Spreadable Cat Diseases

Many cat diseases are spreadable to other cats, and some of these diseases are zoonotic, meaning they are contagious to humans. Following your veterinarian's suggested vaccination schedule will protect your cat against the most common spreadable feline diseases. By taking some simple precautions, humans will be protected from zoonotic cat diseases.

  1. Vaccinations

    • Your community may require rabies vaccinations for all domestic cats on a yearly or multiyear basis. Unlike dogs, cats that are kept indoors often require fewer immunizations than those that spend a good portion of their lives outside. By 8 weeks of age, a kitten should receive its first series of shots to prevent panleukopenia, rhinotrachietis, caliciviral disease and pneumonitis. At 3 months of age, the kitten should receive a feline leukemia vaccination and a rabies shot. A low-dose booster shot for these diseases may be repeated on a yearly basis (see Resources).

    Boarding

    • Your home is probably the healthiest place for your cat, but occasionally a pet owner needs to board his cat for a few days at a kennel. If so, your vet may suggest that you vaccinate your cat against bordetella (kennel cough), which spreads easily through the air between animals. Feline infectious peritonitis is less common but worrisome in situations where many cats are boarded. Because there is no vaccine that prevents the disease, the best way to keep your cat safe is to minimize multi-feline situations and visually inspect the health of the cats in the kennel.

    Transmission

    • The most common method through which cat diseases are spread is through saliva, which passes from an infected cat to a healthy one when they share food or water or lick or bite each other. Newborn kittens may become infected at birth or during nursing if their mother carries a spreadable disease.

    Zoonotic

    • Very few cat diseases are spreadable to humans, but there are notable exceptions that are easily preventable. Although rare, a parasite in cat feces causes toxoplasmosis, which can cause severe birth defects in human babies if the pregnant woman contracts the parasite. Rabies is transmitted through a bite from an infected cat, and fungal infections, such as ringworm, are spreadable to humans. Other parasites or worms, carried in the cat's intestinal tract, may be transmitted to humans, especially children.

    Prevention/Solution

    • Keeping your cat current on its vaccinations and minimizing its exposure to unvaccinated cats will protect its health. Teaching children to wash their hands after playing with their cat will reduce the risk of spreading parasite infections. Pregnant women should wear plastic gloves when handling a litter box or allow another member of the family to empty the litter.