Can Humans Get Diseases from Cats?
By: Alfred and TC Kitty
A zoonotic disease is a defined as a disease that can
transfer between different species of animal. There are
zoonotic diseases that can transfer from your cat to you and
vice versa. Understand that these diseases are not common
and you are more likely to contract a disease from another
human rather than from your cat, but there are some
precautions that you should take in order to prevent
yourself from contracting a disease from your cat.
The way a human can get a disease from a cat is through
direct contact with excretions, secretions, saliva or feces
from an infected cat. Drinking or eating food that has been
contaminated by an infected cat may also infect you. But the
most common way to get a zoonotic disease from your cat is
through the transfer of vectors or parasites such as fleas
and ticks.
It is unlikely that a healthy person would become ill from
many of these zoonotic diseases unless their immune system
was already compromised or weak. But those undergoing
chemotherapy for cancer, infants, those people with AIDS,
and the weak elderly are all susceptible to zoonotic
diseases transferred from cats and so should be very careful
about this issue.
How to Protect Yourself and Your Cat
Prevention is always better than cure. And good sense and
good hygiene are the best preventatives. Common sense and
good hygiene will protect you, your family and your cat from
a whole host of issues. Zoonotic diseases are more commonly
transferred by bad hygiene than any other vector.
Here are some precautions that you should follow that will
reduce your chance of ever catching a zoonotic disease:
* Wash your hands after handling cats and before eating.
* Filter or boil surface water before drinking.
* Cook meat to 160°F or 80°C (medium-well-done).
* Take your pets to the vet for annual checkups and fecal exams.
* Take sick cats to the veterinarian.
* Keep your pets' rabies vaccinations current.
* Maintain appropriate and safe flea and tick control.
* Avoid letting your cat lick your face, dishes or food utensils.
* Wash fruits and vegetables before eating.
* Consider keeping your pet cats as indoor-only cats.
* See your doctor about cat bites.
* Feed cats quality cooked or commercially processed food.
* Clean fecal material from litter boxes every day and
dispose of it carefully.
* Clean litter boxes with scalding water and detergent every week.
* Wear gloves when handling raw meat or gardening, and
wash your hands afterwards.
* Cover your children's sandboxes well when not in use.
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