Are we becoming Cat People? Redux

A few years ago I felt like an alarmist when, over at Killer Hobbies, I asked whether a cat parasite might be capable of altering human behavior.
 

I’d just discovered that the Toxoplasma parasite changes the behavior of infected rats. Cats are the natural hosts for the Toxoplasma parasite, which gets very crafty in its attempts to reach a feline. Research shows that when a rat is infected with Toxoplasma, its brain is altered so that the rodent loses its fear of cats. The infected rat becomes much more likely to get eaten by a cat, and then—voila!—the parasite reaches its target host.

Other research indicates that even human behavior can be affected by parasites.

A parasitologist (who knew such a field existed?) reports that women who are infected with Toxoplasma tend to be more extroverted and caring—to what end as far as the parasite is concerned, is not known. My personal theory is that perhaps the parasite is trying to make us take better care of its feline hosts. I come from a family of dedicated cat lovers. As a clan, we like dogs just fine. But we’re nuts about cats. For example, I have an aunt who owns nine indoor kitties. She also feeds and takes care of dozens of feral cats.

My sister is another fierce protector of all things feline. She has appointed me executor of her estate on behalf of her two cats. I have precise instructions for where and how they’ll be cared for if they outlive her (her will even includes funding for a long-term kitty haven).

Then there’s me. My husband calls me a “cat whisperer.” When I see or hear a cat on the street, I’m magnetically drawn to it. I’m strangely drawn to it, I’m thinking now.

Our familial tendency to adore cats and care for them makes me wonder—could it be that we’re all infected with the Toxoplasma parasite, and we’ve been passing the bug down through the generations? Maybe the parasite has altered our brains to make sure that we take excellent care of its host, Mr. Cat.

Bottom line: Is a bug pulling our strings?

Technically speaking, I’m not even sure that a parasite is a bug (science teachers, help me out here). But I’m sure it looks like one under a microscope. I’ll bet it looks really disgusting, too.

The whole thing makes me think about some signs my relatives have hanging all around their houses. The signs say things like:

“The cat owns the house. We just work here.”

Things may be worse than they know.

We might all be working for a damned bug.


Update


Now I feel vindicated for having sounded the alarm about parasites affecting humans. Radiolab weighed in recently with an entire show on the subject. Think about it next time you’re communing with Kitty!

19 thoughts on “Are we becoming Cat People? Redux

  1. Well thankfully I haven’t been infected. Don’t get me wrong–I like cats–at least the ones that have dog personalities (maybe dog parasites invaded those cats?)

  2. A few years ago the vision in my right eye got suddenly fuzzy. After a few days it was like looking through a glass of iced tea. My eye guy said it looked like Toxoplasmosis. I went to a retina specialist. Yes, it was toxoplasmosis. She told me it came from cat feces, something and something else, none of which made sense. All I could figure was a wandering cat had sneaked into my house and crapped in my contact lens case, or maybe I got deer blood on my hands and into my eye. So this noted physician said, “We can treat it with heavy antiobitics every four hours 24/7 for six weeks, or we can leave it untreated. It’s up to you.”

    I said,”What happens if we leave it alone?”

    “You’ll more than likely lose the sight in it.”

    Doctors.

  3. I knew it…they really are evil masterminds….my previous dog tried to alert us, and my kid’s bunny warned us.

    Luckily for us, three of my family members are allergic to cats, therefore their mind-control won’t work. We can defeat them. We can win!

  4. Wha…? JRM, he actually asked if you wanted to ignore treatment?!

    Sounds like he’s disengaged his mind from treating “patients” and is only thinking of treating the “disease”.

  5. Fletch, I know that’s the best explanation for the fact that I’m one crazy cat lady. Rahma, you’re profile picture speaks a thousand words (grin)!

  6. BK, my husband didn’t like cats when we got married (I have three). Now I can tell he loves at least two out of the three. Could it be parasites? JRM, many of us evidently have been infected at one time or another. First I’ve heard about losing sight, though. Yikes! Sounds like the doctor has gone buggy.

  7. Off topic but felt need to comment. Interesting that the rapid diagnosis and expert attention to a most uncommon condition resultsd in the saving of an eye. Strange manner of presenting the treatment but there’s no doubt what she (retina doc)recommended.

    Somehow this leads to an opportunity for one to join in some second hand bitching.

    Ya – those damn doctors. Saving someone’s eye. They just don’t know anything about patients.
    Anonymous to avoid the bias that such posts suggest.
    I hope the blog can stick to writing related content

  8. At casa de Hartlaub, when Anna, our calico, saunters into the bedroom each morning, I say, “Welcome to Egypt…where cats are worshipped!”

  9. Anonymous, gosh darn, you’re making me drag the topic back to writing. Okay, sheesh. I have a cat in my series, an adorable Ragdoll named Elfie. Story idea: Could a master-criminal bug within her secretly be controlling a spate of murders that just broke out in Durham, home of my series? Kate Gallagher will have to consider her dear kitcat as a possible suspect in the homicides. I’ll give it some thought.

  10. I think cats as murder victims would be the way to go – forget about the rule that no animals should be harmed in a book:)

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