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I heard that there are viruses that cats can give to people. I’m just afraid of the cat weakening my mother’s body further. Is there any way to prevent this? Should I keep my cat in a seperate area or in a different house from my mother in order to protect her?
I heard that there are viruses that cats can give to people. I’m just afraid of the cat weakening my mother’s body further. Is there any way to prevent this? Should I keep my cat in a seperate area or in a different house from my mother in order to protect her?
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
If your cats not ill and mom’s not allergic to it, I’d leave it be, especially if mom likes the cat. I’m so sorry to hear about your mom…my mom had it too. I hope all goes well with her.
As much as I love cats, yes, for people with weakened immune systems there IS a parasite that is sometimes present in cat ***** that causes something called toxoplasmosis.
You don’t have to move your cat to another house – just make SURE your mother has nothing to do with the process of changing the cat’s litter (make sure that no woman who is pregnant is changing the litter, either)! And change that litter daily. Make sure she’s nowhere near it. Keep your cat indoors and do NOT feed it table scraps or any kind of people food – this can give a cat the parasite responsible for toxoplasmosis.
Good luck, and God bless you and your mother.
i would say yes…get the cat out of your house first temporarily until your mom gets better…I’d say the cancer breaks down the immune system of your mom that way, she easily gets viruses of any kind…
No, not at all.
If your mother is taking chemotherapy or radiation, there can be risks associated. A side effect of many chemos is to break down the immune system, killing the white blood cells. This means that your mother might not be able to fight off infections as well as before. But before you worry about the cat, I would have your mother talk to her doctors about having an animal in the home. They’ll be able to give her the best answer based on her situation.
There are no more viruses that cats can transmit to people, than people can transmit to people. The cat may even be beneficial to your mom if she likes it, also. If you fear that your mother will contract a disease from your cat, I hope you don’t subject her to the public. Animals are brought to nursing homes to interact with sick and elderly people every day. May your days and nights be peaceful with the bonding of your cat.
People getting cancer treatments have a weaker immune system and get sick easily.
However, most animal diseases can not transfer to people.
It is much more likely for your mother to get a disease from you or from other people than from the cat.
Domestic cats are clean animals, especially if they do not meet other cats, therefore, if your mother likes the cat and the cat likes her I suggest you leave the cat alone.
I’ve never advised, or been told to advise, any of my patients to get rid of their pets so i can’t imagin there’s much of a risk associated with keeping pets in the home. The best person to ask is your mothers doctor but i can’t see any problem with keeping the cat around at all. They really don’t pose much of a threat even to those with lowered immunity so i think you’ll be fine to keep her.
It is very unlikely that diseases in animals will pass to humans. Actually, I think the interaction with a loving cat could be more beneficial than harmful. If you want to be certain, ask her oncologist.
In almost all cases, no. There is a parasite called toxoplasmosis that can be found in cats and spread by cat feces, but it is rare and you have to actually eat cat *****.
Toxoplasmosis can be acquired from undercooked meat as well, and drinking dirty water.
Your mom should keep her cat indoors. Even if the cat is infected, the disease is shed from the cat in a few days or weeks. She should have others clean the litterbox, or at least wear gloves and a dust mask. I have an impaired immune system and I have four cats. I wear gloves and wash my hands thoroughly after emptying the litterbox.
Get the facts!