While it has not been scientifically established that the cat’s saliva is poisonous or harmful, many common bacteria harboured by household pets are harmless, but a few can cause serious illness, particularly for people who are already immune-compromised.
That appears to be what happened to Janese Walters of Toledo, Ohio. She said she was left blind in o
ne eye after she contracted an infection from her cat.
“I woke up one day and I couldn’t see out of my left eye,” said Walters. “I looked in the mirror and I thought I had pink eye or something.”
After a month of inconclusive tests, doctors traced back the source of the infection to Walters’ cat and a common bacteria known as Bartonella henselae, which causes a condition called “cat scratch” disease.
The rare infection can be passed from cats to humans through bites or scratches, but can also be transmitted through affectionate behaviours like licking.
“Anything that is exposed to the cat’s mouth, including if you have a little scratch that the cat licks — that’s how you can get it,” said Dr Kristopher R. Brickman of University of Toledo’s College of Medicine and Life Sciences.
The bacteria that causes cat scratch disease is found in the saliva and fur of about 40 percent of cats, especially kittens, transmitted through fleas and ticks living on the animals. Though it isn’t harmful to cats, it can cause illness in humans, especially those whose immune systems are already weakened by other medical conditions.
The rare infection can be passed from cats to humans through bites or scratches, but can also be transmitted through affectionate behaviours like licking.
“Anything that is exposed to the cat’s mouth, including if you have a little scratch that the cat licks, that’s how you can get it,” said Dr Kristopher R. Brickman of University of Toledo’s College of Medicine and Life Sciences.
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The bacteria that causes cat scratch disease is found in the saliva and fur of about 40 percent of cats, especially kittens, transmitted through fleas and ticks living on the animals. Though it isn’t harmful to cats, it can cause illness in humans, especially those whose immune systems are already weakened by other medical conditions.
