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Bodega cats of New York

bodegacatsofnewyork.com

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Re: Bodega cats of New York

#71

Post by graemep »

jjtheblunt wrote: post #21
nonethewiser wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah this is why I dont find it endearing. It's just pointing to unsanitary conditions. It's ubiquitous in NYC which may have dulled some senses but it's not ubiquitous everywhere. Cat's themselves are not very sanitary. Better than rats, sure, but they are a source of toxoplasmosis which is very dangerous to pregnant women for example. Limiting exposure is manageable when keeping as a pet, but its a terrible baselin…

> Cat's themselves are not very sanitary. Better than rats, sure, but they are a source of toxoplasmosis Hyperbole and toxoplasmosis go well together. In particular: it's a limited time window when an infected feline could transmit toxoplasmosis. It can be dangerous to pregnancies, or immuno-compromised individuals. Most humans (and other beings) aren't pregnant or immunocompromised, but the drama of the topic gets c…

It is most likely to cause severe symptoms and obvious damage in pregnancy and to immunocompromised people but it may cause harm to others too.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2526142/

> Most humans (and other beings) aren't pregnant or immunocompromised

So we do not need to vaccinate against rubella either? most people are not disabled so we do not need wheelchair ramps? Most people are not sick at any given time so we do not need hospitals?

Re: Bodega cats of New York

#72

Post by graemep »

colechristensen wrote: post #42
kirubakaran wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well you wrote "Hyperbole and toxoplasmosis go well together". It's not "hyperbole" to care about others, however few they are, even though you yourself might not be at risk, right? But I don't mean to be confrontational. I understand that it is probably annoying to hear toxoplasmosis talked about like it is black death.

A third of the entire human population is infected with toxoplasmosis, in some places nearly every human. If you put humans in a sterile bubble you get a different set of diseases, to a considerably greater degree because your immune system evolved in an environment where you actually got infections.

> A third of the entire human population is infected with toxoplasmosis, in some places nearly every human.

So if it is often harmful to some extent in people who do not show severe symptoms, then it is a terrible disease that causes widespread harm. There is evidence it causes lesser, but possibly significant harm, in far more people than is generally recognised:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2526142/

Re: Bodega cats of New York

#73

Post by kulahan »

timschmidt wrote: post #69
crooked-v wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would be irresponsible for a pet owner... but you have to understand the context is New York rats, which exist in immense numbers, massively beyond every other major US city, because of a century of just leaving trash piled up on the sidewalk ( https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2024-11-27/new-yo... ). Bodega cats aren't pets, they're a cheap and low-impact way to keep rats from moving into the bodega en m…

> low-impact As one of the 10% of humanity who has a severe allergy to cats which causes me to be unable to breathe, break out in hives, and weep incredible amounts from every exposed mucus membrane, I had to laugh at this. And cry a little. Y'all have no idea how high impact cats are. Fel D proteins seem to trigger immune responses across a broad range of mammals. They are homologs of slow loris venom which also cau…

Right but cats are awesome

Re: Bodega cats of New York

#74

Post by timschmidt »

kulahan wrote: post #73
timschmidt wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> low-impact As one of the 10% of humanity who has a severe allergy to cats which causes me to be unable to breathe, break out in hives, and weep incredible amounts from every exposed mucus membrane, I had to laugh at this. And cry a little. Y'all have no idea how high impact cats are. Fel D proteins seem to trigger immune responses across a broad range of mammals. They are homologs of slow loris venom which also cau…

Right but cats are awesome

What a privilege it must be to think so. Sadly, I cannot relate. To me they're poison or a visit to the ER. Like if most of the people in the world thought diamondback rattlesnakes or boomslangs made adorable pets to let roam free.

If you can imagine drowning in your own fluids, unable to breathe, while your whole body swells painfully and itches, your nose runs uncontrollably and eyes swell shut, you've got the picture.

Y'all don't have to ask ahead of time before you go anywhere new if there will be a cat there. And you don't have to cancel if they say yes.

Re: Bodega cats of New York

#75

Post by thenthenthen »

jjtheblunt wrote: post #21
nonethewiser wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah this is why I dont find it endearing. It's just pointing to unsanitary conditions. It's ubiquitous in NYC which may have dulled some senses but it's not ubiquitous everywhere. Cat's themselves are not very sanitary. Better than rats, sure, but they are a source of toxoplasmosis which is very dangerous to pregnant women for example. Limiting exposure is manageable when keeping as a pet, but its a terrible baselin…

> Cat's themselves are not very sanitary. Better than rats, sure, but they are a source of toxoplasmosis Hyperbole and toxoplasmosis go well together. In particular: it's a limited time window when an infected feline could transmit toxoplasmosis. It can be dangerous to pregnancies, or immuno-compromised individuals. Most humans (and other beings) aren't pregnant or immunocompromised, but the drama of the topic gets c…

Cats spend between 30-50% of their waling hours to grooming themselves. Cats are extremely clean. Pick one up and smell its fur. What do you smell? Nothing.

Re: Bodega cats of New York

#76

Post by ikurei »

timschmidt wrote: post #69
crooked-v wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would be irresponsible for a pet owner... but you have to understand the context is New York rats, which exist in immense numbers, massively beyond every other major US city, because of a century of just leaving trash piled up on the sidewalk ( https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2024-11-27/new-yo... ). Bodega cats aren't pets, they're a cheap and low-impact way to keep rats from moving into the bodega en m…

> low-impact As one of the 10% of humanity who has a severe allergy to cats which causes me to be unable to breathe, break out in hives, and weep incredible amounts from every exposed mucus membrane, I had to laugh at this. And cry a little. Y'all have no idea how high impact cats are. Fel D proteins seem to trigger immune responses across a broad range of mammals. They are homologs of slow loris venom which also cau…

> 1 in every 10 people in public spaces.

1 in every 10 people may have a cat alergy, but the % of folks with an allergy as severe as yours has to be much lower. I know plenty of people with cat allergies who can spend entire evenings in my cat-inhabited with only very minor discomfort. The person with the most serious allergy to them I know is miles away from your symptoms.

I think you are exaggerating the severity of the issue, but I'm sorry you have this terrible allergy to something as common as cats, that sucks.

Re: Bodega cats of New York

#77

Post by yallpendantools »

timschmidt wrote: post #69
crooked-v wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would be irresponsible for a pet owner... but you have to understand the context is New York rats, which exist in immense numbers, massively beyond every other major US city, because of a century of just leaving trash piled up on the sidewalk ( https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2024-11-27/new-yo... ). Bodega cats aren't pets, they're a cheap and low-impact way to keep rats from moving into the bodega en m…

> low-impact As one of the 10% of humanity who has a severe allergy to cats which causes me to be unable to breathe, break out in hives, and weep incredible amounts from every exposed mucus membrane, I had to laugh at this. And cry a little. Y'all have no idea how high impact cats are. Fel D proteins seem to trigger immune responses across a broad range of mammals. They are homologs of slow loris venom which also cau…

> Y'all have no idea how high impact cats are.

> inconsiderate of 1 in every 10 people in public spaces.

It's high-impact for you but low-impact for humanity in general or even just for businesses with a rat problem.

1 in 10 is exactly the definition of "low impact". I get that it's a ginormous inconvenience to the dozens of you out there---and as a person with his own allergies, albeit not to cats, you have my sympathy---but that doesn't change the fact that 10% falls pretty squarely under the definition of low-impact.

Re: Bodega cats of New York

#78

Post by timschmidt »

ikurei wrote: post #76
timschmidt wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> low-impact As one of the 10% of humanity who has a severe allergy to cats which causes me to be unable to breathe, break out in hives, and weep incredible amounts from every exposed mucus membrane, I had to laugh at this. And cry a little. Y'all have no idea how high impact cats are. Fel D proteins seem to trigger immune responses across a broad range of mammals. They are homologs of slow loris venom which also cau…

> 1 in every 10 people in public spaces. 1 in every 10 people may have a cat alergy, but the % of folks with an allergy as severe as yours has to be much lower. I know plenty of people with cat allergies who can spend entire evenings in my cat-inhabited with only very minor discomfort. The person with the most serious allergy to them I know is miles away from your symptoms. I think you are exaggerating the severity o…

> I think you are exaggerating the severity of the issue

You and everyone else who doesn't suffer. But I was conservative by stating 10%. Medical literature says 10 - 20% and even qualifies that as a potential underestimate. I have looked for stats on severe sufferers, and they are unfortunately very difficult to find.

It does suck. But I would caution you not to discount the discomfort of others so easily.

People tend to understand that exposing someone with a peanut allergy to peanuts is dangerous and can even be considered assault or attempted murder.

No one thinks that about cats.

But the severity of the allergic response occupies the same spectrum (same immune system, misbehaving in the same way). Peanuts just aren't as cute or fluffy as cats. No one is offended if you don't want to pet their peanut. No one makes you eat peanuts in order to visit them at home. No matter how mild the peanut allergy. No one rubs peanuts into every surface of a place like cats spread Fel D 1.

But immune systems don't know the difference. An allergen is an allergen.

To folks who have the allergy, the differences in the way it's treated compared to others affect our every day.

Re: Bodega cats of New York

#79

Post by timschmidt »

yallpendantools wrote: post #77
timschmidt wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> low-impact As one of the 10% of humanity who has a severe allergy to cats which causes me to be unable to breathe, break out in hives, and weep incredible amounts from every exposed mucus membrane, I had to laugh at this. And cry a little. Y'all have no idea how high impact cats are. Fel D proteins seem to trigger immune responses across a broad range of mammals. They are homologs of slow loris venom which also cau…

> Y'all have no idea how high impact cats are. > inconsiderate of 1 in every 10 people in public spaces. It's high-impact for you but low-impact for humanity in general or even just for businesses with a rat problem. 1 in 10 is exactly the definition of "low impact". I get that it's a ginormous inconvenience to the dozens of you out there---and as a person with his own allergies, albeit not to cats, you have my sympa…

You're claiming that the single most common allergy suffered by humans is low impact compared to a $2 rat trap which doesn't bother anyone. The cope...

You can just say you like cats. You don't have to invent fallacious reasons for it.

Re: Bodega cats of New York

#80

Post by defrost »

yallpendantools wrote: post #77
timschmidt wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> low-impact As one of the 10% of humanity who has a severe allergy to cats which causes me to be unable to breathe, break out in hives, and weep incredible amounts from every exposed mucus membrane, I had to laugh at this. And cry a little. Y'all have no idea how high impact cats are. Fel D proteins seem to trigger immune responses across a broad range of mammals. They are homologs of slow loris venom which also cau…

> Y'all have no idea how high impact cats are. > inconsiderate of 1 in every 10 people in public spaces. It's high-impact for you but low-impact for humanity in general or even just for businesses with a rat problem. 1 in 10 is exactly the definition of "low impact". I get that it's a ginormous inconvenience to the dozens of you out there---and as a person with his own allergies, albeit not to cats, you have my sympa…

In a city with a population of 8.5 million 10% is easily under nine hundred thousand people, such a low impact indeed ... 'dozens' might be overstating this /s
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