LSD makes your brain act like a cat's

[snopes]

Comment: I've heard, from people who own cats and from people who do drugs (or from
people who do own cats AND do drugs) that there was a study done where EEG
scans of cats were compared to those of people under the influence of LSD,
and found to be remarkably similar, the idea being that cats act so weird
because their natural state of mind is basically tripping their brains
out. Ever heard this one? It would explain a lot, if it were true, but
since every time I've heard it it's been prefaced with "seriously, THEY
did SOME study ONCE," I figured, well, you know.

[Cervus]

By that logic, shouldn't catnip make them act...normal?

[Dropbear]

What precise aspect of a cat's behaviour are people affected by drugs supposed to emulate? Certainly if I drink too much I tend to fall asleep and drool a bit. Similarly caffiene makes me inclined to be a bit twitchy of sudden noises.

However I have never had the urge to catch a bird and drop it's partially consumed carcass in front of my spouse, nor have I ever sat on a fence yowling loudly when I am in the mood for love. I have never, under the influence of any drug, clawed the furniture, rubbed my glands against a visitors calf or hissed and spat at someone who violated my territory.

Accordingly - without further and more detailed information I do not feel we can proceed.

Dropbear

[I'mNotDedalus]

As far as I know, the only similarities that would present themselves in EEG measurements would relate to LSD's ability to inhibit serotonin activity. Apparently, the surface area of a cat's cerebral cortex is ~83 cm², whereas our cerebral cortex's surface area is ~2500 cm². Perhaps if a high enough dosage of LSD was administered, serotonin processing would sharply decrease to the level of a healthy feline (allowing for physiological variance by breed, if there is any).

Even this is murky ground, as it has not been proven that LSD's hallucinogenic effects are principally caused by inhibiting serotonin processing. The drug is still a damned mystery. If this UL test was conducted, there are only a few culprits who'd have had the organic chemists and neuro folks on hand to thoroughly produce the data: the Beckley Foundation, MAPS, the Heffter Research Institute and the Albert Hofmann Foundation

[Ariadne]

Originally Posted by snopes

Comment: I've heard, from people who own cats and from people who do drugs (or from
people who do own cats AND do drugs)

What about those of us who own CATS that do drugs?

"No Felix, put down the bong! Bad kitty!"

[llewtrah]

Last time one of my friends took LSD he stayed awake 48 hours straight and completed a couple of university assignments. In contrast, my cat could probably sleep for 48 hours straight!

(My cat doesn't do catnip, but she does do valerian)

[Tarquin Farquart]

LSD makes me want to scratch up the walls. And eat tuna. It must be true...

[Mosherette]

Originally Posted by Dropbear

However I have never had the urge to catch a bird and drop it's partially consumed carcass in front of my spouse, nor have I ever sat on a fence yowling loudly when I am in the mood for love. I have never, under the influence of any drug, clawed the furniture, rubbed my glands against a visitors calf or hissed and spat at someone who violated my territory.

There's just so many sig lines waiting to happen in this paragraph!

[snapdragonfly]

I never did acid. Some friends of mine in art school did once, and came over to my house and giggled all throughout "Flashdance" about how the shadows on my wall were pretty colors.

My cat has never done this. The last time "Flashdance" was on, he rolled his eyes at the 80's hair but that was about it.

[KirkMcD]

Well, I was once told by my cat's vet that a cat coming down off of anesthesia has a similar reaction to a person on LSD. Maybe that is the connection to the OP?

[Tarquin Farquart]

Maybe it's because cats seem to be staring into space - like people on LSD do?

Originally Posted by Tarquin Farquart

Maybe it's because cats seem to be staring into space - like people on LSD do?

Most likely. I took acid not long ago and stayed up all night staring at objects in my room that looked like they were breathing.

Plus it dilates your pupils, which reminds me of a cat's eyes.

[Tarquin Farquart]

Originally Posted by Dobers

Plus it dilates your pupils, which reminds me of a cat's eyes.

If only it enabled you to see in the dark.

[Arts Myth]

Originally Posted by Tarquin Farquart

If only it enabled you to see in the dark.

Yeah, but then all you'd see is all the objects in the dark, breathing...

[Richard W]

I think that small children are probably tripping all the time - hallucinogens make everyday objects and minor details seem completely fascinating, as though you'd never seen them before. Small children really have never seen them before.

[llewtrah]

Originally Posted by aranea russus

Just because it didn't happen to you doesn't mean it didn't happen to someone else.

I've got it...

Happened to me, but don't ask me 'ow

[Tarquin Farquart]

Last time I had LSD I had a strong complusion to eat cat food. Luckily I didn't have any in the house and I was hardly in a state to go shopping.

[llewtrah]

Originally Posted by Tarquin Farquart

Last time I had LSD I had a strong complusion to eat cat food. Luckily I didn't have any in the house and I was hardly in a state to go shopping.

I wondered why there was no Whiskas in my cupboard the other day and the sink was full of empty cans ....

[Tarquin Farquart]

Originally Posted by llewtrah

I wondered why there was no Whiskas in my cupboard the other day and the sink was full of empty cans ....

Your fault for feeding me bad bread.

[dungeondragon18]

Originally Posted by KirkMcD

Well, I was once told by my cat's vet that a cat coming down off of anesthesia has a similar reaction to a person on LSD. Maybe that is the connection to the OP?

I don't know about that. When my cats came home from the vet two weeks ago after being spayed, all they did was blink sleepily, stagger about, and then fall asleep. They acted more like they were drunk than tripping.