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ScienceDaily reports that:
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a single-celled parasite that is happiest in a cat's intestines, but it can live in any warm blooded animal. Found worldwide, T. gondii affects about one-third of the world's population, 60 million of which are Americans. Most people have no symptoms, but some experience a flu-like illness. Those with suppressed immune systems, however, can develop a serious infection if they are unable to fend off T. gondii.
A healthy immune system responds vigorously to T. gondii in a manner that parallels how the immune system attacks a tumor.
"We know biologically this parasite has figured out how to stimulate the exact immune responses you want to fight cancer," said David J. Bzik, PhD, professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
In response to T. gondii, the body produces natural killer cells and cytotoxic T cells. These cell types wage war against cancer cells. Cancer can shut down the body's defensive mechanisms, but introducing T. gondii into a tumor environment can jump start the immune system.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Snow on Thursday July 17 2014, @10:20PM
Pros:
-- Cute
-- (potential) Cancer fighting powers
Cons:
-- poop (copius quantaties of...)
-- hair
-- wakes me up in morning
-- occational puke on floor
-- scratches that barely scratch the skin, but somehow burn
-- cat food all over kitchen floor
-- cat litter all over the freaking place
If it wasn't so damn cute....
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday July 17 2014, @11:24PM
Move in the burbs: only "wakes me up" and "scratches" remain on that list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 18 2014, @05:09AM
I'm going on the assumption you mean turning your indoor cat into an outdoor cat.
Added issues with outdoor critters:
Fleas
Rabies from e.g. coons or possums
Can get eaten by a coyote
For those who currently have an indoor cat, I assume the purpose is to have a companion nearby.
If that doesn't change, I don't see the hair issue going away.
-- gewg_
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday July 18 2014, @06:36AM
Yea... naaah. Frontline's good enough - couple of drops every 3 months.
Not here, no (it is believed the presence of Thylarctos plummetus ensures a protection factor).
At most, some other species of Lyssavirus [wikipedia.org] (or some other more virulent nasties [wikipedia.org] - but those usually through horse transmission).
True, but is somehow seriously self-limiting - once it's warm enough, my cat prefers outdoors and the evening fur brushing it's a pleasure (for me - she's an expert in conditioning [wikipedia.org], any cat is). Until it's not warm enough, the hair usually "keeps sticking" on her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Thursday July 17 2014, @11:31PM
Cats aren't just cute, they're very tiny Klingons who can deal with anything:
mean dog:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peLo7E3Q_XE [youtube.com]
pack of dogs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XJOvalGlqU [youtube.com]
Bear:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wipk5vFUcIQ [youtube.com]
Babysitter:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKT3yopL5gk [youtube.com]
(Score: 2) by Darth Turbogeek on Thursday July 17 2014, @11:50PM
Pros : Vastly less likely to annoy the shit out of me than humans.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Friday July 18 2014, @03:01AM
I will replace all my lol-cat moviez with lolbug movies ..!
Hey look it can replicate by itself..c00l ;)
(Score: 2) by mendax on Friday July 18 2014, @03:24AM
You obviously don't have anything like my evil cat. She bit me five minutes ago. It's a good thing she's so beautiful and that I am enraptured with her, otherwise I'd have to remind her that CAT is the other white meat [amazon.com].
It's really quite a simple choice: Life, Death, or Los Angeles.