11 Reasons Why Cat Bites May Be Linked To Depression
Cat Glance Copyright David Corby via WikiMedia Commons In case you hadn't heard, cat bites are linked to depression. As I wrote last week, a study in PLOS ONE looked through the health records of 1.3 million people and found that 41 percent of people who were treated for cat bites were also diagnosed with depression. And 86 percent of the people who had been both bitten and diagnosed with depression were women. The story got quite the reaction, and generated a few new theories to explain the link. Here are our favorite explanations for the link, starting with the most plausible: 1. People who are depressed may be more likely to own cats to begin with because of real and/or perceived mental health benefits of cat ownership, and thus are more likely to be bit than non-owners. This is in my opinion the most likely reason....