Now it is a well know fact that cats carry a very tiny organism that gets excreted in their faeces and is potentially dangerous to humans. This is one reason that pregnant women are warned to stay away from cat litter boxes during their pregnancy as the parasite can be transmitted to their unborn child and could lead to brain damage or death.
The parasite is called Toxoplasma gondii (T.gondii or Toxo for short) and Flegr believes it can also affect a healthy person’s brain.
But if Flegr is right, the “latent” parasite may be quietly tweaking the connections between our neurons, changing our response to frightening situations, our trust in others, how outgoing we are, and even our preference for certain scents. And that’s not all. He also believes that the organism contributes to car crashes, suicides, and mental disorders such as schizophrenia. When you add up all the different ways it can harm us, says Flegr, “Toxoplasma might even kill as many people as malaria, or at least a million people a year.”
via The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/308873/
(see rest in attached PDF)
and,
There is a new call for pet cats to be confined to property boundaries, after a university researcher captured video showing a cat attacking a southern brown bandicoot.
The species that was once a common sight in south-eastern Australia, especially coastal areas, is now nationally endangered and listed as threatened in Victoria.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-05/cats-threatening-endangered-souther-brown-bandicoot/4499548
