“Can Cats Make You Crazy” by Wired explains what the parasite toxoplasma gondii is, where it can be found and what it can do to a developing human brain.
There’s this theory that exposure to this bacterium a young age can lead to mental illness. Surveys show that people with schizophrenia were exposed to cats as adolescents 10% more often than those without schizophrenia. Although that ten percent difference is kinda significant, it’s not conclusive. But it raises an interesting question – is a bacterial infection partly responsible for causing mental illness?