Mr. EcoSpeak loves nothing better than to antagonize EcoSpeak’s cranky calico kitty, Lola. Usually, playtime ends when first blood is drawn - always his, never hers.

Now comes a study that puts those scrapes in a more serious light.

Published this week by a team of Florida scientists, a new study shows an increase in drug resistant staph infections being transmitted from pets to people and vice versa.

The infection is spread via bites and the study contains and interesting statistical breakdown. Consider this:

Boys age 5-9 face the greatest bite risk

Women and the elderly are most likely to bitten by a cat

About 20 percent of all bite cases involve a non-neutered dog.

A former veterinarian of mine once said she could anticipate the likelihood of being bitten by a cat by the color of its coat. Orange tabbies were the least likely, she said, and black cats were a close second.

Most likely to bite?

Calicos.