Read on for the interesting conclusion :) ... Scientists have discovered a one-celled protozoan parasite called Toxoplasma gondii that frequently lives in the brains of wild brown rats. It is a normally harmless parasite commonly found in most mammals, including man. But T. gondii can only reproduce in the guts of cats. Researchers at the University of Oxford in the past couple of years have been studying the parasite and now have found it appears to be influencing the behavior of rats. Scientists say it makes infected rats unafraid of cats, their natural enemy. But the Oxford researchers found that when infected, normally super-cautious rats not only are significantly less fearful of cats, but they also are actually drawn to them. No one knows how it happens, but they do know why. The parasites need to be eaten by cats in order to get into their digestive system and reproduce. Somehow, they are changing the behavior of rats to make that more likely to happen. Of Cats and Rats | 
