When I was young we lived next to an institution for individuals who
had various behavioural and phsychological issues/ diseases. There
were two individuals who I was led to believe had a cat "Gene" (Yes -
Feline). They were under 24 hour observation and used to hiss, purr
and meow. What causes this type of behaviour?

Hi, 

As far as actual genes go, I'm going to have to suggest that you
misunderstood, or were blatantly misinformed. I say this because the
correlations between Cat and Human Genomes have only been discovered
in the last few years. What they have discovered would give a
researcher; say 10 or 15 years from now, much more to go on. Of
course, what they have discovered also lends credence to your memory,
so I'll point out now that ?I don't believe it was impossible that it
was a gene problem related to felines sharing the same gene?, only
that any doctor of the time would not have known enough to say that
particular sentence. Also, what I'm finding is a bit contradictory to
the situation... that is to say, if they did share a close gene with
cats, it would more than likely be a good thing. Also, to this date,
there is no 'name' or evidence of a gene condition as you describe it.
Also, as you will see in the rest of this answer, I took your
description at face value and dug very deep before arriving, very
reluctantly, to my conclusions.

So what did I find? Rather fascinating stuff. First of all, Cats and
Humans share a great deal of the genome in very interesting areas. We
all hear the spouting pontification that a few alterations to our own
DNA and we are lobsters, but in this case, the closeness is decidedly
amazing, and could help a great deal in the areas of HIV cures and
understanding our own mutations.

Black Cats and Genomics Cross Paths
http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/03_03/black.shtml

That was the story that started me off on the trail. Using these
studies and papers I've complied a list of links for you here:

Cats and humans share similiar X and Y chromosones
http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/04_00/cat_humans.shtml

Stephen O'Brien
http://rex.nci.nih.gov/lgd/staff/obriens.htm

Cat Genome Project
http://rex.nci.nih.gov/lgd/cat/catgenome.htm

Human Gene Nomenclature Guidelines 2002
http://www.gene.ucl.ac.uk/nomenclature/guidelines.html

Genom and DNA Database Links
http://www.gene.ucl.ac.uk/nomenclature/databases.shtml

I also found in the HGMD database (database of human gene mutations),
a gene titled CAT (as in C A T) which has been recorded as being one
of those which mutates in humans, and got me very excited for a moment
or two. My thinking at that time was, you might have heard "Cat" as in
feline, but what they said was CAT as in Gene. Mutations in this gene
were first reported in 1990.
http://uwcmml1s.uwcm.ac.uk/uwcm/mg/search/119049.html
But, although it is thought to be responsible for several things, none
of them appeared to be what we are looking for.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/dispomim.cgi?id=115500

I then found this story on the BBC
"Scientists have identified a gene that appears to have played a key
role in the development of the human brain."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3392143.stm

Which focuses the particular gene, called ASPM, which is thought to
have a great deal to do with the size of the brain, though it is
uncertain at this time whether it is a benefit or a detriment.
Following up on this story and the research behind it (thinking a
change in brain size could alter personality), I discovered various,
conflicting studies and therories (this is all still very new so this
is expected), and none of them even close to what we are looking for.

Although this rather heavy, but interesting reading keeps getting more
and more fascinating, it is not getting me any closer to a possible
answer for you. I put it all in this answer however to back up my
first paragraph. That being; although there are studies and
discoveries happening right now which point at what you suggest; at
this current time, I don't believe any doctor of any degree would make
such a statement today, let alone 10 to 20 years ago.

This isn?t to say that there are not diseases, which are shared
between our two species,
http://www-ucdmag.ucdavis.edu/win97/Feature/Feature_OneMedicine.html
They just don't have anything to do with getting closer to an answer
to your question.


A physical disease which fits your discription is reported on by the
Times Online website here
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8122-826557,00.html

"Infected men, suggests one new study, tend to become more aggressive,
scruffy, antisocial and are less attractive. Women, on the other hand,
appear to exhibit the ?sex kitten? effect, becoming less trustworthy,
more desirable, fun- loving and possibly more promiscuous."

The closest mental health problem I could find would be a form of Schizophrenia
http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=7416

The runner up would be Alzheimer's Disease. 

However, neither makes sense at all with your description. A person
with Schizophrenia or Alzheimer's this advanced, would not be "under
observation for a few days". By this time, the observations would have
all be completed, and very little of the treatments tried up to this
point would have been successful.

With the description you give and the research I've done, I'm going to
conclude that the persons were suffering from toxoplasma gondii,
probably picked up in their yard digging in the dirt or in a sand box,
either from their own cat or outside cats. The alteration of the
personality from this disease would warrant 'observation', and in the
time frame we are talking (I'm guessing 15 to 20 years ago) not much
would have been known about this condition, other than a possible
mental health problem, and it might have been known to be related to
cats, or from the subjects behavior described as a ?cat disease?. But
it is the only condition which makes sense along side a "24 hour
observation".



Links to various Cat reference material
http://rex.nci.nih.gov/lgd/cat/links.htm

Databases and links used for this Research

MHRESOUR
http://www.css.edu/users/dswenson/web/MHWeb/MHRESOUR.HTM

Karolinska Institute
http://www.mic.ki.se/Diseases/F03.html

Internet Mental Health
http://www.mentalhealth.com/

Searches used in performing this research
+"mental health" rare odd database
+"human mental health" rare conditions cat
+human mental health "Acts like a cat"
mental health disease feline
CAT Gene Human Disease Mutation
+ASPM +Human +Gene
Cat Gene Mutation Human
many many others

thanks

webadept-ga

---

Clarification of Answer by webadept-ga on 03 May 2004 02:25 PDT

Just a small after thought here... if this was in my time, childhood
era (60's or 50's) then I could easly invision someone ... nurse,
doctor, what have you, using the term 'cat gene'. If you think about
the history and popular media of the time, everything that was odd or
weird or unexplained .. was genes, or mutations. Even our comic books,
X-men, Spiderman, etc.. were caused by this. So, you were probably
told something, which made sense to you, sense they had no real idea
of what was going on with these individuals.

Just a thought. 

webadept-ga

Could it be something like this ?
Cri du chat ("cry of the cat") Syndrome,

http://www.cridchat.u-net.com/

Nice Pickup on that acidtest4u-ga, never even came up on my searches,
or I would have thrown it in there just for references if nothing
else. But from what I'm able to see on the Medline server, this form
of mental retardation doesn't exhibit any of the behaviors slyroy-ga
was referring too. And the one that it does have, he didn't mention?
but still, it would have made a good add-on and I am very happy you
found it, and took the time to post it for him.

thanks, 

webadept-ga

Our family babysitter used to say that my little brother had "monkey
genes." She was speaking figuratively, as I suspect was the case in
the situation described by the questioner. A human may mimic some of
the behaviors of another creature, but this doesn't necessarily mean
that genetics are involved.