Experts rebutt buzz linking cats to miscarriages

Srinagar, Feb 3: A recent claim by a doctor linking cat ownership to an alleged surge in miscarriages in Kashmir has been debunked by experts, who termed the statements as “misleading” and “unsubstantiated”.

Dr. Altaf Gilani, Medical Superintendent of Central Veterinary Hospital Srinagar, had alleged in a recent interview to an online news portal that a growing number of miscarriages in Kashmir were linked to people keeping cats as pets, citing toxoplasmosis as the reason. However, his claims have been widely criticised by medical experts and veterinarians.

“Toxoplasmosis is a real infection, but the risk of direct transmission from cats to humans is extremely low,” said Dr Shahnaz Taing, a leading gynae-obstetrician in Srinagar and former head Gyneacology at GMC Srinagar. “There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that cat ownership is linked to an increase in miscarriages.”

Dr Farhat Jabeen former head Gyneacology at GMC Srinagar who caters to a huge patient flow in private sector dismissed the entire discussion. She said miscarriages have increased globally, not just in Kashmir. There are multiple factors responsible for this. She said an active toxoplasmosis infection in a pregnant female if left untreated may cause issues like loss of fetus or fetal abnormalities. The infection, she said, can be caused by contaminated food.

Dr. Shahid Hussain Dar, Associate Professor and Senior Scientist at the Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), echoed similar sentiments. He expressed anguish over the hype that a few news portals gave to “misleading reports of cats linked to miscarriages”. “One doesn’t get taxoplasmosis from cats but from cat feces. The feces is also present in soil and someone may get it while gardening, which a lot of our women do. If the litter box is cleaned regularly, and hands washed afterwards, the risk drops to zero,” he said. He said hygiene was the key for staying healthy. "There are so many infections that we get from livestock, but even those can be prevented by maintaining hygiene".

Experts pointed out that toxoplasmosis is a common infection worldwide and can be transmitted through various sources, including contaminated food.

Days after his interview, Director Animal Husbandry, Dr PS Sudan issued a video message that aimed to reassure public of the safety of owning cats. “One can have a cat pet safely by maintaining proper hygiene,” he said. On Monday, Dr Gilani also gave a press conference regarding the issue. However, he steered clear of any reference to his previous interview. “Human safety is linked to safety of animals. We must keep our animals healthy,” he said among many other statements not linked to the issue of cat-miscarriage link.

Many people called the reports linking of miscarriages to cat ownership dangerous and unsubstantiated over social media platforms. “They have caused unnecessary panic among cat owners and expectant mothers. We urge people to rely on credible sources of information and not spread misinformation.”