How can my pet give me a disease?

One of the most common ways of getting a zoonotic disease is from not taking extra caution when handling your pet’s excretion. A lot of the bacteria live in an animal’s urine or stool, so make sure you do not come in direct contact with it by thoroughly washing hands. This can minimize your chances of getting a disease from your pet.

This is one of the reasons women are encouraged to let other people clean the litter box while pregnant. A very serious and dangerous disease called toxoplasmosis is easily transmitted from the litter box to a pregnant woman, posing a serious health risk to her unborn child. Cats can also be responsible for causing Cat Scratch Fever, which can cause high fevers and swollen lymph nodes. This disease can be transmitted through a cat’s scratch because of the bacteria on the cat’s claws from walking around in the litter box.