Looks like your feline friend may be the reason as to why you've been acting crazy the past couple of days. According to new research, cats carry a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, which is highly linked to mental illness. How does one get it and how can it be prevented - without having to get rid of your pet cat?

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The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that more than 60 million people in the United States may have Toxoplasma gondii. While the chances of developing symptoms from the infection are slim, it could greatly infect those with a weak immune system.

Symptoms of having acquired Toxoplasma gondii include a flu-like sign. Infection would lead to the illness toxoplasmosis, which in turn may lead to a more severe case such as blindness. In pregnant women, it may also cause miscarriage. As for extreme cases, toxoplasmosis may cause death.

So what does mental illness have to do with it? According to a report by TIME, Toxoplasma gondii has been linked to mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The study was done by researchers from the Stanley Laboratory of Developmental Neurovirology and Stanley medical Research Institute at Johns Hopkin University School of Medicine.

"Cat ownership in childhood has now been reported in three studies to be significantly more common in families in which the child is later diagnosed with schizophrenia or another serious mental illness," stated the authors of the study, namely Dr. Robert H. Yolken and E. Fuller Torrey.

Another study conducted and published in Acta Pyschiatrica Scandinavica also states that the Toxoplasma gondii is greatly linked to schizophrenia. People infected with the said parasite have a greater affinity to developing the mental illness.

So how do cat lovers prevent such instance from occurring? Keep your beloved feline friends inside and cover the sandbox to prevent the spread of the parasite. It would also help to regularly clean the cat's sandbox. Note that owners should wash their hands after with soap and water. Also, avoid feeding cats raw or uncooked meat.

"Children can be protected by keeping their cat exclusively indoors and always covering the sandbox when not in use," added Torrey.

TagsCats, toxoplasma gondii, toxoplasmosis, mental illness, schizophrenia, cat crazy