News Parasite deludes rats into liking cats By Susan Milius April 15, 2003 at 4:45 pm - More than 2 years ago Share this:Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to print (Opens in new window) Print A protozoan that infects rats dims their wariness around cats and can even lead to what Oxford researchers call a fatal attraction. That’s too bad for the rat, but it works for the parasite, explains Manuel Berdoy in England. The protozoan, Toxoplasma gondii, needs to jump from rat to feline to complete its life cycle.