Saw an article in a tabloid at lunch at work today...
WOMEN cat owners can catch a bug from their pets that turns them into man-eaters.
Scientists say a parasite that lives in cats can infect people and may dramatically alter their personalities.
Women get the “sex-kitten effect” from the toxoplasma gondii bug, making them fun-loving, desirable, sexy and more unfaithful.
But it leaves men feeling grumpy with the “alley cat effect”.
They become more aggressive, scruffy, anti-social and less attractive to women.
There are about nine million cats in the UK and up to half the human population is said to carry the bug.
The study was carried out at Charles University in Prague by Professor Jaroslav Flegr as part of worldwide research into toxoplasma.
He tested 300 people and found that women with the bug were more attractive than those without it.
He said: “They were more easy-going, warm-hearted, had more friends and cared about how they looked. They were also less trustworthy and had more relationships.”
He found that infected men were more likely to brawl and be jealous.
Once the bug is in your body the number of toxoplasma cells grows steadily, meaning women get randier and men get grumpier.
Last night, Martin Cond-liffe, boss of the Ark Pet Centre in West Horsley, Surrey, said: “This research doesn’t surprise me. A number of my cat-owning customers fit the description of sex kitten and alley cat.”
Famous moggy owners include stunning Hollywood star Demi Moore, 40, who is having a passionate affair with Ashton Kutcher, 25, and pop babe Dannii Minogue, though there is no suggestion they have the bug.
And cat-loving Tory MP Ann Widdecombe cast doubt on the research after hearing the bug could make her desirable and promiscuous.
The 55-year-old said: “Nobody could apply those adjectives to me.”
Additional reporting: OLIVER HARVEY
Time for a poll... ;)
