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Jaroslav Flegr is no kook. And yet, for years, he suspected his mind had been taken over by parasites that had invaded his brain. So the prolific biologist took his science-fiction hunch into the lab. What he’s now discovering will startle you. Could tiny organisms carried by house cats be creeping into our brains, causing everything from car wrecks to schizophrenia? No one would accuse Jaroslav Flegr of being a conformist. A self-described “sloppy dresser,” the 63-year-old Czech scientist has the contemplative air of someone habitually lost in thought, and his still-youthful, square-jawed face is framed by frizzy red hair...

"In fact, he says, schizophrenia did not rise in prevalence until the latter half of the 18th century, when for the first time people in Paris and London started keeping cats as pets. The so-called cat craze began among “poets and left-wing avant-garde Greenwich Village types,” says Torrey, but the trend spread rapidly—and coinciding with that development, the incidence of schizophrenia soared. " *** “If I had to guess,” says Torrey, “I’d say 75 percent of cases of schizophrenia are associated with infectious agents, and Toxo would be involved in a significant subset of those.” *** "Closer inspection of Flegr’s...

Jaroslav Flegr is no kook. And yet, for years, he suspected his mind had been taken over by parasites that had invaded his brain. So the prolific biologist took his science-fiction hunch into the lab. What he’s now discovering will startle you. Could tiny organisms carried by house cats be creeping into our brains, causing everything from car wrecks to schizophrenia? A biologist’s science- fiction hunch is gaining credence and shaping the emerging science of mind- controlling parasites.

NO ONE WOULD accuse Jaroslav Flegr of being a conformist. A self-described “sloppy dresser,” the 63-year-old Czech scientist has the contemplative air of someone habitually lost in thought, and his still-youthful, square-jawed face is framed by frizzy red hair that encircles his head like a ring of fire. Certainly Flegr’s thinking is jarringly unconventional. Starting in the early 1990s, he began to suspect that a single-celled parasite in the protozoan family was subtly manipulating his personality, causing him to behave in strange, often self-destructive ways. And if it was messing with his mind, he reasoned, it was probably doing the...

PITTSBURGH—Amber, a canine athlete, recently won first place in an agility competition, narrowly beating out Daisy, a Chihuahua, in the 4-inch-tall category. The 3-year-old, four-pound Yorkshire, who wore a ribbon in her hair for the event, cleared several hurdles and tunnels, zigzagged through poles and traversed a teeter-totter at an average two yards per second in a race against the clock. Amber's owner credits her success to practice and mentoring from a family member, Tiffany, who competes in the 8-inch category and has several titles, including Teacup Agile Dog Champion. "Amber just follows everything Tiffany does," says Phyllis Bandi, who...

OK I come home from work yesterday and neighbor lady across the street goes off on me about Sweet Pea. Seems my Viking Kitty has been using her yard to do her doody. And neighbor lady is righty upset. She said she has tried cayenne pepper and that has worked a little, but the problem is still not solved. And I had better solve this or else.

Bringing old homes up to scratch is nothing out of the ordinary for property renovators Andrew and George Hartley, But this professional couple nearly jumped out their skin when greeted by their most recent form of preservation - as a mummified cat fell on them. The couple got a face full of the ancient feline as they removed ceilings from an 18th century property in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire.

A cat belonging to an Arkansas Democratic campaign manager was found dead on Sunday night with the word "Liberal" spray-painted across its side, the campaign manager said. The cat was a pet of Jake Burris, who manages Democrat Ken Aden's bid for Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District. Aden is running against incumbent Republican Representative Steve Womack. Burris was returning to his Russellville, Arkansas home with his four children when he found the cat on his doorstep, the Aden campaign said in a press release on Monday. The mixed-breed Siamese cat had one side of its head bashed in to "the point...

From the video link: "The smartest Crow in the world! made the two Cats fight, so that it can enjoy the show." Video link

We all know and love Oskar, but it’s been a real treat getting to know his BFF, Klaus, in this video clip! What a pair!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbKejK2fDTo

A 4-year-old stray cat that was rescued from the streets of Rome has inherited a $13 million fortune from its owner, the wealthy widow of an Italian property tycoon. Maria Assunta left the fortune to her beloved kitty Tommaso when she died two weeks ago at the age of 94. The feline's newfound riches include cash, as well as properties in Rome, Milan and land in Calabria. As her health began to fail two years ago, Assunta, who had no children, began to seek out a way to see that Tommaso was properly cared for after she died. In November...

In a reversal of fortunes, a once-unwanted cat has come to the rescue of an animal shelter in need of a new home. However, this orange-and-white tabby named Daniel is no typical cat. He has a near-record 26 toes, a phenomenon that is helping the nonprofit Milwaukee Animal Rescue Center raise money to relocate to a new building. Normal cats have 18 toes, but Daniel has two extra on each foot due to a genetic mutation called polydactylism.

RESCUERS spent 12 hours trying to save a “pregnant cat” from a clothes recycling bin – only to discover it was a squeaky toy. The alarm was raised on Monday evening when a woman heard a miaow sound coming from the recycling bins in Moelfre, Anglesey. With a heavily pregnant cat Puss-Puss missing in the village people raced down to the clothes bin to free the animal which continued to miaow. But the locks had been tampered with and they were unable to free the “cat” despite trying until 11pm at night with a grinder and calling in the fire...

If you have food reserves, I caution you to take stock of your current situation and decide where you should keep your emergency food. Some of the food you purchase needs to be rotated, such as canned goods, dried eggs, powdered milk and perishables like winter squash, potatoes and other vegetables. The food with the shortest shelf life needs to be accessible so it can be rotated and used faster. I suggest you keep long-term food storage in a room that has a lock and key. It might be necessary to lock it with a dead bolt. Hide an extra...

The population of Asian Tigers has declined from 100,000 a century ago to an estimated population of 3,500 or less. Wild tigers could become extinct in 12 years if countries where they still roam fail to take quick action to protect their habitats and step up the fight against poaching, global wildlife experts told a "tiger summit" Sunday. The World Wildlife Fund and other experts say only about 3,200 tigers remain in the wild, a dramatic plunge from an estimated 100,000 a century ago. James Leape, director general of the World Wildlife Fund, told the meeting in St. Petersburg that...

The cat fell from a ceiling tile in the customs room.A Bay Area cat lost for two months since it went missing from a baggage center at John F. Kennedy Airport has been found safe. American Airlines reports that the feline, known as Jack the Cat, was found in a customs room and was taken to a veterinarian. A family friend of the owner told NBC that the cat was discovered after it fell from a ceiling tile. Karen Pascoe was flying with Jack and her other cat, Barry, to San Francisco that week to start a new job in...

Attendees at the Jazzy Cats cat show on Sunday were shocked by Caden, the kitten that won Best in Show in the Household Pet category. The shock was not that the beautiful lynx-point Siamese won the top prize, but that he was an adoptable kitten from the City of Sacramento animal shelter. The two-day show, titled “Haunted Weekend”, is a sanctioned event put on by the local chapter of The International Cat Association (TICA). The association has thousands of members in clubs in Latin America, North America, Asia, and Europe An even bigger surprise to the judges, spectators and cat...

Things to look for would be unemployment, rumors from people within the banking and financial world (some of those rumors saved people millions when our economy collapsed) crime and what type of crime is taking place, corruption, debt and inflation. You must also become pretty skeptical regarding the information the main stream media provides. Who OWNS such media channels? Who are their sponsors and advertisers? What political agenda do they have or slightly tend to favor? If the media says the economy is doing wonderful but people on the street are barely getting by and you see more industries moving...

A calico cat named Willow, who disappeared from a home near the Rocky Mountains five years ago, was found on Wednesday on a Manhattan street and will soon be returned to her family, where two of the three children and one of the two dogs may remember her.

A cat has made an extraordinary journey of almost 2,000 miles after she went missing from Colorado five years ago and turned up in New York. Willow disappeared from a home in Broomfield but was found on Wednesday in Manhattan and will soon be reunited with her owners. Jamie and Chris Squires, of Boulder, Colorado, were ‘shocked’ to hear of her whereabouts, but she had a microchip implanted as a kitten.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – As wolf populations grow in parts of the West, most of the focus has been on their value in aiding broader ecosystem recovery – but a new study from Oregon State University also points out that they could play an important role in helping to save other threatened species. In research published today in Wildlife Society Bulletin, scientists suggest that a key factor in the Canada lynx being listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act is the major decline of snowshoe hares. The loss of hares, the primary food of the lynx, in turn may be...

Between the hurricane and the giant rats this is really turning out to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad weekend. And then someone made a video of kittens fighting with lightsabers. Now shut-up and eat your Jedi Kittens! BTW: These two kittens were rescued from a pound a few weeks ago and were about to die from eye infections and pre-mature birth. 1 has fully recovered and the other is finishing up antibiotics. They love life and love cuddling on the couch and watching star wars.

Here are 6 irrefutable reasons 1. Unemployment 2. Economic Armageddon 3. Natural Disasters 4. For your loved ones and those who depend on you 5. You’re not sixteen anymore 6. Don’t worry. You won’t look stupid

Authorities have raised a "cat army" to tackle rodents destroying crops and pastureland around it in western China. They have also been using tons of poisonous repellents to combat the menace. Pest control officials in Xinjiang province's Bole city said they have caught 150 stray cats to tackle rats. The desperate measure comes in the wake of estimates that the rodents have hit 5.4 million hectares of farm and pastureland in the province. The feline hunters have proved their worth as the number of rats and rat holes have come down drastically. The provincial government is considering the use of...

I know it may be upsetting for many of you to discover the animal you cherish is of the opposite political party. Would former President Bill Clinton ever be able to admit to himself that the late Socks was a Republican? Could Democrats ever bring themselves to forgive Checkers, the dog – and a Democrat – who belonged to Richard M. Nixon and whose mention in the famous 1952 “Checkers speech” helped save Nixon’s political career? When cats are born, they believe they are in a state of liberty, and from then on they are determined to keep it that...

A Florida couple has been charged with 47 counts of animal cruelty after authorities seized nearly 700 cats from their Haven Acres Cat Sanctuary in June. The Humane Society called it "the biggest case of cat hoarding," the group had ever seen, according to News4Jax.

The owners of Haven Acres Cat Sanctuary in High Springs were arrested Monday night and charged with 47 counts of animal cruelty stemming from the June 7 seizure of 697 felines from the facility. Alachua County Animal Services director David Flagler said the number of counts is a reflection of the dire conditions that were found at the operation owned by Pennie and Steve Lefkowitz. “The number of animals will indicate to the court the seriousness — that we were not dealing with just a couple of animals,” Flagler said. “These [counts] seem to represent the problem there. We had...

Vietnamese people have heard many stories about the enigmatic material collection campaigns carried out by Chinese businessmen. One time, Chinese businessmen came to the markets in rural areas to collect anise roots. This triggered a movement of destroying anise forests, a precious medicine, to obtain roots to sell to Chinese businessmen. Chinese businessmen also collected corn silk, which prompted Vietnamese farmers to chop down corn plants, thus leading to the hunger among a part of people. In 1990s, yellow edible snails were imported from China to Vietnam as a kind of food. Vietnamese people rushed to breed the snails, hoping...

Kitler, the little kitten who had trouble being adopted because of her resemblance to a certain Nazi dictator (Adolf Hitler, in case you didn't guess), has found a home with some loved-up new owners, we are delighted to report.

There are many here on Free Republic that absolutely love our "Fru-babies". We post pics and follow each other, well I thought it would be terrific if we post the pictures of our 'babies'. I don't know about you all but mine 'get me through' these nightmarish days. They love me no matter what. They are there and want to be with me no matter what. That includes the way I now look in the mornings! LOL! Show YOUR babies here... :) Here are a few of mine both past and present...

KABUL — Veteran diplomat Ryan C. Crocker can handle Islamist insurgencies, hostile heads of state and management of some of the world’s largest embassies. But what’s he going to do about the cats? The new leader of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul has probably already walked past (and possibly petted?) Gordo, Freckles, Dusty, Ferdinand and Maria Teresa or any of the other 25 to 30 felines that populate the downtown diplomatic campus. But in case he has not been briefed on the bizarre battle over their fate (kill them! save them! fly them to Berkeley!), here are the basics. Somewhere...

Which of America’s favorite pets is top dog (or the cat’s meow) when it comes to smarts and skills? We turned to science to put the age-old rivalry to the test. If you disagree with the results, join the debate at our special Dogs vs. Cats celebration site. May the best pet win! Which Have More Stamina? The sled dogs that compete in Alaska’s annual Iditarod run about 1,100 miles in less than two weeks, often in temperatures as low as -40 degrees F. “They use fat as their primary energy source—far better than any other athletic species that’s been...

Staff at an animal charity have named an abandoned kitten "Kitler" - because she bears an uncanny resemblance to the Nazi leader. The six-week-old cat - which was abandoned at the roadside - earned the moniker because of her distinctive black moustache. Staff at Wood Green animal shelter in Godmanchester, Cambs., say they are struggling to find her a loving home because of her unusual markings.

HORRY CO. Police are investigating a case of animal cruelty in which a tabby cat was shot at least three times, shattering a femur and breaking one knee. The male cat, now named Matty, was found in an abandoned home last week in Green Sea by Candace Mize, who works at Paws Inn in North Myrtle Beach. At least three 22-caliber bullets were found inside the cat, which has undergone two surgeries so far. Mize, who was attending a friend's party in Green Sea, walked out to her car and heard soft meows coming from the neighbor's house. The house...

video at link

According to this Mother Jones article, cats kill birds -- many of which are vital to the ecosystem -- at an alarming rate. Wind tunnels have nothing on Kitty. Also, feral cats are disease-toting menaces -- and their population has tripled over the last four decades. Efforts to staunch the numbers with trap-neuter-return aren't enough. (They do not, however, suck the breath out of new babies. At least give them that.) Seems harsh, yes? I am not a cat lover. In fact, I'm a card-carrying not-cat lover, though I've owned cats -- if you can actually own a cat. I...

Should cats be treated like dogs, when it comes to licensing and immunization requirements? The San Diego city auditor's office recommends doing just that -- for the sake of health, safety and "cost recovery" for taxpayers. According to formulas used by the Humane Society of the United States, there are an estimated 373,000 cats in San Diego.

I have two cats; one, Guinness, is a four year old female, the other, Finnegan, is a two year old male. They have always lived indoors. We also have an outdoor cat, Thatcher, who lives in our barn and has a pretty good life. She walked onto our farm 3 years ago and seemed to have been dumped. She smelled of powders and domestication when she came onto the scene. We gave her some space in our barn and she seems to enjoy herself. We have a small house. In my opinion, as the guy who cleans out the litter...

A tiny kitten survived a harrowing ordeal on the Verrazano Bridge after the feline was thrown from a moving car, landing near the edge of the bridge before being rescued by a passing animal control officer. The officer was transporting animals to a Staten Island facility on Saturday and saw the gray kitten thrown out of the window, Animal Care & Control of NYC said Wednesday.

SNIPPET: "CHARLOTTE, N.C.— The FBI is asking for the public's help in identifying a man who was seen near a restricted area along the light rail near uptown Charlotte. A worker monitoring security cameras said the man was spotted in the area in late April, according to investigators. The man was clearly in an area he wasn't supposed to be in and was acting suspiciously, the FBI said."

-snip-Women and CatsMen and women frequently differ in their influence over the cat. "It is known that, when humans and cats first meet, women tend to speak/vocalize to the cat more than men, and cats tend to approach women more often than men," says Wedl. Once again, sound isn't the only bonding factor. "In studies of cat-owning families, it has been found that women tend to interact with their cats more than men do," says Wedl. "In response, the cats approach female owners more frequently and initiate contact more frequently, such as jumping up, than they do with male owners."...

I’m really not sure if I should let you wait till the end of the post to figure out whether this is real or not. Oh…doggoneit … I’m going to make you wait to get to the end of the post. That makes this whole thing a whole lot more fun. For your weekend viewing enjoyment my little mobsters, a young woman in search of a young man who loves cats as much as she does. I first saw this over at Ace, and while I was wiping the tears from my eyes I decided to dig a little bit...

It's already brought joy to three million Youtube viewers and it's sure to tickle many many more. Posted on June 3 and titled eHarmony Video Bio, it stars a woman calling herself Debbie, who seems shy and a bit ditzy but nevertheless is looking for a soulmate. She says it's her first attempt at an online dating video and that she's nervous and excited at the same time. After announcing she's an MBA graduate from Villanova university, she says she love cats...

Video Link

Strange as it sounds, the question has been thrown around in previous years and even studied by scientists. A recent write-up on the website Improbable Research revisits whether cats with darker coats wreak more havoc on their owners' immune systems. Pet dander, skin flakes, saliva and urine can aggravate owners' allergies and asthma, but for cats in particular, a specific protein called "Fel d 1" is a common culprit. It's secreted by cats' salivary and sebaceous (or oil) glands, so when a cat grooms itself, it spreads the allergen to the outermost surface of the fur, increasing human exposure to...

Dogs and cats joined us as symbiotes a long time back; we made most of them dependent pets and now that they can’t survive on their own, we’re throwing them under the bus. The termination is the probably unintended result of SPCA, PETA, tender-hearted elected local officials and decades of anthropomorphized Disney creatures but it’s no less terminal for that. We’re eliminating these critters in order to save them. It isn’t that we love our pets less; rather that we love Gaia more. And she doesn’t poop on the rug. This ending has been coming for a while. On farms,...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Researchers tracking the spread of Toxoplasma gondii – a parasite that reproduces only in cats but sickens and kills many other animals – have found infected wildlife throughout a 1,500-acre (600-hectare) natural area in central Illinois. The researchers also found dozens of free-ranging cats in the area, the Robert Allerton Park, near Monticello, Ill. Two years of tracking, trapping and motion-triggered night photography at eight sites in the park found no evidence of bobcats, but plenty of examples of feral or abandoned house cats, many of them infected with Toxoplasma. The research appears in the Journal of...

I was stunned to learn all charges have been dropped against 19-year-old Tyler Weinman by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's office, according to a news item in the Daytona News Journal. Over a year ago, our first story about Tyler Weinman was published. At the time of his arrest Weinman was 17 years old, and charged with the killing and mutilating of 21 cats in Cutler Bay and Palmetto Bay in the Miami-Dade area of Florida. Attention was drawn to Weinman by police officials, following a tip they received. Weinman was stopped by law enforcement for a traffic infraction and arrested...