Electrosensitivity and potential charge of a cat

["Bjorn Cedervall" <bcradsafers@HOTMAIL.COM>]

I have been reading some electrosensitivity information recently and noticed 

that several of these people who move out into the country sides have cats. 

Here is one example (sorry about the Swedish - just see the picture):

http://www.norran.se/sektion_c.php?id=167121&avdelning_1=102&avdelning_2=102



A cat is well isolated by its fur and seen as mass clump of about 2 kilos 

and a capacitor (capacitance) in the order of 10-20 nF (nanofarad, 

reference: a friend of mine who is a physics professor said this promptly 

when I asked him the other day) counted against earth. The electrical field 

should depend on the thickness of the fur and the dielectric properties of 

the fur (and air) - I have no idea about the professor's assumptions here.



Now stroking a cat (instructions at!: 

http://www.lacetoleather.com/catmassage.html ) should reasonably charge it. 

The professor says that you may get more than 10 kV (may be even as much as 

30 kV) voltage as a result. The discharge will depend on whether you use a 

flat hand or a sharp point. The potential energy should follow W=C*U*U/2 

where C is the capacitance and U the voltage. A discharge produces a current 

and could then theoretically induce magnetic fields ("radiation") I 

suppose... our body fluids are electric conductors if nothing else. There is 

an Italian company selling womens underwear with metal threads in them ("to 

protect the fetus") - couldn't a petted cat induce currents in such clothes?



Any comments out there in Radsafers land (I like more numbers if you can 

help to figure them out)? This is an "EMF" question and may not exactly be 

on topic for "radiation" - so I apologize if someone finds this question too 

inappropriate.



Perhaps this type of problem even can help some of you making students 

interested in physics?



My personal initiative only,



Bjorn Cedervall   bcradsafers@hotmail.com

http://www.geocities.com/bjorn_cedervall/



PS. Voting about "radiation free zones" is at the lower right at

www.kvicksilver.org   (JA=YES, NEJ=NO).





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