Diseases From Cats

[deejah]

this is from another thread about dogs

i think this is a better place to discuss my pressing concern:

QUOTE (sukanyacondo @ 2007-09-22 14:59:40)

The main types of diseases which people can pick up from cats are toxoplasmosis, rabies, cat scratch disease, salmonella, campylobacter, giardia and cryptosporidium, roundworm and ringworm.

my concern:

sukanyacondo's post has been haunting me for a while

i am a cat fan

yet i avoid touching most cats in Thailand

however i do make exceptions from time to time if the cat appears domestic and well taken care of

that doesn't mean it isn't carrying one of the above!

without doing my research yet

is anyone familiar with how likely these diseases are to be caught from cats?

especially here in Thailand

and any other pertinent information appreciated

thanks in advance for your help

[Ijustwannateach]

Toxoplasmosis! My favourite cat disease- say it loud- let it ring- TOXOPLASMOSIS!!!!

I actually know someone who claims to have caught it, but it's fairly rare. You become more susceptible if your immune system is compromised.

[BambinA]

is anyone familiar with how likely these diseases are to be caught from cats?

Although there are many zoonotic diseases and you are asking for cats' diseases , I don't see any human get infected from cat yet. I have been working as a vet for 12 years.

So, if you are worried about zoonotic diseases from cat , deworming your cat 3-4 times a years, rabies vaccination regularly and don't let pregnant wife(ves)/ girlfriend(s) get involve with cats if you're concerned about Toxoplasma gondii .

[deejah]

so you can get worms from touching cats?

i can not deworm a cat that doesn't belong to me

best to avoid all contact?

thanks

[Sheryl]

With the exception of rabies and cat scratch fever, these diseases require contact with the cat's feces. Simply touching, petting the cat etc will not cause any problem.

And even contact with the cat's feces is unlikley to cause a problem as long as you wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.

Relax and enjoy the cats. They won't make you ill, although they may enslave you with their charm........

[wca01]

Kill the cat - no more problems.

WCA

[guava]

Toxoplasmosis! My favourite cat disease- say it loud- let it ring- TOXOPLASMOSIS!!!!

I actually know someone who claims to have caught it, but it's fairly rare. You become more susceptible if your immune system is compromised.

On the contrary, Toxoplasma infection is incredibly common as a quick google search will confirm. Very conservative estimates are that 30-50% of the population carry this parasite, from first world through to third world countries. No idea what percentage of cats are carriers, but cats are not the only vector/avenue of infection.

Many people consider it asymptomatic. Others rate it as a serious contributing factor to mental disorders, senility, dementia, risk taking behaviour etc. I personally know half a dozen people around the world who have recurring eye problems and various other issues that very likely are caused by this parasite. AFAIK, none of them are HIV positive or immuno-compromised, which indicates that this parasite can affect just about anyone/everyone, and quite likely does. This may well be one of THE most significant diseases in the world.

Anyway, google it for yourselves.

[Ijustwannateach]

Actually, that *was* eye-opening- thanks!

[geriatrickid]

Your post contains legitimate points, but needs some context.

Yes there appear to be alot of infected people, but the only definitive population study was done in the USA about 15 years ago. It is estimated that between 40 and 70 million people out of a population of 330 million in the USA are infected with the protozoa. (I'd offer Thailand statistics, but I have not seen any population studies yet.) One would think that with that prevalence, the we should see people dropping like flies. The reason people do not succumb is that the human immune system does a good job of handling this infection and keeping it in check. This is why people with immunosuppression disturbances (e.g. AIDS patients, organ transplant recipients) are at risk.

Yes, the cat can be considered a reservoir for this protozoa, but cats are not the principal source or cause of infection. The two most prevalent causes are contaminated water and improper food handling, including the undercooking of food products. Thailand is an excellent place to become infected because of the prevalence of pork and the lack of proper food hygiene. Look at the typical food stall: Knives and cutting surfaces are rarely cleaned or disinfected. The same implements are used to handle raw meat as are used to serve the food. Vegetables and server hands are rarely washed. When a human ingests undercooked meat or vegetables that are contaminated with the protozoan cysts, the human becomes infected. You are more likely to contract the protozoa from the local food stall than my cat. (He has squeaked his agreement.)

Felix the Cat is getting way too much blame for this illness. Once Kitty devours an infected rodent or bird, the cat becomes infected. The beastie then gives us those oocysts in its poop. However, that fresh poop isn't infectious as it takes a day or so for the cysts to "ripen" as my prof used to say. Then the cysts become dangerous. The lesson here is to scoop out kitty's litter box often or to avoid the places in the garden where kitty poops. Despite all the bad press kitty gets, the published summaries show that the oocysts are less likely to show up in adult cats and are mostly associated with kittens. The reason parallels humans in that once the (healthy) cat has been exposed, it can deal with the protozoa. Even when a cat poops out these oocytes, it only does so for a period of 1-3 weeks and then the immune system takes care of Mr. Protozoa and suppresses it. There is no more shedding of cysts and the poop is there for your cleaning amusement. One last point, if you got this far without falling asleep, the CDC recommends not feeding kitty raw or uncooked food to avoid contaminating kitty. (Thought I'd toss that in to amuse Sheryl )

(With apologies to Dr. Christian Reinstein who would have termed this post as inane. He disliked cats and favoured hounds, which he used to threaten us with if we ever showed up at his home.)

[Sheryl]

the CDC recommends not feeding kitty raw or uncooked food to avoid contaminating kitty. (Thought I'd toss that in to amuse Sheryl )

[deejah]

i read online that it is possible to pick up eggs and cysts from the fur of cats

[geriatrickid]

The oocysts do not tend to stick to the fur like roundworm eggs might. The cat, while grooming, would generally remove any oocysts on the fur, before they become infective Holly Nash DVM, MS

Stomach acid usually kills off those immature cysts. (Judging from my cat's breath it is certainly lethal.) In the first and perhaps second infection cycle where oocysts are shed, they are done so in the cat poop. Once shed, those things need the proper humidity and temperature to become pathogenic. This takes time. What you have read on the internet about the fur is incorrect or perhaps requires a further reading. There are no published papers that show the link. It's all in the poop. That is the real sh*t

"Cats that have shedded oocysts once are generally develop immunity to further re-excertion of oocysts"

Duration of Immunity to Shedding of Toxoplasma gondii Oocysts by Cats J. P. Dubey The Journal of Parasitology, Vol. 81, No. 3 (Jun., 1995), pp. 410-415

That means the likelihood of an older cat being dangerous is limited. So relax will ya. Concentrate on washing your hands, eating cooked foods and washed produce and all will be well. In the meantime do not hesitate in saying hi to the local cat, which around my soi, could use some love.

[kat]

(With apologies to Dr. Christian Reinstein who would have termed this post as inane. He disliked cats and favoured hounds, which he used to threaten us with if we ever showed up at his home.)

My sister's kitty applauds you.

[Tony Clifton]

Watched Trainspotting lately?

[geriatrickid]

Watched Trainspotting lately?

Mr. Clifton, perhaps you meant to post in the enema thread.

Spud's leakage was special wasn't it?

[Tony Clifton]

Watched Trainspotting lately?

Mr. Clifton, perhaps you meant to post in the enema thread.

Spud's leakage was special wasn't it?

I liked Spud's job interview.

I was talking about the other character who never did drugs, played football, had a sex video of him and the GF that was stolen, he died of a brain disease caused by cat feces all over his flat after becoming a junkie.

Trainspotting and Cunning Little Brain Parasites

More on the parasite Toxoplasma gondii - the one that breeds inside your brain cells and turns you into a car-crashing schizophrenic. It infects humans, but the primary host is the cat. Animals are infected by eating infected meat, by ingestion of faeces of an infected cat, or by transmission from mother to fetus.

Up to one third of the world's population is thought to carry the infection. Including Martina Navrátilová, for one.

At first, the infection usually causes a mild flu-like illness, or nothing at all. After the first few weeks, the parasite rarely causes any obvious symptoms in otherwise healthy adults. However, people with a weakened immune system, such as those infected with HIV, and fetuses, may become seriously ill, and it can occasionally be fatal. The parasite can cause encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and neurologic diseases and can affect the heart, liver, and eyes. ( For some reason, Toxo-infection also means you're almost 3 times more likely to have a boy-child, instead of girls )

But the only reason it kills you is because the mechanism it's using to stop you dying, has been been thrown completely off the rails.

Toxoplasma doesn't want you to die. Thus, it uses your own immune system to keep its own numbers in check - deliberately ensuring that any excess Toxoplasma get destroyed by your immune system before they can invade and damage other brain cells.

It does this by subtly tipping the desperate immune response towards white blood cells that eat Toxoplasma as they wander between brain cells. That stops the infection getting any worse, because the ones that are already sitting in little groups of 8 inside your neurons are smugly immune to such attacks, and are willing to wait it out. That way you don't die of out-of-control brain damage before you get eaten by a cat (yes, it isn't supposed to be infecting *you* - it's supposed to cycle between cats and rodents). The symptoms include increased risk-taking - in rats, that means going out to investigate this interesting 'cat' smell, whilst the cat is still around. In humans, you get traffic conditions in Rome.

Unfortunately, if you're a fetus or immune-compromised, you don't have any of those particular white blood cells and the result is massive brain destruction, as the Toxoplasma breed out of control, infecting and destroying every brain cell they come across. That's what happened to the guy in Trainspotting, and one reason AIDS was closely associated with brain damage before the Toxoplasma link was understood.

http://community.livejournal.com/wtf_nature/126046.html

[deejah]

kind of a synchronicity someone mentioned anal leakage

i started this thread because there is a 'house cat' that lives where i stay, i let into my life

i usually don't touch animals in Thailand

but we really took to each other

she is clean and well behaved

i do notice sometimes she leaves a brown stain behind on the sheet or where she sits

do cats have periods?

or is this a bit of liquid from her ass?

i dont think that it smells like poop

could this be a health risk for me?

i know it sounds strange but i really do need to watch after my health first and foremost

yet i do really like this cat too

therefore the concerns

also my mistake, i guess the eggs are called cysts and not cysts

[Sheryl]

Female cats menstruate only if they have not been spayed and were unable to conceive when in heat, usually this does not occur in a cat able to go outside freely (instead, they just get pregnant) and you'd know if the cat had been in heat since you had her....marked yowling or else a total disappearance for several days.

Cats are extremely meticulous in their toilet habits so poop is unlikely.

My guess would be a bit of dirt from her paws? Or, if she did show signs of heat or do a disappearing act in the recent past, then possibly menstruation.

In either case I think you should relax and enjoy the gift of this cat's friendship. She is not a health hazard.

But I also think, since she's evidentally female, you'd do well to take her to a vet to be spayed as wonderful tho cats are, it is possible to have too much of a good thing.

While there, could also get her vaccinated and given routine de-worming medication, which might also help ease your concerns.

[deejah]

good ideas thanks

and my mistake again

ocsyts not cysts

whatever

[adamx]

Toxo is extremely common and one of the top causes of blindness in certain countries. It can lay dormant in you before causing problems and quite impossible to completely get rid of.

[deejah]

Toxo is extremely common and one of the top causes of blindness in certain countries. It can lay dormant in you before causing problems and quite impossible to completely get rid of.

just when i was letting my hair down

BTW

i don't think she is in heat

but i do think she is bleeding from down there

kind of sad

but maybe benign

she certainly seems happy enough

[bina]

if she has vaginal discharge and not after giving birth, than most likely she has pyometra and this is fatal for the animal if not taken care of (a hysterectomy and antibiotics is needed); a physical checkup /blood count ; by the time they start to show signs of real illness, it is close to being too late as the infection is insidious.. and deejah, dont worry its not contagious .

cats only ovulate when mated by a male.

was just shredded by a cat that came in for fluids and treatment... it didnt like the needle nor the treatment...

btw, cat scratch fever is misnomered: it is actually from any scratch by any animal that has the ricketsia on its claws, have been scratched a million times since a kid working in a dog/cat hotel and never got it, a friend got scratched once by her own dog and did, recently....

there are worse diseases to worry about in thailand from animals, rabies being one....

[retirednavyman]

Toxoplasmosis! My favourite cat disease- say it loud- let it ring- TOXOPLASMOSIS!!!!

I actually know someone who claims to have caught it, but it's fairly rare. You become more susceptible if your immune system is compromised.

I believe pregnant women are much more susceptible to toxoplasmosis

[twschw]

If your pet is bleeding I would think the best answer is to take it to a vet.

[bina]

pragnant women arent more susceptible, its just that if u havent been exposed before pregnancy, then if u are pregnant and u get it, then it affects the fetus, but so does cmv disease (a disease that u can get from children if u work as a nanny or teacher) and a zillion others too...

good washing of hands with regular liquid soap is the best preventative for a large majority of diseases...and short fingernails of course....

bina

[bina]

and the person who mentioned pork - remember there is also trichanosis....

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/toxo.html

for a good explanation (if someone didnt post it already)...

bina