Cats and People's Health

Once in a while it appears in the newspapers stories about animals that infect people, with what is called zoonosis. Fortunately, the numbers of cases related with cats are minimum.

Rabies: It's the most serious problem, with cases all over the world with exception of Great Britain, Australasia and some other islands in which controls are specially strict. On the rest, the anti-rabies vaccines are recommended for all kind of domestic animals, and sometimes they are even obligatory.

The rabies is transmitted by the byte of an infected animal and is usual on certain animals as foxes, raccoons, mongooses, bats and wild felines. From them it passes to domestic animals. Once the infection is inside the system, it's incurable and the animal may suffer during up to even 10 days before dying.

Toxo-plasmosis: Less terrifying, but potentially as serious, is the risk of contracting toxoplasmosis, transmitted by the toxoplasmic parasite that lives inside the cats intestine and that can pass to humans by contact.

Sometimes cats transmit it without suffering of it.

If you think that a cat has favus, the best is to isolate him immediately and to take him to the veterinary.

The risk of catching the favus is one of the reasons for which you have to wash your hands thoroughly after touching a cat.

Fleas: Although annoying, fleas aren't a problem itself, but they can transmit cat's tapeworm through their bite..

The fleas that attack felines are several species and they pass freely from cat to cat; dogs and other animals, and also people.

Although they don't live on people, they can bite them.

When a cat is full of fleas, you have to take him to the veterinary, but there are specific treatments for cats that are sold at pet shops that constitute a good preventing measure.

Bites
The cat's saliva contains bacteria and when they bite and or perforate the skin, you have to disinfect and cover the wound. The same applies to scratches. If the cut is deep and gets irritated or it hurts, look for medical attention.

.There is a rare disease that cat scratches produce it is called precisely the same, cats scratch disease, and it can require comical treatment.