The humor comes from relating typical cat behaviors to the very serious symptoms of human depression. Specifically the DSM-V includes "changes in sleep, appetite, and decreased interest in activities" as indicators of Major Depressive Disorder and Depressive Episodes in human beings.
On the other hand, there is an old adage that pets and their owners resemble each other. Maybe this trend applies not only to physical traits but also to psychological traits? We can ask the question: is their a relationship between cat ownership and depression?
On one hand we have research findings that lead us to believe that having a cat, or any pet, could be protective against depression. For example, McConnell, Brown, Shoda, Stayton, and Marton (2011) conducted an experiment to determine if pets can serve as social support and reduce the sting of rejection. In their somewhat disturbingly named paper, "Friends with benefits: on the positive consequences of pet ownership," they included a study of 97 undergraduate students, who were also pet owners (76 dogs, 20 cats, one horse). The participants either wrote a detailed report about a time that they were rejected (experimental condition) or what they had done earlier that day (control). Thus the experimental condition triggered feelings of rejection whereas the control condition did not; this was verified by participants' scores on a 17 question Social Needs Scale.
Next, the participants were either instructed to write about why they like their pets, why they like their best friends (human, that is), or to draw maps of their college campus. Past research demonstrated that thinking of your best friend serves as a reminder of social support, so the researchers were curious if thinking of a pet would have the same effect. Drawing a map was a neutral experience that would not be related to social support.
Indeed, when they completed a second check of their emotional states the participants who had felt rejected and then thought about their pets or best friends had rebounded and now felt that their social needs were satisfied. Although the difference did not reach statistical significance, the students who thought about their pets actually had a slightly higher emotional boost than the students who thought about their best friends!
Things were worse for the participants who had felt rejection and then drew maps of their campus: their social needs scores continued to plummet. Drawing the map was associated with feeling even more rejected as the study progressed! So if you are feeling low, thinking about your cat might make you feel better, but just thinking about random things to distract yourself might make you feel worse.
Before you start to believe that cats are the key to avoiding depression, these findings are tempered by an earlier study also found in the McConnell et al. (2011) article. When they compared 167 pet owners and 50 non-pet owners in the university community, the pet owners were slightly less lonely and had better self-esteem, but they did not differ significantly from the non-owners on actual measures of depression.
Another possibility is that the positive social support that cats provide may be undercut by a negative biological factor: Toxoplasma gondii. This protozoan can only complete its reproductive cycle inside a cat's digestive tract and can infect humans who have contact with cat poop that contaminates their food. A recent review by Hsu, Groer, and Beckie (2014) reports that 23% of the U.S. population shows no physical symptoms yet tests positive for this type of infection!
New T. gondii infections that are acquired during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, but an ongoing, undetected infection is associated with, "...mental and behavioral disorders such as schizophrenia, depression and suicide attempts" (p. 632). This is likely because the infection causes inflammation or cysts in the brain, and both could disrupt neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and tryptophan. However, cat ownership is not considered to be a high risk factor for infection for most people: raw meat consumption or contamination from unwashed kitchen utensils are more common modes of infection.
So go ahead and hug your cat to thank your pet for the social support - but, to be safe, wash your hands well after cleaning out the litter box. For all of us, if you are not a cat and find yourself sleeping too much, eating too much or too little, and you have lost all motivation it is important that you seek treatment for depression.
Further reading:
You can access the McConnell et al. (2011) article at your local college library. A copy of the Hsu et al. (2014) article is available online.
Depression is a serious illness. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) can help if you are feeling hopeless. Their website also has good information for people who would like to volunteer or donate to help others.
A really fun read for anyone who likes cats: a link to Shreve, K.R., & Udell, M.A.R. (2015). What's inside your cat's head? A review of cat (Felis Silvestris catus) cognition research past, present and future. Animal Cognition, in press.
BONUS: Imagine if your friends acted like cats and dogs...or watch it here and it will make you smile:
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