It's especially important for young kids, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems to wash hands regularly because they're more likely to get seriously sick from germs animals can carry. In a perfect world, you would wash your hands after every time you touch your pet.
Wash your hands after handling your companion animal and before touching your face. The areas around your nose and eyes are particularly sensitive to allergens. Designate a “pet outfit” from among your most easily washed clothes.
Common sense and good hygiene will go a long way toward keeping you, your family, and your cat free of zoonotic diseases. Here are a few simple precautions: Wash hands before eating and after handling cats.
93 percent of pet owners cuddle their pets, 70 percent allow the pet to lick them, 63 percent sleep with their pets, and 61 percent kiss their pets. Only 31 percent wash their hands after playing with their pets, and 42 percent do not wash their hands after feeding their pets.
Both before and after handling pet food and treats, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and hot water. Wash pet food bowls and scooping utensils with soap and hot water after each use.
Animals – even our beloved pets – can spread germs that can make people sick, from parasites to bacteria. Even clean and healthy pets can spread germs. Odds are that you aren't washing your hands enough around your pets. Handwashing is the easiest and best way to stay healthy around animals.
Although cats are very clean animals, sometimes they have germs, especially in their poop and in their mouths, that can make you sick. Don't touch your cat's bum (most of them don't like that!), and always wash your hands after playing with a cat. Don't let a cat lick your face or any sores.
1. Cats are cleaner than dogs. It doesn't matter whether your cat is going outdoors regularly or likes to stay inside: Cats take care about their hygiene. In fact, while most of the dogs require regular cleaning by their human, cats are basically self-cleaning.
Over half (58%) of US adults say they always wash their hands with soap after going to the restroom at home. A quarter (25%) say they wash with soap most of the time after a trip to the bathroom at home, while 10% do this some of the time and 4 percent rarely do.
Overall, cats are generally considered to be cleaner than dogs because they groom themselves more frequently. However, it is important to remember that both cats and dogs require regular maintenance to stay healthy and clean.
Prudent Precautions With Pet Saliva
The risk of bacterial or parasitic infection from pet licks are the greatest for very young children, the aged, and immunosuppressed individuals on chemotherapy or inflicted with AIDS. Individuals with healthy immune systems are unlikely to become infected.
“Cats don't like to be touched in particular places for two main reasons: sensitivity and an instinctual need to protect themselves,” Geller explains. When it comes to the belly, the hair follicles are hypersensitive to touch. Petting a cat's stomach “can be overstimulating to the point of being painful.”
Mainly because the stomach area is a very sensitive part of a cat's body. This soft underbelly protects some of their most vital organs, according to the South Boston Animal Hospital.
Smell Transfer
Cats recognize each other (and us) by scent. Raising the butt is your cat's way of getting their anal glands closer to your nose so you can get a whiff of their pheromones.
The head, chin and neck are often their favorites. While some cats enjoy having their tails touched, others will recoil and even experience pain from a tail stroke. Take it slowly, paying close attention to your cat's reactions to your touch and always respecting their preferences.
To be safe, avoid kissing your cat on the lips. A peck on the head is just as affectionate and carries far less chance of disease. To ensure your cat's oral hygiene, you might consider regularly brushing your cat's teeth or administering mouth wash. Your vet will be able to advise on the best ways to do this.
Urine is generally sterile, but bacteria from feces may spread and contaminate surfaces you're unwashed hands touched. I had quite a discussion with a male friend on the subject of washing your hands after urinating. I consider it unnecessary. There are no bacteria in urine.
“So it's wisest to always wash with soap and water even after urinating. Neither plain water nor alcohol hand sanitizers are effective at removing fecal material or killing bacteria in fecal material.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, handwashing can prevent various illnesses and infections.
Many diseases spread if you don't properly wash your hands, especially after using the bathroom. This includes norovirus, C. diff, and E. coli since they cause diarrhea which could get onto your hands when you use the bathroom, Dr.
Researchers have found that both humans and dogs have roughly 600 different types of bacteria in their mouths. Cats, on the other hand, have about 200 different types of bacteria in their mouths — and no, that does not mean cats have the cleanest of all mouths. Bacteria are still bacteria.
Cats typically don't like being petted on their tummy, legs/feet, or tail. Of course, there are always outliers—some cats will love every bit of affection, no matter where they're touched or who's doing it. But generally, you shouldn't pet a cat you don't know on their stomach or extremities.
Cats carry bacteria in their mouths, which can lead to local or systemic infection if a cat licks an open wound. Immunocompromised people are most at risk. Acquiring a disease from your cat is very rare, but to be safe, don't let your cat lick your face or any cuts on your skin.
Some cat owners fear that keeping their cat confined to the inside will decrease their quality of life, but most vets claim that indoor cats are just as happy as outdoor cats.