Everyone knows cat people can be a little weird.

Owning a cat is all about submission after all.

If you enjoy slaving away for a creature who tends to treat you indifferently - and if you're not too fused when it comes to pain (Cat's claws are sharp after all) it's possible BDSM could also be your thing.

A study of 36 500 people in Slovakia and the Czech Republic found that there could very well be a connection between our feline friends and the often sexual practice.

The research was first published in the Journal of Evolutionary Psychology, and theorises that cats might be passing on a condition that makes you enjoy bondage.

According to the study, the reason is a common brain parasite from cats, Toxoplasma gondii, which causes toxoplasmosis. This condition is linked to sexual arousal by fear, violence and danger in humans.

The cross-sectional cohort study found that 'infected and non-infected subjects differ in their sexual behaviour, fantasies, and preferences'.

It also said that those with the Toxoplasma gondii parasite might have a ‘higher attraction to bondage, violence and, in men, to masochism and raping'.

Toxoplasma is found in cat faeces, so be extra careful when you go near the litter tray.

Roughly one third of the world is infected with the parasite, but it usually remains inactive.

It can present symptoms similar to the flu and can be confirmed by a simple blood test.

Of course, this doesn't mean that everyone who engages in BDSM had been near cat poo.

According to the Independent,

Although toxoplasmosis is so common, it’s rarely reported as there are no real symptoms - around 350 cases are reported in England and Wales annually, but the NHS believes the actual number of infections could be as high as 350,000.

HT the Independent