Cats never intend to hurt their human companions. Unbeknownst to you and your cats, they could be carriers of parasites, bacteria, fungi, virus, and protozoans. Even a healthy-looking cat can be harboring an infectious disease that can be passed on to you. It is our responsibility to ensure everyone at home is protected against these zoonotic diseases.
What are the risks?
Outdoor cats, stray cats, and kittens are common carriers of zoonotic diseases. Hunting cat breeds can unknowingly bring illness upon themselves too. However, indoor cats and lone cats can be at risk too. When we talk about zoonotic diseases from our feline friends, these include:
- Bacterial infections like Salmonella Poisoning, Cat Scratch Fever, and Pasteurella multocida. Bacteria can be found in the mouth, teeth, and paws of your cat.
- Parasitic infections not limited to fleas, ticks, and mites. Your cat can have Scabies or Hookworms and the parasite larva can find its way to a human host body.
- Fungal infections, in particular, Ringworms can take months to clear up. During this time, your feline friend needs to be kept in isolation to reduce contamination.
- Viral infections like Rabies spread beyond the original host. Newly adopted cats and those left to wander outdoors are highly susceptible to rabies. Once infected, they can easily pass this on to all at home.
- Protozoal infections come from single-celled organisms shed through cat feces. The most common examples include Giardiasis, Cryptosporidiosis, and Toxoplasmosis. These illnesses can also affect an unborn child in the mother’s womb.
The effects on humans can be anywhere between surface level and fatal. It is common to experience vomiting, diarrhea, fever, joint pain, rashes, and difficulty breathing when infected with feline diseases. The infection can also affect our heart, brain, and other organs.
Contamination during and before pregnancy can lead to congenital birth defects if not monitored. Infected pregnant cats can lead to an abortion or birth defects in kittens as well. The infection can be passed on during birth and feeding too. If you are in doubt that you and your cats are infected, seek medical attention right away.
Cat infections that can affect people
- Ringworm is fungal infection common among veterinarians. It can affect the hair, nails, and skin of both cats and people. Bald patches, inflammation, cracking skin, and discolored nails are common symptoms. Infected cats drop ringworm fungal spores everywhere around the home and can take months to completely eradicate.
- Cat Scratch Disease is a bacterial disease caused by kittens under one year of age. An adult cat can also become aggressive when in pain, fearful, defensive, territorial, predatory, or even during play and sleep. Be aware of signs your cat wants to be left alone and never let your cats sleep with you or a child.
- Hookworm larvae gets into the lungs and small intestines of the infected animal. Severe infections can cause weight loss, anemia, and can even be fatal to kittens.
- Staphylococcus aureus can be transmitted back and forth between people and cats through direct contact. Cats can carry the disease without visibly being sick but already suffer infections in the urinary tract, respiratory system, and the skin. In people, the bacteria can spread to the lungs and lead to life-threatening complications.
- Pasteurella multocida can come from a healthy-looking cat. This bacterium thrives in our cat’s mouth and when bitten can result in serious complications causing infection of heart valves.
- Salmonella poisoning can be contracted from other infected animals or when cats eat meat that is not cooked well. Contact with salmonella can cause diarrhea and organ infections.
- Campylobacter is bacteria found in cat stool, contaminated water and food. While infected cats sometimes have diarrhea, campylobacteriosis can make people sick with fever, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. It is also life-threatening to seniors, infants, and those with a weak immune system.
- Parasites can live on the skin of our cats resulting in itchy skin lesions. Fleas, ticks, and mites multiply fast and exponentially. Once they find their way into our cats, they scatter throughout our home. Icky fact: tapeworm and other parasites can find its way into our mouth or a child’s, cause rashes, and in worst cases affect our liver, brain, and lungs.
- Toxocara worm eggs are disposed through cat feces in garden soil. When infected, the worms will spread internally and can lead to vision loss and eye damage.
- Toxoplasmosis is one of the most well-known zoonotic disease as it continuous to affect cat owners who come in contact with cat feces. It can cause fever, headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, and neonatal complications. In rare cases, toxo can induce psychosis, blindness, and brain abscesses.
- Rabies is a viral disease that can be avoided through vaccination albeit vaccinated domestic cats can be infected when bitten by stray tomcats and local wildlife (bitten or ingested when hunting). Infected cats can develop progressive paralysis and die a few days after showing symptoms. Rabies is fatal to both animals and people.
- Plague is caused by yersinia bacteria from infected animals and infected flea bites. The result can be anything from mouth ulcers and anorexia to blood/lung infections and comatose in cats. Exposure to infected cats can cause cat-associated human plague.
Who is at risk?
Children, elderly, pregnant women, and those suffering a medical condition are common targets of feline infectious diseases. When you have a weakened immune system, you are more likely to contract illness from cats. If you are going through chemotherapy or have HIV, it is best to avoid cats altogether as well as those who need to undergo surgery or have had transplants.
People with chronic diseases are also at an increased risk of the infections. Even veterinarians are also at risk of contracting feline infectious diseases. Anyone can be a target of feline infectious diseases so we need to practice proper hygiene and heed safety precautions.
How do cats get infections?
Getting Bitten- Cats get infected when they get scratched or bitten by bats, raccoons, and rabid animals. They are at risk when hunting and eating infected animals. Transmittable diseases associated with biting and scratching include rabies and cat scratch disease.
Everywhere- Fleas, ticks, and mites ride on them when they play outdoors. Even indoor cats can catch fleas from other pets, rodents, guests, a visit to the vet, playdates with neighborhood cats, moving to a new home, etc. These parasites live on cat fur, dead skin cells, nails, and hair.
From other cats- Queen cats can pass on illness like hookworms to their nursing kittens. Kittens, senior cats, long-haired felines, sick cats, and a large household of cats are prone to catching infectious diseases. Illness can be passed through shared food and water bowls, other pets eating feces, and even through the air.
Ingestion- Consider the diet and lifestyle of our cats. Eating raw, undercooked, and contaminated food can put cats in danger. Predatory cats can become infected when they ingest tissue from infected rodents and wildlife. They can also ingest tapeworm while grooming.
How are cat infections transmitted?
The diseases are passed on to humans via inhalation, entry into the mouth, contact with cat poop, fur, and dander, bites, scratches, and skin-to-skin contact. The parasites can also spread throughout the home on carpets, bedding, and clothing.
Habits like feeding in the kitchen, keeping the litter in the kitchen, and forgetting to clean the litter box can also increase your risk of getting an infection. Pregnant and sick cat guardians are advised against cleaning kitty litter. If unavoidable, put on gloves and wash your hands after cleaning the litter box.
Infected cats can also eliminate waste in garden soil and outdoor sandboxes. Keep the children’s outdoor play area covered when not in use and wear gloves when gardening. Sleeping with cats should be avoided your cat can scratch when shocked by your movements. Also, stop kids and adults from pestering your cat.
Diagnosis of cat infections
Infected cats may or may not show visible symptoms. When in doubt, take your cat to the vet. Regular check-ups are a must. Your cat will undergo a physical examination, blood tests, and your vet will want to know your cat’s medical history.
Treatment of cat infections
Your cat may need antibiotics, topical medication, pain relievers, fever medicine, and minor surgery to drain infectious liquid from bone wounds. If you are infected, you may also need antibiotics, a tetanus shot, and illness-specific medication.
Protection against zoonotic infections
Proper hygiene, taking safety measures, and regular check-ups with the vet are key to protecting our cats and our family against zoonotic diseases. The first thing we should do is to ensure the health of all our pets including cats, dogs, and birds. We should take our pets for routine evaluation, vaccinations, regular deworming, and required tests as a first defense.
Next, restrain your cats from freely roaming outdoors where they can interact with infected cats, pests, parasites, and infected wildlife. Your cats may ingest tissue from an infected animal. Also, be aware of what your cats eat. While bacteria thrives in undercooked and raw food, salmonella can also thrive in dry cat food and jerky cat treats.
Exercise caution when handling stray cats, kittens, and hunting cat breeds. When pregnant, avoid getting a new pet altogether. Avoid rough play with young animals and trim cat’s nails every two weeks. Never declaw your cat.
Many infectious feline diseases result from improper handling of animals and their wastes. Use a poop scooper and wear gloves when handling backyard dirt. Always wash your hands when handling your pet and cleaning up after them. Train your cats to use the kitty litter box, clean it daily, and don’t place the litter box in the kitchen.
More on cat health
Healthy cats give cat owners peace of mind. If you are concerned about cat anxiety, hair loss, weight loss, fleas, infections, constipation, and other cat concerns, My Feline Buddy regularly blogs about everything cat-related. The vet-approved blog is a go-to of cat owners and everyone thinking about getting a new cat. See you there!