Abigail Tucker, author of "The Lion in the Living Room," explains toxoplasmosis, a parasite found in cat feces. In some instances, it can cause birth defects or enable mental health issues rage ...

Affected cats may have pale, bleeding gums, nose bleeds, trouble breathing ... They’re also more exposed to parasites and infections, and more at risk of hypothermia in cold climates.

Remember when your mom told you to be careful cleaning the cat’s litter box? Well, that same parasite everyone’s been avoiding might actually be the next big thing in brain medicine.

But a growing body of research suggests that a brain parasite idling in some litter boxes could really be leading unknowing cat owners to mental disorders, including bouts with schizophrenia.

Normally if a mouse sees a cat, it scuttles away in the other direction, but that's not what happens after mice get infected with a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. Once inside the mouse's body ...

This one is from 2021. Q: Can cats that stay indoors get parasites? My veterinarian recommends that I apply a parasite preventive to my cat Seymour’s skin every month, but I don’t understand ...

Maybe a parasitic infection was egging them along. Specifically, a microorganism called Toxoplasma gondii. Toxo, as it's colloquially known, has a baroque life cycle. It reproduces in cat species ...