Make sure that you and your pet are healthy
With all the joy that you exchange with your pet, it's easy to forget that as well as being a valued family member, your cat can affect your health in many ways
How your pet can benefit your health
Your pet is a big part of your life and your furry friend is almost always happy to keep you company, play, and get lots of attention!
But your lovable pet is a valuable companion in more ways than one. Pets can:
- Improve our emotional well-being
- Reduce feelings of loneliness
- Encourage exercise and outdoor activities
- Create opportunities for social interaction with other people
- Help lower blood pressure and reduce stress
- Sometimes even act as "early warning systems" in detecting epileptic seizures or certain cancers.
But while there are many ways your pet can make your life better, sick cats can pose a risk to our health and well-being. The best way to keep you both in top shape is to follow some general guidelines.
Health risks
Of course, your pet doesn't want to hurt you, but sometimes you can also get infected if it has an infection or some parasites. Diseases and infections that can be transmitted from animals to humans are called zoonoses.
Most of the diseases we can get from cats are because they have been infected by bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi - all things they can bring with them on their travels. People with impaired natural protective systems (such as organ transplant patients or those undergoing chemotherapy), the very elderly, pregnant women, people with diabetes, and young children or infants are potentially at greater risk of contracting something from their pet.
Sometimes pets can carry diseases and infections that have no harmful effect on them but can harm their owners.
How do you get infected by your pet?
Just like between humans, there are many ways a sick animal can accidentally infect its owner, including:
- Coming into contact with a sick dog, sick cats, or an infected animal's bodily fluids, such as blood, saliva, urine, or feces.
- Touching an object that has been in contact with an infected animal, such as toys or brushes.
- Inhale small droplets of air when an infected animal coughs or sneezes.
- Swallowing food or drink that is contaminated with the body fluids of an infected animal.
- An infected animal biting or scratching you.
Bacterial infections from pets
What kind of bacterial infections are there?
Bacterial infections from ill dogs and infected cats fall into two main types:
Bacteria ingested by your pets
- Your pet probably won't get sick from it, but the bacteria will go with their feces and can cause gastrointestinal illness.
- These bacteria can come from your pet eating raw meat and eventually getting salmonella in their feces,
- which you then come into contact with.
- Other examples include campylobacter.
Bacteria that live naturally on your pets
- They don't cause your pet any discomfort, but they can give people infections.
- Staphylococcus is one example.
How do I get a bacterial infection from my pet?
It's natural for your pet to want to be close to you, but the biggest risk of getting germs from your pet comes from them rubbing against your eyes, mouth, and nose or licking your face or open wounds.
"Kissing" your cat, even if it's affectionate, can also mean you're exchanging dangerous oral bacteria, which can potentially lead to gum disease and tooth loss.
How can infections affect my health?
Infections can cause a range of illnesses in humans, from the skin and wound infections to pneumonia and even meningitis.
Dogs and cats carry staphylococci in their noses and fur, which can be involved in antibiotic-resistant staphylococcal strains such as MRSA.
Periodontitis is a serious form of gum disease that affects the tissue that supports the teeth and holds them in place, which can lead to tooth loss.
Even if your pet doesn't want to hurt you, you should be careful about the risk of contracting common parasites when caring for animals.
What are the different types of parasites?
Parasites that your pet can get include roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms.
Toxoplasma gondii is also a type of parasite found in dogs and other animals, but particularly in cats.
How do I get parasites from my pet?
- Cleaning the litter tray, digging in the garden, or playing in sandboxes where feces are present can pose a risk of getting toxoplasma gondii.
- Transmission can occur if you come into contact with sand or soil contaminated with infected roundworm eggs or larvae in dog or cat feces.
How can parasites affect my health?
- It is particularly important to watch out for toxoplasma gondii if you have a compromised natural defense system.
- Although relatively uncommon, it can cause birth defects if pregnant women are infected with toxoplasma gondii for the first time.
- Roundworm infections in humans can cause blindness in serious cases but don't worry, it's very rare!
- Fleas can also be problematic, causing itching and skin inflammation in humans and animals. Check out our A-Z on fleas to learn more.
You can also learn more about cat parasites, dog worms and scabies in pets, and fungi like ringworm or take a look at our A-Z on toxoplasma.
Sleeping with your pet
Sometimes pets are comfortable sharing a bed with you, but there are a few things you should take into careful consideration:
- Pet owners who let their animals sleep in their bed often wake up during the night - especially if you have a very mobile animal!
- Interrupted sleep and poorer quality sleep can potentially have a detrimental effect on your mood and ability to concentrate the next day.
- Sharing a bed can also increase the chances of getting certain infections from the animal.
How to prevent infections or parasites
How to avoid getting infections or parasites
Although the risk of getting dog and cat infections from your loved pet is generally very low, you can minimize most potential health problems by following a few simple steps.
- De-worm your pet regularly and remember to check for fleas. You'll reduce the risk of catching one and your pet will feel better too!
- Wash your hands after playing with your animal and before touching & eating your food.
- Don't use the same cooking utensils to prepare animal and human food.
- Try not to let your pet come into contact with food destined for humans being.
- take into the risks of feeding your animal a raw meal.
- Don't let animals share a bed with you. (Dogs and cats usually like to have their own space - and their bed!)
- Remove your pet's feces from your home and garden quickly and hygienically. For example, wear gloves and always wash your hands after removing feces.
- Take extra care when animals and young children, the old or people with impaired natural protective systems are together.
- Even if you want to show affection, don't let your animal lick your face or open wounds.
Even if your animal may accidentally affect your health, a few steps are all it takes to keep you both as safe as possible - and ready to take on the world together!