10 Diseases You Can Get From Your Cat

1. Toxoplasmosis

Dr. Colleen Wallace, a cat-only veterinarian on the Cozy Cat in Raleigh, North Carolina, instructed A-Z-Animals, “The most common way of developing toxoplasma is by digging in the soil, as it is prevalent in the environment. You can also be infected by eating contaminated food or by scooping an infected cat’s litter box. The toxoplasma organism can cause a miscarriage in pregnant women, but the organism is only effective after 24 hours. Scooping the litter box at least once to twice daily will prevent transmission, but if feasible, someone else should clean the box. Many people have been infected with toxoplasma and do not know it, because the infection is usually asymptomatic.”

It’s not simple to inform when your cat is contaminated with toxoplasmosis as a result of many cats don’t present any indicators that they’re sick. However, your cat could also be shedding the parasite for as much as three weeks after an infection. If you’re contaminated, it’s possible you’ll expertise signs much like the flu. However, some folks, on uncommon events, develop eye illness. For those that are pregnant or who’ve weaker immune programs, signs could also be extra extreme and in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, might find yourself inflicting mind illness.

2. Cat Scratch Disease

This illness may be transmitted out of your cat by both a scratch or a lick. Typically, cats which might be dwelling in shelters or which might be underneath one yr old usually tend to get contaminated. This is as a result of the an infection is transferred by way of flea bites on most events. Your cat is unlikely to point out any signs, however some might get mildly in poor health and expertise a fever for a few days.

On uncommon events, cats might develop extra extreme signs like vomiting and swollen lymph nodes. If you contract this illness, it’s possible you’ll first discover that there’s a stable, raised bump the place your cat scratched or licked you. Symptoms don’t present up instantly. It might take as much as three weeks after the preliminary publicity. Symptoms embody fever most often, however you might also expertise muscle ache or eye an infection.

3. Cryptosporidiosis

This parasitic illness spreads while you ingest your cat’s poop by chance. This might even be when water or meals is contaminated unbeknownst to you. Or it might happen when you don’t wash your fingers after cleansing your cat’s litter field. Cats can usually carry this illness with none indicators or signs.

Anyone can contract this illness from a cat, however individuals who have compromised immune programs are at greater danger. If contracted, signs similar to vomiting, stomach ache, and intensely free stools might happen. Typically, the signs persist for as much as two weeks.

4. Giardiasis

This parasite, like others on this checklist, may be transmitted by way of contaminated poop, soil, water, and even meals. If you by chance ingest a contaminated substance, you would possibly get sick. The excellent news about giardiasis is that the kind of parasite that makes folks sick isn’t usually the one which makes cats sick.

When a cat has giardiasis, signs embody dehydration and diarrhea. Typically, their stool has a greasy look and texture to it. In people, giardiasis presents with a number of signs, together with nausea, vomiting, stomach ache, gasoline, and diarrhea. In some circumstances, a person might contract giardiasis with out growing any signs.

5. Cat Tapeworm

Infected fleas are finally the offender in terms of cat tapeworms. When your cat ingests an contaminated flea (by way of self-grooming, as an example), the parasite spreads. It’s unusual for people to contract this illness from their cats as a result of it’s a must to swallow an contaminated flea your self. But it does occur, particularly with young youngsters. This is a particularly uncommon an infection and usually, it doesn’t current with any signs. However, you could possibly spot the tapeworm shifting about in feces or close to the anus.

6. MRSA

MRSA is a bacterium that may manifest in a spread of how, together with pores and skin and lung infections. Cats don’t must current signs or get sick, however they could nonetheless be capable to transmit it to you. Although they could not at all times present signs, typically cats might have some pores and skin or respiratory points when contaminated. In people, MRSA is analogous in that signs don’t normally develop. However, the most typical signal of MRSA is pores and skin an infection. When this isn’t handled, it will probably progress and grow to be a life-threatening situation.

7. Rabies

Your cat ought to already be vaccinated towards rabies as a result of this can be a lethal illness that’s unfold by way of cat bites. It’s a neurologic illness that causes a fast decline in each animals and other people. It’s unfold when you might have contact with the saliva or the mind tissue of an contaminated cat. Although the most typical type of an infection is by way of a chew, rabies could also be transmitted by way of scratches. In cats, habits adjustments dramatically.

After signs begin, cats die inside simply a few days. If you contract rabies, signs might seem in a few days, however they could additionally take a few months after publicity to begin. Once you might be conscious of the signs, the illness has already progressed an excessive amount of for efficient therapy. To forestall one thing like this from occurring, at all times seek the advice of together with your physician after being bitten or scratched by your cat or every other animal.

8. Hookworm

Contaminated soil might unfold hookworms. These are tiny worms that will unfold to you while you walk round barefoot, kneel, or sit down wherever close to areas which might be contaminated with poop out of your cat. When your cat remains to be a kitten, hookworm may cause weight reduction and anemia. When the an infection is extreme, it might result in loss of life.

Symptoms of hookworm in people current as itchiness. You might discover that there’s a worm-like line the place the parasite has embedded into the pores and skin. When you contract hookworms from a cat, they will’t survive in your physique for too lengthy, so that you usually see signs subside in about 4 to 6 weeks.

9. Roundworms

Cat poop is the offender but once more in terms of the unfold of roundworms. When they’re kittens, cats don’t normally current with signs, however they could be dehydrated, have diarrhea, and have a slightly spherical, bloated stomach. In folks, roundworms might have an effect on considered one of your eyes. The different sort of sickness that will develop after contracting roundworms is physique organ points like stomach ache or fatigue. This is as a result of roundworms might migrate to totally different elements of your physique, which ends up in totally different signs.

10. Ringworm

In cats and other people, ringworm can have an effect on totally different elements of the physique. Ringworm would possibly present up on the pores and skin, on nails, or in hair. It spreads by way of contact, which implies anybody can contract this an infection. In some circumstances, cats don’t have any signs however more often than not, you’ll be able to see that they’ve little areas of hair loss on their our bodies.

Typically, the pores and skin is kind of crusty. This most frequently happens in kittens. If you contract this an infection, you might be additionally more likely to develop scaly, itchy pores and skin and if it spreads to your scalp, your hair might fall out. When nails are contaminated, they get thicker and crumbly and grow to be discolored.