The stereotypical cat owner is a lonely, introverted homebody – somebody who you would never imagine to be into kinky sex. However, according to a recent study, cat owners might be infected with a parasite that makes them more into kinky sex.
Cat owners might be infected with a parasite called toxoplasma gondii. This particular parasite has been linked to increased sexual arousal caused by fear, violence, and danger. Meaning people with this parasite tend to be turned on by BDSM, sexual submission and bondage.
Toxoplasmosis, for those of you who don’t know, is an infection caused by a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, most often found in cat poop. Hence the relationship between cat owners, Toxoplasmosis, and kinky sex.
The study which was published in Evolutionary Psychology consisted of researchers collecting data from over 36,000 people in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Over 700 of which were infected with the parasite. The results suggested that those who were infected with the parasite “expressed higher attraction to bondage, violence, zoophobia, fetishism, and in men, also masochism.
According to Your Tango, the parasite is normally found in rats and mice and causes them to be attracted to the scent of cat urine, ultimately leading them to their death. The parasite causes the rodents to forget their natural fear of cats, thus cruelly forcing them to seek out the thing they should instead be running from.
Like in rats, the parasite “succeeds in using the fact that sex-related stimuli and fear-related stimuli affect very similar circuits in the brain.” Essentially, your brain is being taught to correlate potentially dangerous situations to sex acts, reports Your Tango.
The study reported that nearly a third of the population on Earth is infected with this parasite and the majority of the people who have it get it from being exposed to cat feces. People can find out if they have the parasite just by taking a blood test.
So if you have ever owned a cat and have found yourself getting excited by the idea of bondage, BDSM, or unusual kinky sex, then bad news; you may have a parasite. But obviously just because you have a car, does not mean that you will get it, you could just be a kinky cat lady.
Good news, if you have a cat you will already have a collar lying around the house, I’m sure your cat won’t mind if you borrow it!