Signs in cats: Cats with Giardia may have diarrhea, greasy stools, or become dehydrated. People who swim in natural bodies of water.People who drink untreated water from a river, lake, stream, or spring.People who have contact with poop during sexual contact with someone who is infected with Giardia.People who have contact with children in diapers.Anyone can get Giardia, but the following groups have a higher risk: The exact type of Giardia that makes people sick is usually not the same that infects cats. Who is at risk: The risk of getting Giardia from cats is small. How it spreads: Giardia spreads through swallowing microscopic poop containing the parasite following contact with an infected person or animal or by drinking water or eating food that has been contaminated with poop from infected people or animals.
Giardia is a parasite that can be found on surfaces or in water, food, or soil that has been contaminated by poop from an infected person or animal. Sometimes the infection can be detected by finding rice-like segments of the tapeworm crawling near the anus or in fresh poop. Symptoms in people: Dipylidium infection is rare in people and usually doesn’t cause any symptoms. If a dog is heavily infected, it may lose weight. The parasite can sometimes be detected by finding rice-like segments of the tapeworm crawling near the anus or in fresh feces (poop). Signs in dogs: Tapeworms are usually not harmful for cats and usually don’t cause illness. Who is at risk: The risk of a person getting this tapeworm is extremely low because you must swallow a flea to become infected. Treating pets for fleas can help prevent infection. Cats may swallow fleas when self-grooming. How it spreads: The tapeworm is spread when a cat or person swallows an infected flea. This parasite is common in cats but rarely causes illness in pets or people. The cat tapeworm is a parasite spread to dogs, cats, and people through the ingestion of infected fleas. The infection can also cause fever, and less commonly eye infection, muscle pain, or more severe symptoms. This occurs 1-3 weeks after exposure (for example, a cat scratch or lick). Signs in people: The CSD bacteria may cause a mild infection with a small, raised, solid bump at the site of the scratch and lymph node swelling near the site of the scratch. Bartonella infection in dogs is less common, but more likely to cause illness, compared to cats. Rarely, the disease can cause more serious signs in cats, including vomiting, red eyes, swollen lymph nodes, tiredness, and/or low appetite.
Although most infected cats do not appear sick, some cats may experience mild illness with fever that lasts for approximately 2-3 days. Signs in pets: About one third to half of cats have been exposed to the bacteria at some point in their lifetime. Any person can get sick from CSD, but illness is most common in children and adolescents under 15 years of age and people with weakened immune systems. Who is at risk: Young cats (less than 1 year of age), strays or cats living in shelters, cats with current or previous flea infestation, and cats that hunt are most likely to have the bacteria. People can be exposed to the bacteria through the scratch or lick of an infected cat. How it spreads: Cats become infected through flea bites, fights with other infected cats, or blood transfusions. Symptoms usually start within 2–5 days after infection and last about 1 week.Ĭat scratch disease (CSD) is an infection caused by the bacteria Bartonella henselae, and less commonly other Bartonella species. The diarrhea may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Symptoms in people: People can have diarrhea (often bloody), fever, and stomach cramps. Signs in cats: Cats may appear healthy and show no signs of Campylobacter infection or they can have diarrhea that may be bloody. Who is at risk: Anyone can get a Campylobacter infection, but children younger than 5 years of age, adults over 65 years of age, and people with weakened immune systems are more at risk for serious illness. Cats commonly become infected by eating contaminated raw meat and shed the bacteria in their poop. Typically, Campylobacter is spread when people don’t wash their hands after touching animals or their food, poop, toys, or beds, but it can also sometimes infect you through an open wound. How it spreads: People get Campylobacter infection by coming into contact with feces (poop) of infected animals, including cats, or by consuming contaminated food or water. Campylobacter are bacteria that can make people and animals sick with a disease called campylobacteriosis.