30 Sep
2001
30 Sep
'01
1:24 a.m.
David Honig wrote:
Cats are considered *public good* and allowed to roam freely, in Calif.
Actually, that is old common-law doctrine: dogs are property - their owners are legally responsible for their conduct - while cats, like bees, are considered wild animals in temporary and revocable human care.
Cats also reduce the incidence of allergies (by altering immunoglobin levels differently from other antigens like mites) among children living with them (as reported in _Science_).
I've been gaga about cats since I got my first tomcat at the age of 7, many years ago, but I never read that. Can you tell me what issue of Science that article appeared in? Best, Marc de Piolenc