There is no more popular pet than a cat, but not everyone can have a pet. It's not even about allergies or the fact that cats often ruin furniture.
New research by foreign scientists has confirmed the most unpleasant fears. It turns out that people over 65 should not have cats.
Who are cats harmful to?
A group of scientists from Spain and the United States studied blood samples taken from 600 people over 65 years of age; the results were published in the Journal of Gerontology .
As it turned out, 2/3 of them were infected with toxoplasma, a parasite that lives in the intestines of cats.
Experts warn that the immune systems of people over 65 are less able to cope with the disease, which is carried by cats.
Infection can occur if the owner cleans the litter box after the pet and does not wash his hands or eats vegetables from the garden where the cat has made a toilet.
For people with a strong immune system, the disease does not pose a threat.
For others, it occurs like the flu, with symptoms of body and muscle aches and swollen lymph nodes.
As a result, muscle weakness develops, and the risk of sprains and fractures increases.
At the same time, the behavior of infected people changes – it becomes impulsive, and the risk of developing schizophrenia and other disorders increases.
To protect yourself, scientists recommend changing and cleaning cat litter boxes more often, and washing your hands with soap after cleaning.
