb123]

Most cat owners I know have inside only cats, as do I. I do know of 3 cats that roam my neighborhood, they could be from quite far away as outdoor cats have a large range.

I guess anecdotes from you or I isn't really telling if an indoor or outdoor majority of cat ownership is "unrealistic". Maybe we need a study :p

Do outside cat owners generally let their cats inside their home?

[mulmen]

Doesn’t matter, they’re domestic cats and you already explained a circumstance where they could expose visitors and owners. Half the year here is a hospitable climate for outdoor recreation and cat survival. Half of it isn’t. I have seen these cats for multiple years so unless they have an outdoor cat house (something I have never seen in my life) then I suspect they come inside.

The ratio of cat owners with outdoor cats is irrelevant. They exist and they are common. That’s enough to sink your assertions.

[eurasiantiger]

Just want to note that kibble is not the best of foods for cats, especially not as the only food: it tends to cause urinary blockages which are a veterinary emergency.

[8note]

Mice can pretty easily show up indoors