Can my indoor cat get sick or transmit diseases to humans safely?

Yes, a cat can make you sick. If you are pregnant, it's not recommend to scoop cat litter because you can get toxoplasmosis from their feces. Toxoplasmosis can cause abortion in humans and birth defects in this fetus. You can also get intestinal worms, ringworm, and flea bites if your cat has fleas. You can prevent intestinal worms by making sure Kiki is up to date on his deworming treatments, treating him right away if you see ringworm, and keeping your cat on a monthly flea treatment.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Some illnesses can be transmitted from one cat to another from your hands or clothing. I recommend washing hands and possibly leaving shoes away from your cats if the stray sneezed on or near them. Basic good hygiene will help prevent disease transmission to your kitties. If you are able please take the stray into the vet as soon as you are able as it sounds like she may have a significant respiratory infection. Be sure that she is tested for feline leukemia and FIV before you ever let her near your cats to be safe.

That is a great question. Upper respiratory infections in cats are highly contagious. If one of your friends has a sick cat at their home, they can spread the infection to your cat if they have any contamination on their hands or clothes. Your cat can also contract an infection if they are in close enough contact to any outdoor cats that are sick, such as a sick cat sneezing near your open window, etc. You can picture children on a school setting and how easy it is to spread a virus...it is the same with cats.

Theoretically, yes things can be transmitted like ringworm if a cat hair with a spore attached gets stuck to the collar. I suspect this would be rare but not impossible. Be careful of collars. Cats need to wear the break away collars in case they get hung up to prevent strangling. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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.

Sorry to hear this! Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon situation with small kittens. They usually die suddenly like this due to a heritable defect, poor immunity, or a severe disease like panleukopenia. There are very few diseases that a kitten can pass onto people and considering that she died so quickly, I would not be concerned about any diseases that could be passed to people. Most of the diseases carried by cats that can be passed to people are not a problem for healthy people and would not be nearly as deadly. If you did get a disease like toxoplasmosis or bartenolosis there would be warning signs such as feeling malaise, or Flu-like. Again, it's extremely unlikely for this to happen to you, but if you did feel sick in the next two weeks, then it would be good to mention the kitten to your doctor. Either way, the diseases that you could get from cats can be treated and would not be deadly (besides rabies, which is extremely unlikely in this case). I really wouldn't worry though. I've seen many of these little kittens die suddenly in shelters and have never had a concern about a zoonotic disease (disease passed from animals to people). I hope that helps.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry you are sick! While humans and animals can share similar viral infections, it is unlikely Callie will get your illness. To be safe wash your hands when handling her and try not to sneeze or cough on her. I hope this helps and that you feel better soon!