Why your pet cat is a major carrier of deadly diseases

• Cats hunt rodents and mammals and are often vectors of disease.
• Veterinarians recommend keeping cats outside
• Read more: Oregon resident contracted plague from pet cat

Cats are perfect pets. It is maintenance free and independent. But doctors warn that you could be exposing yourself to a variety of potentially deadly diseases.

In the past few days, public health officials have revealed that the first person has died from Alaska pox (a very rare smallpox-like bacterium) and that an Oregon resident has been hospitalized with bubonic plague. Bubonic plague is an old disease that killed one-third of Europe's population. 1300s.

In both cases, the patients contracted the disease from cats.

Catster veterinary consultant Dr. Paola Cuevas told DailyMail.com that cats are common vectors of disease.This is because they are often domesticated animals that live closely with and interact with humans, but they may also wander outside and hunt parasitic rodents and small mammals.

They then take the prize home, exposing the human family to germs and parasites.

Additionally, many diseases that pets can contract either show no symptoms or have symptoms that seem indifferent to pet owners. This means people may not take their pets to the veterinarian for treatment, allowing infections to progress and repeated exposure to infections. that.

Dogs can carry diseases, too, and are responsible for 99 percent of rabies cases, but dogs are less susceptible to some diseases common to cats, such as plague. Dogs are inherently resistant to the bacteria that causes plague and are rarely a source of infection.

Dr. Cuevas told DailyMail.com Owners that cats should not be encouraged to lick, bite or scratch their cats to keep them cute and cuddly and prevent infection and infection.

Additionally, it's important to keep your cat on flea and tick preventatives and vaccines.

She says, “Keep your cat up to date on its vaccination and deworming schedule, and give it a full health checkup at least once a year.” External parasites like fleas and ticks can infect your cat. Please make sure you are not. These parasites can be vectors for several diseases that can be transmitted not only to your cat, but also to you if bitten. ”

Below, DailyMail.com details six deadly diseases that cats can transmit to humans and how you can protect yourself from them.

“Black Death”: bubonic plague

Cats are highly susceptible to bubonic plague, once known as the “Black Death,” and can transmit it to their owners.

These animals are more vulnerable than other species because their bodies cannot efficiently eliminate infections and are more likely than other pets to chase and catch disease-causing rodents. .

The Oregon Health Authority announced last week that a resident had been diagnosed with plague and is suspected to have contracted the disease from a pet cat.

This is the first human plague outbreak in the state in more than eight years. Humans are most likely to become infected with plague through the bites of infected fleas, and pet cats can infect humans with fleas.

In the Oregon case, Dr. Richard Fawcett, health officer for Deschutes County, where the patient lived, said the person's cat was seriously ill and showing symptoms.

The animal had an exuding abscess, and the owner's infection probably started in the lymph nodes, but quickly progressed to infecting the bloodstream. The patient was given antibiotics and “responded well” to treatment.

Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and is transmitted when infected fleas bite animals and humans.

You can also become infected if your pet brings infected fleas into your home and the fleas bite you. It can also be spread by breathing in infectious droplets that a sick cat coughs into the air.

Symptoms in cats include fever, decreased appetite and energy, and swollen lymph nodes. Cats may develop pneumonia and have coughing and difficulty breathing. Plague in animals can be treated with antibiotics given by your veterinarian.

There are two main types of plague: bubonic plague and pneumonic plague. Adenitis is most common in humans, and symptoms include painful or swollen lymph nodes, fever, chills, headache, and weakness.

Although the mortality rate is 30-60%, antibiotic treatment is effective and should be started as soon as possible.

Symptoms of pneumonic plague include fever, chest pain, shortness of breath, and rapidly progressing pneumonia. If left untreated, this strain of plague is almost always fatal to humans.

To avoid getting sick, owners should limit contact with sick cats and take them to the vet as soon as possible.

100% fatal neurological disease: rabies

This neurological disease is spread through the bite of an infected animal and is fatal in virtually 100% of cases.

Rabies is spread through contact with an infected cat's saliva or brain tissue.

Signs of rabies in cats include sudden behavioral changes, progressive paralysis, shortness of breath, restlessness, and aggression toward animals, people, or objects.

Rabies animals usually die a few days after symptoms appear.

The World Health Organization reports that 99 percent of rabies cases originate from dogs.

The most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 250 rabid cats are reported each year in the United States.

In humans, symptoms of rabies include fever, weakness, itching, fear of water, hallucinations, paralysis, and agitation.

Symptoms can develop days or months after exposure, and once symptoms appear, it is too late for treatment.

Human rabies cases are rare in the United States, with only 1 to 3 reported each year.

To prevent your cat from getting rabies and potentially transmitting rabies to you, you should have your pet vaccinated against rabies at your veterinarian's office.

Additionally, if you suspect that you have come into contact with a rabid animal, you should seek immediate medical attention and begin preventive treatment.

Death due to rare smallpox-like virus: Alaska pox

Alaska pox, known as AKPV, is a disease closely related to smallpox and monkeypox and was first discovered by scientists in Alaska in 2015.

Usually carried by small mammals.

Since 2015, only seven cases of the virus have been reported, and earlier this month an immunocompromised elderly man in Alaska died of kidney failure after contracting AKPV.

The man was undergoing cancer treatment and is believed to be the first person to die from the disease.

Alaska state health officials said the man, who was caring for a feral cat that regularly hunts small mammals near his home, reported scratching the patient, leaving one noticeable wound near his armpit.

After that, a small bump appeared in the area.

Officials pointed to stray cats as a “possible source of infection.”

Symptoms of Alaskan pox include skin lesions, swollen lymph nodes, and joint and muscle pain.

Almost all of the patients recorded with the virus had mild illness that resolved on its own after a few weeks.

Health authorities recommend that if you develop a skin lesion, cover it and avoid touching the wound.

Birth defects caused by cat poop: toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is caused by Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite found in the soil, water, or feces of infected cats.

Cats often become infected with toxoplasmosis by eating infected rodents or birds. The disease can be transmitted to humans through contact with contaminated cat feces.

Although anyone can become infected with this parasite, pregnant women are particularly susceptible and are at significant risk of health complications.

Toxoplasmosis can cause birth defects in the fetus.

Cats infected with this disease rarely show symptoms and may shed parasites in their feces for up to three weeks after initial infection.

In humans, most healthy people do not show any symptoms. Some people may develop flu-like symptoms or, in rare cases, eye problems. People with weakened immune systems may develop brain diseases.

Dr Cuevas told DailyMail.com: “Pregnant women should not use the litter box because cats are the definitive host and are often carriers of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which can be passed across the placenta to the fetus.'' is not recommended.”

Cats that hunt or are allowed outdoors are at higher risk of contracting toxoplasmosis, so Dr. Cuevas recommends keeping animals indoors at all times.

It added: “Cats that like to hunt and eat, or, like many domestic cats, bring home their prey, can expose themselves and their families to bacterial zoonotic diseases.” Ta.

According to the CDC, more than 40 million people in the United States carry this parasite, but most are unaffected because the body's immune system is strong enough to fight off the parasite.

For pregnant women and people with severe symptoms caused by parasites, a combination of drugs can be used to treat the infection.

In cats, antibiotics and steroids are used for treatment.

Deadly fungus: sporotrichosis

Sporotrichosis is caused by an environmental fungus and is usually transmitted from cats to humans through cuts and scrapes on the skin, or through scratches and bites.

This fungus is widespread in soils and plants around the world. Cats can contract this fungus while roaming outside, and it can be transmitted to humans through scratches and bites.

Infected cats often show no symptoms, but symptoms may start as small, pus-producing sores that develop into raised lumps.

Three forms of sporotrichosis can occur in humans.

The skin morphology begins as a painless bump and develops into an open sore or ulcer.

The disseminated form of sporotrichosis infects internal organs and bones, and the pulmonary form causes cough, difficulty breathing, chest pain, and fever.

The latter two forms of infection can be very serious and even fatal.

Treatment in humans includes taking antifungal drugs for 3 to 6 months. More severe cases may require intravenous medication and surgery to remove dead tissue.

Cats with fungal infections are also treated with antifungal drugs.

Sporotrichosis is not monitored by national health agencies, and the CDC said the infection is extremely rare in the United States, with an estimated incidence of 1 in 1 million people.

According to a 2020 CDC report, of 76 million people analyzed between 2012 and 2018, 1,322 people had a diagnosis of sporotrichosis. The most cases were observed in Oklahoma (six cases), followed by Michigan (four cases) and Kansas (3.5 cases).

Historically, the most common cause of sporotrichosis was peat moss grown in Wisconsin and shipped to other states.

Severe diarrhea: C. difficile

C. diff is a bacteria that causes diarrhea and inflammation of the colon. Symptoms include fever, diarrhea, loss of appetite, nausea, and abdominal pain.

The CDC estimates that there are 500,000 C. diff infections each year in the United States, resulting in 15,000 to 30,000 deaths annually.

There were theories that animals could infect humans, but it was never proven.

However, an October case report revealed that a healthy Texas woman who had been suffering from severe diarrhea for several months contracted C. diff from her cat.

Although the cat showed no symptoms, swabs taken from the animal and its owner revealed that both were infected with the same C. diff strain.

Treatment for C. diff usually includes 10 days of antibiotics.