If you let your dog lick your mouth, you’ll probably both swap plenty of nastiness, like bacteria and even parasites. But there is one particular parasite you won’t have to worry about swapping, because there’s a good chance you both share it. A team of researchers recently found there’s a parasite usually found in human mouths that one in six dogs may carry, too.

According to a study published in Veterinary Research Communications by scientists at Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences in Poland, our beloved doggies are harboring Trichomonas tenax. This microscopic parasite hangs out between your gums and teeth, feeding on scraps and occasionally causing gross periodontal infections.

Researchers swabbed 238 house pets and discovered these oral squatters in 17 percent of dogs and nearly 6 percent of cats. Older dogs over nine years old and those sporting thick coats of disgusting tooth tartar were the most likely to host the parasite.

Your Dog Might Be Carrying a Human Mouth Parasite, According to New Research

How are dogs getting it? Probably from us, though the researchers could not say that definitively. But that makes the most sense, especially since all the infected cats in the study were strictly indoor kitties whose main contact with the outside world was through their owners. Dogs had even higher infection rates, which makes sense considering one of their primary modes of emotional expression is licking faces.

More research is needed before a definitive cause and effect can be established, but if it can be, then these trichomonads, which churn out all sorts of gross enzymes that break down collagen and destroy soft tissue, destroying your gums and your dogs’, we still need to figure out to what extent we are sharing this parasite.

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When you hug, hold, squeeze, and pet your cat, you’re probably vaguely aware, maybe just in the back of your mind, that you’re actively trying to improve your quality of life by engaging in a pleasant activity. But something might be happening on a deeper, hormonal level that boosts not only your mood but your cat’s, too.

According to research published in iScience by a Kyoto University team, previous studies on whether cats actually make our lives better have been a bit of a mixed bag. There’s enough science to strongly suggest that dogs offer health benefits that stick around for quite a while. But research on cats’ health benefits, like the animals themselves, is complicated and inconsistent.

To figure out why cat ownership’s perks are harder to pin down, the researchers tracked 19 human and cat pairs for a month using Bluetooth tracking beacons and urine samples to check in on any biological effects.

Your Cat’s Brain Chemistry Could Be Affecting Your Mood, New Research Suggests

They found that simply owning a cat doesn’t magically turn your brain into a blissful utopia. But something fascinating is happening, and you need to be in close physical proximity to your cat to reap the benefits.

The study found a direct hormonal link between humans and cats: higher oxytocin in cats correlated with lower cortisol and fewer negative vibes in humans. Oxytocin is the hormone associated with bonding, and cortisol is the hormone that triggers stress.

In other words, the more your cat feels your bond, the less stress you’ll feel in turn. The researchers found such a close connection between the two that a cat’s oxytocin levels tracked an owner’s bad mood more closely than the owner’s own biochemistry did.

This is, of course, a good example of small-sample-size theater, and it all amounts to correlation rather than causation, but excuse me for snuggling your kitty just a little bit more tightly tonight.

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