What affects us affects cats
Most of Kansas has been declared a high risk for West Nile Virus (WNV) and the disease has been reported in domestic animals including cats. I think this is a risk worth mentioning. I don’t know how commonly domestic cats are infected but there is a risk. It is also present in other areas …
Toxoplasmosis, the ‘litter tray parasite’, is good for business which means that by most people’s standards it is good for the world 🙂 This is because increased business activity means economic growth which in turn means the generation of wealth which filters down to increase overall well-being. Or the money stays at the top! …
In the UK, 1 in 12 pregnant women get rid of their cat because of the fear that the cat might harm their unborn baby through a toxoplasma gondii infection. Yes, they believe that their unborn child will get toxoplasmosis and be brain damaged. Wise counsellors say these women are wrong because simple precautions …
Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada: A cat has been diagnosed with Q fever, a bacterial infection (Coxiella burnetii). Until today I hadn’t heard of domestic cats being infected with Q fever. It commonly affects farm animals such as goats, sheep and cattle. Farm workers can catch it from their animals so it is zoonotic (transmits …
Can I catch a cold from my cat? No, you can’t. Most infectious diseases are species-specific. They only affect a specific species and cannot jump between species. When a cat catches a cold it is a viral infection. Veterinarians call it: Feline Viral Respiratory Disease Complex. They are highly contagious between cats and can …
If you own a domestic cat you might get ringworm from him/her. It is highly contagious and zoonotic (cat to human). Shelter cats can get ringworm very easily. If you adopt a shelter cat with the disease it is likely that you will acquire it. Unless it is pronounced it is hard to see …
It may surprise people that I am answering what appears to be a simple question. But it is a question which is still asked on the internet through Google search. There is still some ignorance of this subject. No, you cannot get AIDS from a cat. This is because Feline Aids, as it is …
A Japanese woman has died of a tick-borne disease believed to have been caused by bite from a stray cat. This is serious cat news from Japan. It is unexpected. It is perhaps the first case of this kind of mammal to human transmission. But it is not yet certain. It has been reported …
