A good reason to keep cats out of the veggie field

Cats pooping on the food you eat can make you crazy, according to an article in the March issue of the Atlantic magazine.

Since the early 1990s, Czech scientist Jaroslav Flegr has been conducting research into the parasite Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii for short), which is excreted by cats in their feces. The parasite has long been known to cause toxoplasmosis, a disease which can infect pregnant women and cause severe brain damage and death to the fetus. However, the parasite, which is also found in drinking water contaminated by cat feces, unwashed vegetables, and undercooked pork and beef, may be affecting humans in subtler, more bizarre ways.

Better Farming - April 2012