I don't think Stef said that about the cats and their owners, I think it was a joke by Putty Tat

I have thought about Stef & Christina not having any pets and Stef, to my knowledge, never having had a dog or a cat. Especially dogs can in one's childhood be a wonderful source of affection and camaraderie, especially when the family itself is fucked up.

Not having any pets, unless living or financial conditions preclude it, denotes a lack of empathy, perhaps a little self-centeredness to a degree that is unhealthy. Pets are very important specially for young children, they teach lessons about life, death, responsibility, empathy and caring that can't really be learned any other way. That's just my opinion. I'm sure there are some very nice, emotionally healthy folks who never had a pet, nor the desire to get one, but I am always a little suspicious of people who don't like them.

Yeah, the formulation goes like this:

(Hyper-clean Childhood) - (Furry Pets) = Asthma + Allergies

God made dirt and dirt don't hurt.

Oh, I'd like to see that science, because I have never seen anything to counter that claim. I always thought a healthy immune system requires some childhood illness, or you'd drop dead from your first flu. Isn't that the theory for purposely infecting your kids with the Chicken Pox (ookee mouth, anyone?), because it's way worse for adults and causes horrible shingles that are life-threatening in old age? Links, please!

Absolutely not. I never did finish up my "Homeopathy Challenge" because Mackler, the guy who spawned the idea after a huge thread at another forum suddenly disappeared under pretty shady circumstances. I thought there wasn't much use in proving a point to a guy who wasn't around.

But, I do think the germ theory of medicine is accurate, including the model for the action of the immune system, and I also understand that asthma and severe seasonal allergies are both immune problems, with excessive immune responses causing potentially life threatening symptoms.