Keeping pets healthy and happy is one of the top priorities of those who share their friendship. To offer cats such a life, taking them to the vet regularly, ensuring that they are routinely checked by physicians and following the vaccination schedule are important as the first steps. But whether it’s house cats or street animals, one should not miss a situation that rightly unsettles those who care about them: diseases that are transmitted from cats to humans. In the following sections of our article, we have talked about the diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans and the methods of protection from these diseases.
Zoonotic Diseases and Cats
Cats are cute, clean and intelligent creatures and are pets that find their place in many homes. Many cats are protected and cared for by animal lovers on the streets. However, it is necessary to have an awareness of the risk that cats that spread joy to everyone while playing games or showing their love can carry. Zoonotic diseases are a term used for diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans. The fact that the cat has such a disease can lead to the fact that it can transmit this disease to humans. Of course, not every disease that the cat has is transmitted to humans.
Diseases That Cats Can Carry and Their Symptoms
Diseases and infections transmitted from cats lead to different symptoms from each other. If you suspect that you are showing one of the following symptoms, it is recommended that you consult a doctor for professional help. Your cat may also need to be examined by a veterinarian.
Cat Scratch Disease: If your cat has a bacterium that causes this disease and scratches or bites a human, this disease is also passed on to the human. In humans, inflamed lymph nodes often occur, and this condition is accompanied by pain, fever and severe headaches.
Salmonellosis: Salmonellosis, which causes vomiting and diarrhea in humans, is transmitted by contact with the feces of an infected cat.
Tapeworm: Cats can mediate the transmission of tapeworms. Although it seems unlikely, a tapeworm-carrying flea is transmitted by the presence of a tapeworm-carrying flea in food consumed, touched furniture or similar places and accidentally swallowed. Children are more sensitive to tapeworms than adults. The presence of tapeworms; It leads to symptoms such as drooling discharge during sleep, abdominal pain, excretory problems and weight loss for no reason.
Hookworms and Roundworms: Hookworms carried by kittens, rather than adult cats, are transmitted to humans through cats’ feces. It can have consequences such as intestinal bleeding, severe itching and inflammation. The first symptom is abdominal pain. Roundworms are also spread with feces in the same way and cause symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, weight loss.
Fungal Disease: Fungal disease is an infection that is easily transmitted and causes itching. It may recur without professional help.
Giardiasis: It is an infection that is transmitted to a person by touching an infected water. It leads to diarrhea and stomach upset.
Toxoplasmosis: Toxoplasmosis, which can be transmitted through the air through contact with a cat’s contaminated water bowl or during cleaning the cat’s toilet, causes diarrhea. It is an infection that pregnant women should watch out for because it can harm their babies.
Rabies: It is transmitted by a cat biting a human being with rabies. Rabies is extremely dangerous, as it can kill a person. If the bitten cat is suspected of having rabies, professional help should be sought without waiting for symptoms.
Scabies: The mites that cause scabies cause itching and crusts, rashes, severe pain. It can be easily transmitted in a variety of ways, very easily. It is very difficult to pass without professional help and can relapse.
Lyme disease: Lyme disease, which is passed from cats carrying infected ticks to humans, is manifested by a skin rash that resembles a bull’s eye. Also this is often accompanied by headache, muscle pain and fever.
Leptospirosis: It is an infection that is transmitted through the urine of an infected cat and can cause meningitis, kidney damage. However, it can lead to breathing problems and other potentially fatal side effects.
Plague: Although very rare, it can be transmitted to humans if the cat has plague.
Q fever: The presence of this infection in a cat’s blood is rare, but it can be transmitted to humans through the air.
Campylobacteriosis: Although campylobacteriosis, which can be transmitted through contact with the cat, mostly heals on its own, it is also possible that it can lead to serious diseases that require medical intervention.
