Owning a cat doesn’t make kids more prone to psychosis
A scary cat myth was tested with big data – and didn’t hold up.
Takeaway
In thousands of UK children, cat ownership in pregnancy or childhood wasn’t linked to psychotic symptoms.
What the study did
- One idea links Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite spread via cat faeces, to schizophrenia.
- UCL researchers used the ALSPAC birth cohort: about 6,700 children assessed at 13 and 4,700 at 18.
- After adjusting for confounders, odds ratios hovered near 1 and were not significant (e.g. OR 1.08 for a cat in pregnancy vs symptoms at 18).
- Earlier positive findings may reflect small samples and uncontrolled confounding.
The numbers
Show data table
| Group | Value (OR) |
|---|---|
| Pregnancy → age 13 | 1.15 |
| Pregnancy → age 18 | 1.08 |
| Age 4 → age 13 | 1.18 |
| Age 10 → age 13 | 1.12 |
Data source: Solmi et al. 2017, Psychol Med 47:1659–1667, Abstract (Results) and Results section: adjusted ORs 1.15 (95% CI 0.97–1.35), 1.08 (0.86–1.35), 1.18 (0.94–1.48), 1.12 (0.92–1.36); all CIs include 1.
Limitations
Looks at psychotic symptoms only, not measured T. gondii infection; pregnant people should still avoid cleaning litter.
Citation
Solmi F, Hayes JF, Lewis G, Kirkbride JB (2017). Curiosity killed the cat: no evidence of an association between cat ownership and psychotic symptoms at ages 13 and 18 years in a UK general population cohort. Psychological Medicine. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291717000125
For general information only; it does not replace advice from your vet.
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