What pet can live and play with my cat without sharing diseases?

Thanks for reaching out about your pets. Different species of animals commonly carry bacteria that can be harmful to other species, but most commonly transmitted by bites or claws. It is not recommended that predator and prey species co-habitate. Just be careful. Good luck.

Your cats shouldn’t get sick from the dog. Most dog and cat diseases aren’t easily spread to the other. I would make sure he’s on flea prevention though so the house and the cats don’t get fleas. I do recommend having them in a different place in the house during his first few days inside so he can settle in and they can get used to having him inside. When they are first together have him on a leash to make sure he doesn’t chase them. With time they should get along. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your pets.

Your male cat would probably not get any diseases that need to be treated by antibiotics from touching her. The main conditions that can spread between cats are worms, coccidia, Giardia, herpes, fleas, feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus. If possible, I do recommend to have her dewormed, apply a flea prevention and checked for feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus if you are going to let the cats interact. Monitor your male cat very closely for any changes in behavior, coughing, sneezing, runny eyes or nose, vomiting or diarrhea. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Parvo is a species specific virus and cats cannot get the dog version of Parvo. Cats do have their own version of a cat Parvo called Panleukepenia. You do need to make sure Anna is kept up to date on this vaccine as she could get the virus from other cats. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello. There is a very small chance that you could get a bacterial infection from a cat scratch & it is actually called Cat Scratch Fever, so just wash your hands & arms after every play session. There are no vaccinations that will prevent this disease, but it is pretty rare & if your immune system is normal & you just wash after playing with Bosbos, you have little to worry about. It is good that you are trimming his nails, but you might look into buying a product called Softpaws ( https://www.softpaws.com ) that you glue on to the nails & really help with scratching. Thanks for using PetCoach.

There are veyr few conditions other than intestinal worms which are easily transmitted between dogs and cats but it can be very stressful for both dogs and cats to be mixed depending on the nature of their characters. I recommend a trial visit before you proceed with making plans!

There are a lot of answers to your questions. Yes, there are many zoonotic diseases that can go between cats and humans. Too many to list here. Yes, even indoor cats can become ill. We can bring home diseases on us, and well as immune mediated diseases and cancers. I don’t really understand your last question. If you would like to have a more detailed conversation about zoonotic diseases a consult might be beneficial to you. In general practicing good hygiene after handling and cleaning up after animals is important. Also- if animals show any signs of being sick have them evaluated by a veterinarian. Thanks for using Pet Coach.