While cats are generally safe, contact with cats, including cat bites andscratches, can cause infections in humans. If you are exposed to a cat, it is important that you understand the potential infections and how to stay safe.
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Ringworm
Cats can getringworm(dermatophytosis)—which is a fungus (not a worm at all). The clearest and most common clinical signs of feline ringworm include the following: circular areas of hair loss, broken and stubbly hair, scaling or crusty skin, alterations in hair or skin color, inflamed areas of skin, excess grooming and scratching, infected claws or nail beds, and dandruff.
In humans,ringworm causes scaly, red, ring-shaped patches on the skin.
A child picking up a cat that has ringworm can easily catch it, and this is the most common infection can acquire from animals.
Cats spread ringworm more often than dogs. This fungal infection is more likely to affect kittens, older cats, or cats who are otherwise sick. Long-haired cats or cats who live with multiple other cats are also at higher risk.
Salmonella: Typhoid Kitty?
Cats can spreadsalmonellato humans. This infection may cause fevers, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and other symptoms in humans. Cats may not have any symptoms from salmonella, so handlers may not realize the risk.
It’s important to be careful with kitty litters. Cats and kitty litters can carry diarrheal diseases that affect humans without any signs affecting the cats—these infections include campylobacter, giardia, and cryptosporidium. It is best to wear gloves when changing the litter.
Toxoplasmosis
The infection is usually self-limited. It may feel like the flu and cause swollen glands. In some people, it can cause long-term blurry vision and eye pain.
If this infection is newly acquired during pregnancy, it can cause serious birth defects.It can be very serious for people who are immunocompromised, and it can cause a brain infection in people who have AIDS. One small study suggested that the infection could be associated with psychological effects in humans.
Cats are part of the parasite’s lifecycle. If they are carriers (often transiently as kittens), they will shed Toxoplasma gondii in their kitty litters.
Q fever
Q fever is a rare infection; in 2017, 153 acute cases and 40 chronic cases of Q fever were reported in the United States.Possibly half of those infected do not have any symptoms. This infection can cause high fevers, severe headaches, body aches, and abdominal pain.It can be serious and may cause pneumonia and, rarely, heart valve infections.
Influenza
You sneeze. Your cat sneezes. There’s a tiny, tiny chance your cat got what you got but usually, cats do not become sick with the flu in the same way that humans do.
One Ohio study showed that 62% of 400 tested domestic cats showed signs of past flu.TheH1N1pandemic infected 30% of domestic cats that were studied in Northern China. This, however, has not been shown to have any real effects on cat owners.
Toxocara
A cat may treat the backyard as its kitty litter. As a result, Toxocara worm eggs (Toxocara cati) may be released into the soil.
These larvae may penetrate and migrate under the skin, with resultant inflammation, itching and pain, and raised, red linear lesions in the skin that follow the larva’s migration. Proper hygiene, including washing hands before meals, cleaning soil from vegetables, and reducing exposure to cat feces can prevent infection. Anti-parasite medications for kittens and annual fecal exams for adult cats can reduce environmental contamination and the risk of human infection.
Perhaps 1 in 4 cats carry this infection.
Humans—especially children—may accidentally put their hands in their mouths after touching contaminated dirt. Most people who are exposed do not develop symptoms. But exposure can lead to Visceral Larva Migrans, with worms spreading internally (and causing high eosinophil blood cell levels). The infection can also cause Visceral Ocular Migrans, with resulting vision loss and eye damage.
This is very, very rare, but it has been reported. In 2014, 2 people in England developed activeTuberculosis (TB)and 2 people were found to have had latent TB (no active disease despite the bacteria’s presence in the body) from exposure to cats.
Some cat diseases have names similar to human diseases but do not cause human disease. Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), for example, sound like human diseases but are not.
Having a cat or being in contact with a cat means that you need to be aware of how to keep yourself and your cat free of potentially harmful infections. The more you learn about proper cat care, the more you can avoid illness and enjoy your time with your cat.
An Overview of Cat Allergies
13 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Epp T, Waldner C.Occupational health hazards in veterinary medicine: zoonoses and other biological hazards.Can Ve t J. 2012;53(2):144-150.Frymus T, Gruffydd-Jones T, Pennisi MG, et al.Dermatophytosis in cats: ABCD guidelines on prevention and management.J Feline Med Surg. 2013;15(7):598-604. doi:1098612X13489222Taylor DJ, Philbey AW.Salmonella infections in garden birds and cats in a domestic environment.Vet Rec. 2010;167(1):26-27. doi:10.1136/vr.c3156Behravesh CB, Ferraro A, Deasy M, et al.Human salmonella infections linked to contaminated dry dog and cat food, 2006-2008.Pediatrics. 2010;126(3):477-483. doi:10.1542/peds.2009-3273Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Cats.Cornell Feline Health Center.Zoonotic Diseases: What can I catch from my cat?Stock AK, Dajkic D, Köhling HL, Von Heinegg EH, Fiedler M, Beste C.Humans with latent toxoplasmosis display altered reward modulation of cognitive control.Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):10170. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-10926-6Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Q fever: epidemiology and statistics.Genova-Kalou P, Vladimirova N, Stoitsova S, Krumova S, Kurchatova A, Kantardjiev T.Q fever in Bulgaria: Laboratory and epidemiological findings on human cases and outbreaks, 2011 to 2017.Euro Surveill. 2019;24(37). doi:10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.37.1900119Ali A, Daniels JB, Zhang Y, et al.Pandemic and seasonal human influenza virus infections in domestic cats: prevalence, association with respiratory disease, and seasonality patterns.J Clin Microbiol. 2011;49(12):4101-4105. doi:10.1128/JCM.05415-11Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Cat flu.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Toxocariasis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.DPDx - Laboratory Identification of Parasites of Public Health Concern- Toxocariasis.
13 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Epp T, Waldner C.Occupational health hazards in veterinary medicine: zoonoses and other biological hazards.Can Ve t J. 2012;53(2):144-150.Frymus T, Gruffydd-Jones T, Pennisi MG, et al.Dermatophytosis in cats: ABCD guidelines on prevention and management.J Feline Med Surg. 2013;15(7):598-604. doi:1098612X13489222Taylor DJ, Philbey AW.Salmonella infections in garden birds and cats in a domestic environment.Vet Rec. 2010;167(1):26-27. doi:10.1136/vr.c3156Behravesh CB, Ferraro A, Deasy M, et al.Human salmonella infections linked to contaminated dry dog and cat food, 2006-2008.Pediatrics. 2010;126(3):477-483. doi:10.1542/peds.2009-3273Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Cats.Cornell Feline Health Center.Zoonotic Diseases: What can I catch from my cat?Stock AK, Dajkic D, Köhling HL, Von Heinegg EH, Fiedler M, Beste C.Humans with latent toxoplasmosis display altered reward modulation of cognitive control.Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):10170. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-10926-6Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Q fever: epidemiology and statistics.Genova-Kalou P, Vladimirova N, Stoitsova S, Krumova S, Kurchatova A, Kantardjiev T.Q fever in Bulgaria: Laboratory and epidemiological findings on human cases and outbreaks, 2011 to 2017.Euro Surveill. 2019;24(37). doi:10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.37.1900119Ali A, Daniels JB, Zhang Y, et al.Pandemic and seasonal human influenza virus infections in domestic cats: prevalence, association with respiratory disease, and seasonality patterns.J Clin Microbiol. 2011;49(12):4101-4105. doi:10.1128/JCM.05415-11Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Cat flu.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Toxocariasis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.DPDx - Laboratory Identification of Parasites of Public Health Concern- Toxocariasis.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Epp T, Waldner C.Occupational health hazards in veterinary medicine: zoonoses and other biological hazards.Can Ve t J. 2012;53(2):144-150.Frymus T, Gruffydd-Jones T, Pennisi MG, et al.Dermatophytosis in cats: ABCD guidelines on prevention and management.J Feline Med Surg. 2013;15(7):598-604. doi:1098612X13489222Taylor DJ, Philbey AW.Salmonella infections in garden birds and cats in a domestic environment.Vet Rec. 2010;167(1):26-27. doi:10.1136/vr.c3156Behravesh CB, Ferraro A, Deasy M, et al.Human salmonella infections linked to contaminated dry dog and cat food, 2006-2008.Pediatrics. 2010;126(3):477-483. doi:10.1542/peds.2009-3273Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Cats.Cornell Feline Health Center.Zoonotic Diseases: What can I catch from my cat?Stock AK, Dajkic D, Köhling HL, Von Heinegg EH, Fiedler M, Beste C.Humans with latent toxoplasmosis display altered reward modulation of cognitive control.Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):10170. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-10926-6Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Q fever: epidemiology and statistics.Genova-Kalou P, Vladimirova N, Stoitsova S, Krumova S, Kurchatova A, Kantardjiev T.Q fever in Bulgaria: Laboratory and epidemiological findings on human cases and outbreaks, 2011 to 2017.Euro Surveill. 2019;24(37). doi:10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.37.1900119Ali A, Daniels JB, Zhang Y, et al.Pandemic and seasonal human influenza virus infections in domestic cats: prevalence, association with respiratory disease, and seasonality patterns.J Clin Microbiol. 2011;49(12):4101-4105. doi:10.1128/JCM.05415-11Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Cat flu.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Toxocariasis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.DPDx - Laboratory Identification of Parasites of Public Health Concern- Toxocariasis.
Epp T, Waldner C.Occupational health hazards in veterinary medicine: zoonoses and other biological hazards.Can Ve t J. 2012;53(2):144-150.
Frymus T, Gruffydd-Jones T, Pennisi MG, et al.Dermatophytosis in cats: ABCD guidelines on prevention and management.J Feline Med Surg. 2013;15(7):598-604. doi:1098612X13489222
Taylor DJ, Philbey AW.Salmonella infections in garden birds and cats in a domestic environment.Vet Rec. 2010;167(1):26-27. doi:10.1136/vr.c3156
Behravesh CB, Ferraro A, Deasy M, et al.Human salmonella infections linked to contaminated dry dog and cat food, 2006-2008.Pediatrics. 2010;126(3):477-483. doi:10.1542/peds.2009-3273
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Cats.
Cornell Feline Health Center.Zoonotic Diseases: What can I catch from my cat?
Stock AK, Dajkic D, Köhling HL, Von Heinegg EH, Fiedler M, Beste C.Humans with latent toxoplasmosis display altered reward modulation of cognitive control.Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):10170. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-10926-6
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Q fever: epidemiology and statistics.
Genova-Kalou P, Vladimirova N, Stoitsova S, Krumova S, Kurchatova A, Kantardjiev T.Q fever in Bulgaria: Laboratory and epidemiological findings on human cases and outbreaks, 2011 to 2017.Euro Surveill. 2019;24(37). doi:10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.37.1900119
Ali A, Daniels JB, Zhang Y, et al.Pandemic and seasonal human influenza virus infections in domestic cats: prevalence, association with respiratory disease, and seasonality patterns.J Clin Microbiol. 2011;49(12):4101-4105. doi:10.1128/JCM.05415-11
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Cat flu.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Toxocariasis.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.DPDx - Laboratory Identification of Parasites of Public Health Concern- Toxocariasis.
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