Can humans contract any feline diseases?

Question

Can humans contract feline diseases? I took in three kittens a month ago. They seemed very healthy until about a 9 days ago. Suddenly each kitten died one by one. Sick, vomiting, diarrhea, wouldn’t eat, drink, wouldn’t play, them become comatose & dies all with days within each other. The kittens got sick one by one & died suddenly. They weren’t poisoned. I thought they had feline distemper. I took one to the vet he gave me antibiotics & he said they was not getting enough nourishments (food). They were eating just fine until they got sick. Well… my question is. I cared for the kitten’s night & day for days. I let them in the house & even lad with them when they cried. So could I get sick or contract something from being around the kittens a lot? Also I have an older dog & a stray tomcat could they get sick also. Any info. would be helpful.

Answer 1

Humans cannot give or recieve illnesses from animals. However they can get worms which it mostly unheard of. Also cats cannot get parvo it is only in dogs. There are far too many things that it could have been to speculate. It is very possible that they could have given something to your older cat depending on what they had and what vaccines your older cat had. also cats can give dogs somethings but rarely like if they had worms that could be given from cat to dog. My advice would be to take in both of them if they start acting strange but keep in mind they have stronger amune systems than young kittens. Sorry about your kittens and good luck with your other pets.

Answer 2

What you are asking about are zoonotic diseases. This web page should answer your questions about diseases that are shared between people and their cats:

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

I wonder if your kittens either had a bacterial infection like an ecoli overgrowth, were infested with a parasitic worm (which could be contagious to humans and other pets - deworm your pets), or if they were taken by FIP (which might put your cat at risk of corona virus unless he already had immunities, but a healthy adult cat does't usually have the virus mutate to deadly FIP). Do consult a vet who can do some bloodwork on your cat to ensure he's ok and to ensure your dog and cat are both dewormed.

I'm so sorry for your loss. No doubt you are heartbroken. Unfortunately, when kittens get sick, they get VERY sick and sometimes they simply don't make it, no matter what you do. I can't help but think that this is why cats are such prolific reproducers.

Answer 3

Giardia, coccidia, roundworm (internal parasites), ringworm (fungus), and rabies are common diseases in felines that are zoonotic (transferable to other species - humans included).

Your kittens with vomiting and diarrhea could have been any one of these, except rabies, and yes you can contract them by close contact. However, I'm assuming you're an adult and not a child, and therefor your immune system is well developed; it is unlikely you will succumb to any of them and become seriously ill, your body will fight off most of these infections on its own.

It is important, when adopting any kitten, if you do not know where it came from or what it has been exposed to to have your veterinarian draw blood and examine a fecal sample from them. You should always test for Feline Leukemia, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, and the common internal parasites. If any of the kittens are positive for the viruses, it is prudent to euthanize immediately, because it is very unlikely they will survive it, and even if they do they will be carriers of them the rest of their living days, which means they can infect other cats. If they are positive for any of the serious parasites, it is prudent to treat right away, because the diarrhea and vomiting will dehydrate them and they will die.

Answer 4

There are a few things that you can get from a cat - basically parasites, though (ringworm, toxoplasmosis), not a virus. I am sure you are safe. Your dog is probably safe, too, as viruses are species-specific. However, your cat could potentially become ill. Check with the vet to find out if you should start giving your cat antibiotics or if you should just keep a close eye on him for a couple weeks.

Answer 5

Oh, poor babies!

No, you probably won't catch this. I'm a bit surprised the vet didn't tell you what they had. And because of that, I would question the quality of this vet's care.

But you will want to wash before you handle any other critters. And you will want to keep an eye on your dog and the stray tom, because they *can* catch whatever the kittens had.

Good luck!

Answer 6

No i dont think you can catch anything from the kittens yourself, but as far as your other animals i would suggest you having them seen by a vet. i say that because it sounds like parvo which is what dogs can get and it sounds very similar to what you are talking about. With dogs they can pass it from one another. If you see them showing any of the same signs you really need to take them to the vet..

Answer 7

It depends. Some illnesses are tranferable between animals and humans. Some are not. You would need to determine whats wrong with them and then find out if that specific illness is transferable. Might be a good idea to play it safe and wear gloves when you care for them and keep your distance when you dont.

Answer 8

No it does not seem like just because you were laying with the kittens that you could get malnourishment did he check the cats for FIV and or cat scratch fever those could be two reasons that your cats are sick.

Answer 9

the only one I've ever heard of was cat scratch fever for pregnant women but it doesn't come directly from the cat but rather the litter box! ask your vet next time

Answer 10

you can't catch any viruses from them, but maybe something like ringworm though.