Black Cat Appreciation Day & Vet 101
It’s a double whammy of kitty goodness today.
It’s Black Cat Appreciation Day. What better time than near Halloween to celebrate the mysterious beauty of black cats? Often maligned and overlooked from age-old superstitions, black cats have the least chance of getting adopted at a shelter. If you have a black cat and would like to post their photo or to show your support on Facebook go to http://petside.co.uk/petsideblog/2011/10/black-cat-awareness-day—27-o.php
This week’s Vet 101 Q & A with Dr. Richard Goldstein goes down like a cool sip of water. If you have a question for him, send it to [email protected]
Question:
My cat likes to drink from my water glass that I keep by my bed at night. He has fresh water of his own. I don’t mind except when he dips his paw in. Is it safe for me to drink? What if I get pregnant?
Answer:
“Cleanliness is next to catliness.”
We all know that most cats are fastidious cleaners. (I say “most” because I once had a cat that just couldn’t be bothered with grooming himself – the couch potato of cats.) The mouth is a dirty place with lots of bacteria and other organisms floating around. So, it stands to reason that we would want to be concerned about coming in contact with possible things in the mouth of a cat.
According to a 2003 report by the American Association of Feline Practitioners (http://www.catvets.com/uploads/PDF/ZooFinal2003.pdf), the risk of a healthy person contracting a zoonotic (transmissible between animals and humans) disease from a healthy, adult, parasite-free, indoor-only cat is very rare. Mostly, that has to do with the way diseases are transmitted, and the risk of the cat carrying disease. Some diseases require an “intermediate” host (so the “organism” must go from the cat to a flea or mosquito or other animal before it can become infectious to people). Some diseases require certain environmental conditions to be met for transmission to occur. In fact, there is more evidence to suggest that disease transmission to people is more likely to come from exposure to the same environmental risks as cats, rather than from the cats themselves (like eating the same under-cooked meat, or drinking the same giardia-infested water).
But, even though it’s considered “rare” for diseases to be transmitted, it’s not impossible. If you stuck your hand in the toilet, would you then put it directly in your mouth? Now think about where your cat’s paw has been right before it goes into your glass. (I can see the grimace on your face!). So, while it’s very rare to find a report of zoonotic transmission from a healthy cat to healthy person, maintaining good hygiene practices are still recommended.
People who are immunocompromised (including young children, the elderly, HIV and cancer patients), however, may need to take additional precautions when caring for their cats. That’s not to say that folks with a weakened immune system should not have cats. On the contrary! But, a thorough discussion with your physician about safety issues is essential. And if pregnancy is on the horizon, speak with your ob-gyn…and find someone else to clean the litter box.
Bottom line: set out 2 glasses at night – one for you, and one for the kitty.
18 Comments
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Rumpy Drummond
Oh Dog! My cats LOVE to drink out of my dog dish. It’s SO annoying. Maybe now I can use this info to boster my complaints to Jen about it.
Oui Oui
When we adopted Carlos, our all black cat, we had no idea that people actually believed black cats were bad luck! The ignorance of some people never ceases to amaze us. Next adoption, we will definitely check into black cats looking for homes first.
Brian
Black kitties are very, very special and deserve all the best love!
Abby
WE love black kitties!!!
WE also agree with the Vet with his advise.
purrs
>^,,^<
♥Abby♥Boo♥Ping♥Jinx♥Grace♥
Kathy Thompson
HOORAY FOR BLACK KITTIES EVERY WHERE!!!!! I LUV my little black girl with all my heart! >^..^<
Tinch
Hooray for black cats. I have my second!
Julia Williams
Every day is Black Cat Appreciation Day at my house — I have two black kittehs that I love with all of my heart!
Pat Curry
I would have advised her to keep a water bottle at bedside for herself and a bowl of water for the cat next to it.
boomermuse
Pat, thank-you that’s the purr-fect solution.
Carolyn
Having a compromised immune system myself, I have to be very vigilant when dealing with the cats. And I totally agree with Ingrid that pet’s vets are much more able to advise than physicians!
I appreciate black cats every day lol
Wendy
I have already posted a picture and told the story of my beautiful black cat Ebony! And I agree that we should appreciate black kitties EVERY DAY! I also had to comment on about the kitty drinking out of the water glass. My 4 cats are so spoiled that they have fountains to drink from. We have 3 in the house and one of them is in my room for my most spoiled “brat”. They just love their fountains and we don’t even bother to put water in a dish where they eat anymore because only the dog drinks it. Mazie (our black lab) has her own water dish (she has no interest in the fountains). I just love my kitties so I must try to give back some of that unconditional love in any way I can!
Ingrid King
I think immunocompromised patients and pregnant women may be better off getting advice on what precautions to take from their pets’ veterinarians than from their physicians. Too many physicians still take the stance of “no pets if you’re immunocompromised or pregnant.” I’d take my vet’s advice over a physician’s advice any day!
Caren Gittleman
I wish people would appreciate black cats EVERY DAY!
I have a question for the good Dr., what about a cat that will ONLY drink water out of the dog’s bowl and NOT his own?
Max the Quilt Cat
Happy Black Cat Appreciation Day. I didn’t know that it was today. Thanks for the heads up on that.
pawhugs, Max
Kitcaboodles
I’m always astounded that black cats are so much less likely to get adopted, I find them beautiful and a bit mystical too, but not in a bad way!
On the subject of illness and transmission, I read somewhere that cats can catch your cold. I’m not sure how true this is, but being overly paranoid about such things I was so careful last time I was ill not to sneeze near the cats and was compulsively washing my hands before i touched them in case THEY caught it!
Kathryn
I had an adorable all black male cat once. He was really sweet. Mostly indoor and it took him forever to want to venture outside.