We hear about cats being blamed for spreading disease
All creatures, including humans, carry germs, bacteria, that sort of thing, and so do cats. But do cats spread disease? Well, sort of but not really. There is something called toxoplasmosis which can be present in cat poo. Toxoplasmosis is caused by a microscopic parasite called Toxoplasma Gondii. Cats who hunt and have eaten contaminated rodents, birds, even small animals could become infected.
outdoor cat
photo by shari smith dunaif © 2016
Or, if a cat has contact with another cat’s infected poo, that cat may become contaminated. That’s how a human is infected by a cat with toxoplasmosis, it’s from cat poo.
However, according to cdc.gov, humans are more likely to contract toxoplasmosis by:
- Eating raw or undercooked meat from animals (especially pigs, lamb, or wild game) that have been infected with Toxoplasma.
- Directly from a pregnant woman to her fetus when the mother becomes infected with Toxoplasma just before or during pregnancy.
- Eating food, drinking water, or accidentally swallowing soil that has been contaminated with infected cat feces.
So if your cat is an outdoor hunter, just avoid picking up cat poo with your bare hands. (We hope you use a scooper, right?) If you do handle outdoor hunting cat poo, wash your hands. Otherwise, don’t blame cats!
Do cats spread disease?
a final confirmation about transmition of toxoplasmosis:
Not many of us (perhaps toddlers aside…) will intentionally consume cat faeces, but we will sometimes come inside after gardening and grab a quick sandwich without remembering to wash our hands. This is not a problem with the cat itself, rather our own personal hygiene. It is extremely unlikely that you would pick up toxoplasmosis by petting your cat or being scratched or bitten by your cat, because the organism is not spread by the fur or saliva. You CAN, however, pick up toxoplasmosis by eating undercooked infected meat, particularly lamb and pork. Again, this is not your cat’s fault, rather our own lack of taste or culinary skills, and is by far the most common way of picking up the disease in developed countries.
So, do cats spread disease? Not really, unless you encounter a specific cat who is an outdoor hunter AND ate contaminated prey AND you handled the cat’s infected poo with your bare hands. And then didn’t wash your hands.
