by Mental Mouse » Mon Aug 08, 2011 3:12 pm
Actually, there's a credible example for humans... that of the toxoplasmosis parasite, carried by a number of mammals, but primarily cats. We know that when it infects rats, it makes them much less wary of cats, even of their smell... so they're much more likely to get eaten.
We also know it can infect humans, usually without obvious symptoms. Now, a lot of humans are themselves pretty wary of cats... but then, there are "cat people", who seek them out at every opportunity. Not to mention the "crazy cat people", who hoard cats....
Actually, there's a [i]credible[/i] example for humans... that of the [i]toxoplasmosis[/i] parasite, carried by a number of mammals, but primarily cats. We know that when it infects rats, it makes them much less wary of cats, even of their smell... so they're much more likely to get eaten.
We also know it can infect humans, usually without obvious symptoms. Now, a lot of humans are themselves pretty wary of cats... but then, there are "cat people", who seek them out at every opportunity. Not to mention the "crazy cat people", who [i]hoard[/i] cats....