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Thread: Question

  1. #1
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    Can ya catch sick from pets- specifically cats?


    I know it sounds like a stupid question, but Im told ya can from horses, so I guess bugs dont stick to species...? Then again I never heard of anyone catchin anythin from their housepet.

  2. #2
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    i severely doubt u can, can you??


    iv certainly never heard of it be4....


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  3. #3
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    I didnt even think of it till now, just the cats really really poorly, been being sick for days n days now, n earlier I thought, Id better wash my hands before lunch cuz Id touched him.. n started wonderin whether its actually possible for me to catch it. Farrrr too late to do nethin about it now if I can! still.. I doubt it even tho I cant think of a logical reason why not.. but someone must know?

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    Eternity, it is EXTREMELY unlikely that you will catch anything from your cat. In fact, I feel confident saying that you can't.


    Bugs that attackbirds and horses are fairly similar to the ones that attack us - that is why they can be transmitted across species. And even to do that, they usually must have a mutation that allows the transmission, first.


    I could go into the biological details of how and why this might happen, but I won't bore you unless you are interested. Just...don't worry about getting anything from your cat!
    Soluene

    If you are going through hell, keep going. -Winston Churchill

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by soluene


    Eternity, it is EXTREMELY unlikely that you will catch anything from your cat. In fact, I feel confident saying that you can't.


    Bugs that attackbirds and horses are fairly similar to the ones that attack us - that is why they can be transmitted across species. And even to do that, they usually must have a mutation that allows the transmission, first.


    I could go into the biological details of how and why this might happen, but I won't bore you unless you are interested. Just...don't worry about getting anything from your cat!


    Pilar, thanks so much for that explanation!!! It reassured me!! I've heard that you can't catch anything from pets, however, I guess I needed to hear the reason why. Thank you!!
    *~NEHA~*
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  6. #6
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    I am pretty sure you can't get sick from a pet. I never have.
    It\'s all right to have butterflies in your stomach. Just get them to fly in formation.

  7. #7
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    You can't catch things from horses, it's an old wives tail.


    The only thing you can catch from other species is fungus (ringworm, etc) and bugs like mites, fleas, etc. You can't catch viruses or infection from them.

  8. #8
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    Not true, interspecies transmission of disease can and does happen. Most transmission of diseases from horses to humans is indirect, requiring an arthropod vector such as the mosquito. Example: West Nile.


    Influenza originated as an avian (bird)flu, but mutated such that it was able to infect humans. Influenza can now infect pigs, horses, birds, and people, and cross-species transmission does occur, although it is very specific. Remember the Asian Bird Flu that killed a few people last year? Luckily, it did not mutate so that it could be transmitted from human to human - but the humans that did die of it got it from the birds they were preparing for meals.


    There is also concern and some evidencethat Chronic Wasting disease in Elk can infect humans.


    And where do you think we end up with things like Salmonella? Chickens! E. coli infections? Cows!


    Oh yeah, and now that I've given it some thought, one disease that can be spread from cats or dogs to humans is Giardia. But it is unlikely you will get it, as long as you wash your hands after handling the animal or its waste products - as I'm sure you already do. And don't worry, Giardia is not airborne.Edited by: soluene
    Soluene

    If you are going through hell, keep going. -Winston Churchill

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    What's Giardia?
    <font face=\"Times New Roman, Times, serif\"><font size=\"2\">Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.</font>
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  10. #10
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    I doubt you can get an illness from a cat. I certainly havent. You can however get illnesses from rats and pidgeons but they arnt really common pets. I think you should be fine

  11. #11
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    I found this specific article about Giardia in cats on the web:


    http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/giardiasis.html


    According to this article, the new thinking is that pet-to-human transmission isn't as important as once believed; however, since Giardia is a human parasite, precautions must be taken.


    Most illnesses that affect your pet ARE species specific, and most people will never get anything from their pets. For the most part, I consider it not worth any worry! I have never gotten anything from my dogs, and when my parents' dog had Giardia, they never got it from him, either. BUT, their vet said to be very careful since it the chance of contracting the disease was still there.


    BTW: Other infections that can be transmitted cross-species are AIDS, Ebola, Plague, trichinosis.


    Sorry, I don't mean to sound like a 'know it all', and I apologize if I do. My Master's degree is in Human Environmental Health, and I have had many classes in human disease, disease-transmission, and epidemiology.


    Bottom line for this topic though: It is extremely unlikely that you will get anything from your cat! I wouldn't worry at all about it.
    Soluene

    If you are going through hell, keep going. -Winston Churchill

  12. #12
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    Thats a great reply soluene! You don't sound like a know it all at all!I like to hear from those who are educated in ther areas we are talking about..you info is incredibly helpful!
    And now I\'m glad I didn\'t know
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  13. #13
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    Interestin stuff. Thnx. I wasnt actually worried bout catchin nethin this time cuz I figured if I was gonna Id have caught it by now- he slept with me the first few nites he was sick cuz I was stayin at ma parents then... it jus made me wonder s'all.


    I didnt know ya could catch things from rats.. really? I used to keep rats.

  14. #14
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    Hi everyone! I work in an animal hospital as a veterinary technician, and I'm ALWAYS being warned about catching different diseases and parasitesfrom animals. As Soulene and ChippedAway have already mentioned, ringworm, ticks, fleas, E. Coli, salmonella, and giardia are all transmitted between humans and domestic animals, but there's alsococcidia, tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms, amongst many many others.However, the two I fear most (andare luckilythe hardest to get from animals) are Leptospirosis and the Calici Virus.


    Leptospirosis (henceforth called "Lepto") affects mostly dogs, and if your dog is properly vaccinated (the Lepto vaccine generally comes in the Distemper or "6-in-one" vaccine, unless you have a very small or an all-white dog, in which case your veterinarian may or may not vaccinate against Lepto, since those particular dogs have a higher chance of a reaction to it), there is no way your dog can contract it. I won't give details about it here- some people might not appreciate that. [img]smileys/smilies_10.gif[/img]If you'd like to know, you can PM or instant message me on AIM.


    The Calici Virus is a powerful upper-respiratory disease that affects mostly cats, but the virus does not affecthumans the same way- it affects our gastrointestinal systems. People can also contract Calici through rawshellfish (amongst many other diseases). The vaccination for Calici is also included in your cat's yearly shots. Once again, details upon request.


    Just one more reason to get your pets to the vet on time [img]smileys/smilies_02.gif[/img]


    ~Rebeccah
    Love is the only rational act.

 

 

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