Cats are polarizing creatures. The people that love cats often rightfully earn the title of “crazy cat person.” Their friends or family members don’t shy away from calling cats evil! Whether you love cats or absolutely hate them, you might get a kick out of the idea that there is a parasite that makes you love cats. This is real, although it might not work as you think.
love cats parasite
What Is the Parasite That Makes You Love Cats?How Many People Have the Parasite That Makes You Love Cats?Toxoplasmosis and Cat IntestinesHow Do We Get Toxoplasmosis?Symptoms of ToxoplasmosisHow to Avoid Toxoplasmosis
What Is the Parasite That Makes You Love Cats?
How Many People Have the Parasite That Makes You Love Cats?
Toxoplasmosis and Cat Intestines
How Do We Get Toxoplasmosis?
Symptoms of Toxoplasmosis
How to Avoid Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasma gondiiis a one-celled parasite that is most often associated with cats. Humans, rats, and most other mammals are likely to come into contact with this parasite, too!You may have toxoplasma gondii floating around in your body right now.
Toxoplasma gondii, or “toxo,” may not convert a cat-hater to a crazy cat person. The parasite does, however, have the ability to warp your mind, potentially in a way that makes you absolutely love cats! This isn’t April Fool’s Day - science is just that wild sometimes!
Ready for a shocking statistic? Studies suggest that around11%of the United States population aged 6 or over have had toxo in their systems at some point. That’s 30 million people walking around with the parasite that makes you love cats!
Being infected with toxoplasma may lead totoxoplasmosis,or it will pass without causing any symptoms to the brain or body. So you might not know that you have this parasite. (If you’ve felt any unusual attachment to your furry friend lately…just kidding!)
That’s right. One in nine people have had this parasite in them. All mammals have the ability to get infected. For the most part, it’s harmless, which may be why scientists haven’t made sweeping efforts to eradicate the parasite. But the effects it does have are quite fascinating.
Toxoplasma gondiiis happy to infect humans, rats, or other mammals. But their one goal is to get to your furry feline friends. Toxo may be present in 11% of humans, but it’s present in even more cats!
Why does toxo love cats so much? Well, they need cats to live! For whatever reason, toxoplasma can only multiply in the intestines of a cat. As they multiply, they produce oocysts. This is just one stage in the life cycle of toxo. Cats or people may have any of these three stages moving through their bodies.
There are quite a few ways that people can become infected with toxoplasmosis. Cats don’t always have to be involved!Toxoplasma can enter the bodywhen humans:
Just beingaroundcats or petting them will not lead to getting toxoplasmosis.
Preventing Toxoplasmosis Infection in Pregnant Women
Most likely, you won’t know if you’re infected with toxoplasmosis. This one-celled organism may disappear from your body without any noticeable symptoms. If you do interact with cats often or work in a kitchen where uncooked food is present, you should know the symptoms of toxoplasmosis. You might discover that your symptoms aren’t the flu, after all!
Physical Symptoms of Toxoplasmosis
Physical symptoms may vary. Existing health problems may also exacerbate the impacts of toxo. A typical, healthy person may experience “flu-like” symptoms for weeks at a time:
People with an ocular disease may endure other symptoms:
People with compromised immune systems, including HIV, may also experience additional symptoms:
Mental Symptoms of Toxoplasmosis
The mental side effects of toxoplasmosis are actually pretty fascinating. Studies are still being conducted on how this plays out in humans, although the parasite could be linked to mental disorders likeschizophreniaor bipolar disorder. What we do know is that its effect on rats explains how this parasite has been able to survive and spread for so long.
Here’s the theory that scientists have put together. (The exact science behind this process isn’t exactly known.) In certain stages of life, the toxo parasite can travel through a mammal’s white blood cells to the brain. There, it can cause some actuallypleasantside effects - at least in cats. Higher levels of dopamine have been linked to infected rats. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, and it affects how mammals seek out certain rewards. This could be why rats are so jazzed up about being around a cat’s feces. (They love it!)
This is good for toxo, because when a rat is around cat litter, it’s inevitably around a cat. Infected rats may not be thinking straight. (Humans who have been in traffic accidents are three times more likely to be infected with toxoplasma. How wild is that?) These rats, with their lowered inhibitions, are more likely to fall into the trap of a hungry cat. The toxoplasma in the rat enters the body of the cat, and it can spread and survive in the cat’s intestines!
Interesting stuff, right? And it may explain why people suggest that the parasite makes you love cats. It can certainly make rats love cat litter!
Although many people can be infected with toxoplasmosis and experience no symptoms, it’s best to stay away from this parasite. People with compromised immune systems, and pregnant people should take extra steps to avoid it. Fortunately, best practices for avoiding toxoplasmosis are easy:
Remember, youdo nothave to have a cat or come into contact with a cat to get toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasma is very common, and you can get it from cooking or just drinking contaminated water. If you are dealing with these symptoms and can’t seem to find answers, you may have toxoplasmosis!
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Reference this article:Practical Psychology. (2022, October).What is the Parasite that Makes You Love Cats? Toxoplamosis.Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/what-is-the-parasite-that-makes-you-love-cats/.Practical Psychology. (2022, October). What is the Parasite that Makes You Love Cats? Toxoplamosis. Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/what-is-the-parasite-that-makes-you-love-cats/.Copy
Reference this article:
Practical Psychology. (2022, October).What is the Parasite that Makes You Love Cats? Toxoplamosis.Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/what-is-the-parasite-that-makes-you-love-cats/.Practical Psychology. (2022, October). What is the Parasite that Makes You Love Cats? Toxoplamosis. Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/what-is-the-parasite-that-makes-you-love-cats/.Copy
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