14 DAY TRIAL // Mamoru Demizu is the man that got caught breaking into people's houses to steal money and jewelry in order to feed his cats. His deep love for the animals left him broke and then pushed him into taking the illegal way of making money.
Mamoru was charged with 32 counts of breaking entries into various houses and stealing valuables worth $185,000 (€134,000), according to The Huffington Post. The man fed his 120 kitties only gourmet food made from mackerel and chicken. He also paid the rent for a warehouse where his 20 inside kitties lived, the other 100 were outside kitties from the park and a nearby playground.
The man had a unique feeling of happiness when he was with his cats, and he started feeding them scraps, one by one since 1993. Talking about a crazy cat lady… well, this is worse as the man spent more than $200,000 (€145,000) on his feline stress relievers.
The 120 cats' daily diet was estimated at around $244 (€177), and after the man lost his job back in 2011, he sank in debts and finally turned to crime to solve his financial problems. He couldn't bear to see the cats eating scraps or can food and was offering his kitties the very best, a luxurious chicken and fish diet.
Cats have been known to have a special effect on some people, and maybe Demizu was just under the animals' spell. But this is not the only case where felines are the main subject of discussion, as more and more cat lovers are said to be carrying the parasite found in feces called Toxoplasma gondii.
The microbe is known for causing toxoplasmosis, a condition that can lead to behavioral changes, mental disorders, or gaps in the brain's neuron connections, and was even said to favor depression.
Toxoplasmosis is also known as “the crazy cat lady disease” as it is rumored to make some people prefer cats more than usual. Even if most of the times the parasite is dormant and no symptoms are noticed, it can be awaken when the person's immune system is weakened.