VERIFIED CONTENTAuthor: lek. Patryk Jasielski
Cat helps reduce stress and increases endorphin levels. Unfortunately, apart from these undoubted advantages, owning a cat is associated with certain dangers. Danger to humans are diseases that the cat can transmit to him. What are the most common diseases that can be caught by cats?
The cat is the most common pet next to the dog. A four-legged pet is an inseparable life companion for many people. It can bring a lot of joy and fulfillment. Sometimes, however, a person may be exposed to certain diseases through contact with his four-sided friend. Zoonoses, or zoonoses, are a large group of diseases transmitted by various animals. Some of them can also be caught by a cat.
8 diseases that can be caught from cats
1. Toxoplasmosis
It is a disease caused by a protozoan disease - Toxoplasma Gondii. A person becomes infected by eating raw or undercooked meat, raw, unwashed vegetables, or by working in the garden.
The cat is the ultimate host for this parasite (i.e. the protozoan multiplies in its organism) and if it is infected, it can spread the parasite in the home environment. Toxoplasmosis in the vast majority of people is asymptomatic. Rarely, lymphadenopathy, fever, sore throat and fatigue occur.
The greatest threat is posed by the disease to pregnant women, and more specifically to the developing fetus. If a child becomes infected intrauterine, symptoms such as blindness, intellectual disability, convulsions and liver failure may appear.
In diagnostics, I use tests for the presence and level of specific antibodies as well as imaging tests. Appropriate antibiotics are given for treatment.
2. Cat scratch disease
Cat scratch disease is a disease caused by bacteria. If a cat is scratched or bitten, it is a source of infection. The symptoms of the disease are characteristic. A red lump appears where a cat is scratched or bitten by a cat, then a scab.
After about 2 weeks, the surrounding lymph nodes get bigger. They are hard and painful. Most patients at this time develop fever, weakness, headache and loss of appetite. They can rarelyinclude symptoms such as abdominal pain, arthritis, conjunctivitis, and pneumonia.
Cat scratch disease is diagnosed based on the characteristic symptoms and history of a cat scratch. Treatment is based on the use of an appropriate antibiotic.
3. Toxocarosis
It is referred to as the most common zoonosis caused by parasites. The disease is the result of infection by the roundworm in cats and dogs. The main hosts for her are dogs and cats. Eating food contaminated with eggs by the parasite (e.g. soil-stained vegetables, unwashed fruit) is the main source of infection for humans. When a roundworm enters the body, it can migrate freely over it.
Toxocarosis has different symptoms depending on where the parasite is located. Systemic symptoms such as high fever and chills, weakness, loss of appetite and weight loss are common complaints.
Ascaris can lodge in the brain causing neurological and behavioral changes, or in the eye causing pain and poor vision.
Other potential locations include liver, lungs, and heart. In diagnostics, samples of the collected tissues are examined, the presence of specific antibodies in the blood, morphology as well as X-ray and ultrasound examinations are performed. The mainstay of therapy is an antiparasitic drug, used for about 10 days.
4. Rabies
This disease is caused by a virus and mainly affects the nervous system. It is carried by wild animals, mainly foxes. A cat can get sick after being bitten by a forest animal.
The infected cat shows a change in behavior, aggressiveness, foaming from the mouth. A person can become infected with the disease by being bitten by a rabid cat or by contact of the mucous membranes with its saliva.
It takes about 4-8 weeks, sometimes even several months, until the first symptoms appear. Subsequently, non-specific ailments such as headache, malaise, sleep problems and fever are found.
Then there are characteristic symptoms in the area of the bite. Featuring:
- tingling,
- baking,
- numbness
- and itching.
The generalized symptoms appear:
- anxiety,
- irritability
- and arousal.
Encephalitis and the occurrence of seizures, arrhythmias and hallucinations are the next stage of the disease.
Hydrocephalus, or intolerance to drinking liquids, is a symptom of rabies.
Molecular methods and attempts to isolate the virus from the cerebrospinal fluid form the basis of diagnostics. Vaccination and vaccination are used for treatmentinjections with antibodies against the virus.
5. Mycosis
Various species of microscopic fungi of animal origin, incl. from the cat can cause mycoses of the skin. You can become infected through direct contact of the skin with the hair, where mycosis develops (e.g. when stroking the quadruped).
For the development of mycosis, a long contact with pets is needed, so the most common diseases are children who like to play and stroke them. Red circles on the skin and accompanying itching and burning are typical symptoms.
Additionally, there are inflammatory papules and hair loss within the lesions. In order to diagnose the disease, scrapings from the affected skin are examined under a microscope. Creams and ointments with antifungal drugs applied to skin lesions are an effective treatment of mycosis.
6. Echinococcus
The echinococcosis tapeworm is an infectious agent that causes echinococcosis. The intermediate host for him can be a man. It becomes infected by eating parasite eggs found on contaminated food or dirty hands.
Eggs come mainly from cats and dogs that are the final hosts and main reservoirs of the tapeworm. When the parasite enters the body, it migrates to various organs and produces cysts of various sizes there.
The echinococcosis tapeworm is an infectious agent that causes echinococcosis. The intermediate host for him can be a man. It becomes infected by eating parasite eggs found on contaminated food or dirty hands. The eggs come mainly from cats and dogs which are the final hosts and the main reservoir of the tapeworm.
The parasite, when it enters the body, migrates to various organs and produces cysts of various sizes there. Most often it is located in the liver, and less often in the lungs or brain. Often times, it may be asymptomatic. If it enters the liver, discomfort may appear in the area of the right hypochondrium.
The feeling of fullness that worsens when lying on your right side is another symptom. After getting into the brain, the patient may have behavioral disorders and symptoms of paresis.
In diagnostics, the key factor is the analysis of the cyst material collected during the biopsy of the affected organ. Testing the level of antibodies can be helpful. Treatment is based on the use of appropriate drugs or the excision of the cyst.
7. Giardioza
A protozoan named Giardia Lamblia causes a disease called giardiasis. It is a parasite that lives in the duodenum and small intestine. People become infected mainly through dirty hands, but also through contaminated water or food. Cats and dogs are the reservoir of the parasite.
Watery diarrhea and epigastric pain tothe main symptoms of the disease. Weakness, loss of appetite and weight loss, abdominal distension are also common complaints. Chronic infection develops fat-rich diarrhea (so-called fatty diarrhea), nutritional deficiencies, and even depression.
Urticaria or allergic reactions are unusual symptoms that are sometimes present in giardiasis. The stool analysis is the basic test to detect the parasite. His DNA or antibodies are searched for. The content of the duodenum or an excerpt from the duodenal wall is also taken.
Treatment with tinidazole or metronidazole.
8. Chlamydiosis
This is another disease caused by bacteria, more specifically chlamydophila felis. In a cat, the disease causes conjunctivitis. Discharge from the conjunctival sac of a sick cat is a source of human infection.
Manifested by abnormal discharge from the urethra, pain, burning, and discomfort when urinating. Diagnosis is made on the basis of common symptoms. An appropriate antibiotic is used in the treatment.