This week’s question comes from Catster reader Janey, who asks:

What’s the scoop on toxoplasmosis? Can I catch it from my cat?

Toxoplasmosis is a pretty awesome parasite if you have to pick a favorite. It has the ability to alter the behavior of its host to maximize its chances for reproduction. An infected mouse will lose its inhibition that normally causes it to fear the scent of predators, which increases the chance that it will be someone’s supper. Toxoplasmosis will then continue its life cycle inside a cat, where it’s warm and fuzzy.

It’s estimated that one third of the world’s population is infected with toxoplasmosis, but it’s important to note that 80 to 90 percent of primary infections are asymptomatic. Most carriers of the disease (typically ladies ages 15-44) will never even know they have it! Toxoplasmosis is very dangerous if you are pregnant or immunosuppressed, so get tested by your doctor if you are at risk. (Kitties with FIV or feline leukemia are also at risk.)

You are more likely to contract the disease through unwashed produce and poorly cooked meat than via cat feces. Even though it makes your cats love you, try to refrain from feeding them raw meat. Use common sense when handling their litter boxes. If you have children, be mindful of public playgrounds. Stray cats love to bury treasure in the sandbox!

My good friend in med school told me that her professor advised students not to prescribe “getting rid of the cat” as a treatment for patients with toxoplasmosis. Most cases can be treated with folic acid or antibiotics. Those doctors are wicked smart.

SOURCES: Mayo Clinic, Centers for Disease Control, University of Oxford Press, Cornell University, UpToDate, AccessMedicine

P.S. Got a question? Ask our cat lady in the comments below!

Season 5 American Idol standout and self-proclaimed critter lover Kellie Pickler recently announced that she’s teaming up with the ASPCA to help celebrate Cat Appreciation Month in February by designing a limited-edition kitty sweater to help benefit the animal welfare organization.

Pickler worked with designer Geren Ford to create the sweater, which she hopes will dispel the myth that crazy cat ladies ain’t got no style. She tells the Chicago Tribune, “You’ll like these sweaters; they’re really nice — not like crazy cat lady sweaters or cheesy Christmas sweaters.”

The “Kitty Crooner” sweater, which is available now through the ASPCA Online Store for $35, is described as an “oatmeal-heather-colored tunic with green sequin embellishments … celebrating Kellie Pickler’s country roots and giving wearers a modern vintage look.” All the proceeds will benefit the ASPCA.

In addition to Kellie’s contribution, Fresh Step Litter is also getting involved in the Cat Appreciation Month action by pledging $1 (up to $100,000) to the ASPCA for each fan who posts a picture of themselves wearing their favorite piece of “cat-centric clothing” on the brand’s Facebook page, from now until March 15. To further facilitate this, Fresh Step has also created an app, where you can digitally try on Pickler’s design, or “cat-dazzle” your own photos with one of their funny or fashionable cat sweaters for the cause.

About the Author: Stephanie Harwin is the founder of Catsparella.com, an award-winning cat culture blog dedicated to her passion for finding and sharing all of the coolest cat-related content online. Read more about her here.

Hello, guys, and welcome to my column Dress fur Impress! This week is going to be a little bit different, because as you know grandma is having a construction and is virtually impossible fur me to do my photo shoots. Uuugghh I was complaining about the house tiles, so obviously grandma took my advice and is changing the tile of the whole house, but I’m kind of regretting the whole thing LOL. I just want the construction to be OVER FUR REALS!

Anyways, this week I’m going to give you a few advices on how to be SUPERMEGAFAB like me! Everypawdy thinks that fur be like me you just have to wear cute clothes and bows and obviously to possess cuteness out of this universe. Well, this is TOTALLY FALSE! Yeah, you heard me right!

Here is what I think:

1. Being Healthy Is the First Step

+ Daily grooming. Brush your furchild fur even if he/she have short fur — this is very BASIC fur reals!

Do you go out without combing your hair every morning? I don’t think so! And if you do, then you have some serious purrblems lol!

+ Annual teeth cleaning. If you want your cat to have a long and healthy life, you have to clean their teeth every day if possible.

If not, at least try three times a week, and if this is too hard fur you then you have to get your furchild teeth clean once a year. Even if you brush their teeth, it’s a good idea to get your teeth checked once a year.

+ Drink lots of water. To drink is VITAL fur be healthy — is nothing sexy in getting a kidney purrblem!

I like fountains and love running water, but if your furchild is afraid of getting wet, always keep fresh water fur them.

+ Healthy food only fur cats. You are what you eat — PERIOD!

I know some purrsons that even give dog food to their kitty because they are so cheap and they don’t want to buy a special bag! TERRIBLE, I know! Dog food doesn’t have all the stuffs we need! Read careFURlly the labels and inFURm yourself what’s the best food fur your furchild.

+ Daily exercise. I exercise hard fur have this rocking body fur reals!

I mean, it’s not about having a body like mine — it’s about feeling GOOD and being healthy. What I do is to run and play a lot — exercise is WAY better when is fun.

Read the rest of this entry »

I love hairless cats. LOVE them. I know some of you are thinking, “Ew, WTF? They are creepy.”

Well, you know what? YOU’RE creepy. Hairless cats rule. Here is why:

+ They take baths:

This cat is partaking in an activity I refer to as “regulating,” or the act of rapidly passing water through your hands or paws. It’s best done under a stream of flowing water, but this method counts as well. It’s extremely relaxing and happens to be something I do compulsively.

So needless to say, when I saw this cat regulating, I realized that a) OMG this cat is my soulmate and b) WTF hairless cats take baths? I’m a strong believer that there is NOTHING a bath can’t make better, and I think this little guy or girl agrees. Here, my friends, is where my obsession with hairless cats began.

+ Kat Von D loves them:
It’s a known fact that Kat Von D loves these little aliens.

After losing two Sphynxes in one year (one tragically in a fire, sigh), the tattooist star has moved on with this adorable little wrinkleworm, Piaf. No, srsly. I DIE.

+ They make great models:

So obvi hairless cats get cold, duh. This lady decided to quit her job and focus her life’s energy on making clothes for hairless cats. The coolest part about this is she uses her cats as models, and they’re furkin’ FIERCE.

+ You can put temporary tattoos on them:

I’m sure a lot of you are pissed right now. But seriously, this cat is fine.

Cats in clothes, cats with fake tattoos, cats in hats — NONE of them are being abused. Just stop. We’ve all seen pictures of cats who have been abused or neglected. Note the obvious differences.

+ They’re classy:

And if you dress like your cat, you can be classy, too!

I actually prefer the black cat outfit, but whatever; this post is not about black cats.

+ They look good in shark costumes:

Hairless cats get cold. They need sweaters. So why not make their sweaters awesome shark costumes?

+ No, really, just look at them:

I’m pretty sure the name of this blog says it all …

Anna Zeman is a Social Media Monkey Scientist Strategist at SAY Media (Dogster and Catster’s pawrent company). She is pro-smooshed-faces, pro-kawaii, and anti-animal testing.

This is me handing out Temptations at Animal Aid in Florida. Crazy? Nah. It was the best day ever! Photo: sonjuphotography.com

What’s the definition of crazy cat lady? Is it a number of cats? If you dress your cat or not? If you’re single, with a certain number of cats?

Are you a crazy cat lady if you feed the ferals down the street? Visit the local shelter just to pet the cats and keep them company? Have a picture of your cats on your desk at work?

Is a woman a crazy cat lady if her cats sleep with her at night? Wears cat-themed pajamas and wraps Christmas presents in cat-themed wrapping paper?

Because if we’re tallying stuff up here, I’m pretty much ready to get “Crazy Cat Lady” tattooed on my forehead.

I’ve always heard — and I have no idea where I got this from — that the tipping point to be a crazy cat lady was single with three cats. I guess at that point, the likelihood of a man deciding to take not only you, but your three cats, in his life is a fairly large hurdle. Sometimes I think people turn their nose up at that more than they would if you said you had three small children at home. The children they get; that’s “normal” … but all those cats.

People have this picture in their head of a woman running around ragged in a pee-stinking home with a bathrob on and curlers in her hair, with cats weaving in and out of her ankles and climbing up her sagging pantyhouse. The visual is awesome (I wish I could draw!), but probably not accurate 99 percent of the time.

I have two cats at home and I’m single, and while they might not be helping (one look at my Facebook timeline and it’s safe to assume that any of my friends who aren’t huge animal lovers have probably “hidden” me), I really don’t think it’s the cats that are keeping the guys from beating down my door.

You know what I think? I think they’re intimidated. Because I’m an ambitious, strong person who knows what I like, what I want and what makes me happy. I’m cute, smart and funny. I have a good job with an office and a fancy-schmancy title. And my world revolves around my cats. So if that makes me crazy, sign me up for the loony bin … but only if I can bring Pimp and Moo.

Any other awesome and amazing crazy cat ladies out there? We’re some of the best people I know!

You’re shipwrecked and wash up on a desert island, dressed only in seaweed and the tatters of clothing you were wearing on what was to be a fun day on your friend’s boat. Out of nowhere, a cat comes up to you, her fur as white as the sand and her eyes as blue as the ocean. She lets out a soft mew and nods in your direction, as if to say “Come with me.”

You hesitantly get up and follow her as she runs along the shoreline, leaving tiny pawprints in the sand. You think, “But don’t cats hate water?” as she leads you through thick brush to a clearing filled with dozens — no, hundreds — of cats who look just like her. They are all hard at work, each one assigned to a different task of cooking, cleaning, or tending to the kittens.

The mysterious cat tribe welcomes you with open paws and prepares you a meal of some of the freshest fish you’ve ever eaten. You still look like a shipwreck victim, and unsure if they understand English, you motion to your tattered clothes in hopes that they can whip you up a new outfit (they cook and clean, after all — surely they can sew, too?)

A short time later, the first cat emerges and holds out a garment in her tiny paw — a white swimsuit, with a cat’s face on it that looks just like her. Just after you slip it on, you hear a helicopter in the distance and know that help is on its way.

Right before you run out to the main beach to be rescued, you thank the cats for their hospitality and ask them if they have a website where you can order more bathing suits online.

As the helicopter ascends, you look down and see the words “White Cat Swimsuit by Wildfox Couture” spelled out in the sand, and think, “This cat fashion thing is really taking off!”

About the Author: Stephanie Harwin is the founder of Catsparella.com, an award-winning cat culture blog dedicated to her passion for finding and sharing all of the coolest cat-related content online. Read more about her here.

What was life like before Twitter? The social networking service has allowed us to get up-close and personal to the stars like never before, with unfettered access to their personal lives — their homes, their kids, and yes, even their pets! Follow these 10 celebrity Twitter accounts for the chance to get a rare glimpse of some fortunate felines who live charmed lives as the lap cats of the rich and famous.

1. Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi (@snooki)

In between tweeting photos of her boyfriend, Jionni, and her newly slimmed-down physique, the Jersey Shore star enjoys sharing photos of her cats Rocky, Tommy, and Vito, who she recently called “My 3 bosses/husbands/best friends.”

2. Katy Perry (@katyperry)

As the undisputed queen of cool cat ladies, Perry often shares cat-related content with her 14 million followers. Past tweets have included updates on her cat-themed fragrances Purr and Meow, trips to Tokyo cat cafes, and pictures of her own cats, Krusty and Kitty Purry.

3. Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13)

The songstress caused an Internet frenzy last year when she used Twitter to introduce the world to her adorable new kitten, Meredith. The Scottish Fold, named after Ellen Pompeo’s character on Grey’s Anatomy, also prompted a very public Twitter cat chat between Swift and Katy Perry, who proclaimed, “I want to cuddle that kitten so hard!”

4. Kat Von D (@thekatvond)

When the former LA Ink star isn’t busy giving killer tattoos, writing books, and working on her makeup line for Sephora, she enjoys spending quality time with her beloved Sphynx, Piaf. The hairless kitten came into her life after her previous feline, Valentine, tragically perished in a house fire in 2010, and also follows Von D’s first feline love, another Sphynx named Ludwig, who passed away in 2009.

5. Lea Michele (@msleamichele)

The Glee star and animal rights activist has a soft spot for kitties, namely her tiny tortoiseshell, Sheila. The cat, named after a character in the musical Hair, resides in Los Angeles with Michele, where she’s often seen cuddling up to the talented singer.

6. Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais)

Gervais regularly gives gratuitous tweet time to his gorgeous cat Ollie, a striking Siamese who loves being in front of the camera as much as her famous owner. The British comedian is also an animal rights advocate who admirably uses his massive Twitter following to promote issues such as banning the tiger trade in China.

7. Kate Walsh (@katewalsh)

In real life, the Private Practice star plays cat mama to orange tabbies Billy and Pablo, who occasionally pop up on the television star’s Twitter feed. The ginger duo enjoy helping Walsh out with her fitness routines, and recently nursed her back to health after a particularly nasty bout with the flu.

8. Ian Somerhalder (@iansomerhalder)

The Vampire Diaries hunk loves his cats so much, one even appears with him in his Twitter user pic! And while he doesn’t share pictures of them frequently, sentiments like, “Chilling with a couple of my bambinos-how could anyone NOT love these damn creatures” make him one cat guy definitely worth following.

9. The Hilton sisters (@ParisHilton, @NickyHilton)

Paris Hilton may be known for her affinity for tiny canines, but did you know she’s an ailurophile, too? Hilton recently shared a snap of her three cats Princess Annabelle, Shorty, and Munchkin — and she isn’t the only Hilton to have a serious case of cat fancy. Her sister, Nicky, often tweets pictures of her own kitty, as well as updates on the latest feline fashions from designers such as Jason Wu, Victoria Beckham, and Charlotte Olympia.

10. Kreayshawn (@Kreayshawn, @Tharealchoppa)

Kreayshawn, the rapper and cat lady behind the summer smash “Gucci Gucci,” enjoys sharing updates on her cat Choppa so much, she even created an official Twitter account for the raunchy kitty to have her say. The foulmouthed feline tweets pictures and updates about missing her “Mom” while she’s away on tour, thoughts on her cat food and electronic litter box, and being sampled on Kreayshawn’s songs.

About the Author: Stephanie Harwin is the founder of Catsparella.com, an award-winning cat culture blog dedicated to her passion for finding and sharing all of the coolest cat-related content online. Read more about her here.

Valentine’s Day will be here before you know it. Have you picked out the perfect gift for the kitty loves of your life yet? Do they have their Valentine’s outfit all ready?

No? No worries! We picked out some supercute, superspecial handmade gifts your kitty is sure to enjoy!

Love Bug cat collar, Sweet Pickles Designs on Etsy

Pink Cashmere Catnip Heart cat toy, PeppermintPinwheels on Etsy

Princess Pink Taffeta Beautiful Basics Luxury Cat Bed, moderncat on Etsy

Valentine Cat Toys filled with organic catnip, CATGIRLANDBOBBIN on Etsy

Custom Valentine Pet Bowl, janfell on Etsy

Happy Valentine’s Day Kitty Cat Pet Tag, ebonypawspets on Etsy

The Love Bunny Cat Hat, scooterKnits on Etsy

[Source: 9gag.com]