packrat
Super_Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2008
- Messages
- 10,614
My dad called me today and told me he read an article (didn't say if it was newspaper/magazine/internet) that cats can transmit respiratory illnesses to their owners when the owners let the cats sleep w/them, lay w/them etc. Now, I read, and I'm pretty sure it was on here maybe ??? that *dogs* have been known or thought to transmit things to their owners-I think it was when I was talking about if we had mold in the house and the fact that the kids and I are sick all the time w/sinus stuff and strep..someone mentioned a dog ended up being a carrier or something.
Anyway, he was very adamant that you can develop allergy type symptoms and get sick (much the same as the kids and I've been) from cats. Now, it stands to reason that if this is so, the cats would need to get sick from somewhere in order to pass a sickness along..our cats don't go anywhere. They're inside cats except a few times during the nicer months we take them on the back deck and shave them. And sometimes they push the screen door open when it's nice and sit outside until one of us notices and then they streak back in the house all wild eyed. The two hours a YEAR they spend outside doesn't seem like a breeding ground for sicknesses. They're never in contact w/other cats-the backyard is fenced in.
However, Chicken is outside a LOT and been exposed to other dogs. Dad said the article was exclusively about cats and nothing else, and that there is a name for the sickness they can cause in their owners. I question it for many reasons...1) my dad is quite possibly one of THE most controlling people I've ever known in my life, and he's made mention that we need to get rid of the cats OFTEN..and usually he then mentions we should pick out one of their outside cats b/c they're more friendly and loving. (which, um hello? Bring in another cat that's been outside it's whole life exposed to distemper and every other illness..and a more "friendly loving" cat that will sleep with us, potentially causing the same problems? That's no different than what we have now). And 2) We've had Bella for 11 years. Britta for...let's see..9 years. Suddenly the last year or so they're making me and the kids sick?
He said he hopes that having our tonsils taken out solves the problem (and I'll just side note here that the bathroom is being started on in a couple weeks, so if it's mold, that also could help solve the problem) but if it doesn't, to give it a little while and then look into the cat issue. I told him I'd talk to the vet.
What do you guys think? Is he full of balarney? I know there is some truth to animals passing things to humans-but I can't figure out where the exposure comes into play unless it's something from Chicken to the cats to us.
Anyway, he was very adamant that you can develop allergy type symptoms and get sick (much the same as the kids and I've been) from cats. Now, it stands to reason that if this is so, the cats would need to get sick from somewhere in order to pass a sickness along..our cats don't go anywhere. They're inside cats except a few times during the nicer months we take them on the back deck and shave them. And sometimes they push the screen door open when it's nice and sit outside until one of us notices and then they streak back in the house all wild eyed. The two hours a YEAR they spend outside doesn't seem like a breeding ground for sicknesses. They're never in contact w/other cats-the backyard is fenced in.
However, Chicken is outside a LOT and been exposed to other dogs. Dad said the article was exclusively about cats and nothing else, and that there is a name for the sickness they can cause in their owners. I question it for many reasons...1) my dad is quite possibly one of THE most controlling people I've ever known in my life, and he's made mention that we need to get rid of the cats OFTEN..and usually he then mentions we should pick out one of their outside cats b/c they're more friendly and loving. (which, um hello? Bring in another cat that's been outside it's whole life exposed to distemper and every other illness..and a more "friendly loving" cat that will sleep with us, potentially causing the same problems? That's no different than what we have now). And 2) We've had Bella for 11 years. Britta for...let's see..9 years. Suddenly the last year or so they're making me and the kids sick?
He said he hopes that having our tonsils taken out solves the problem (and I'll just side note here that the bathroom is being started on in a couple weeks, so if it's mold, that also could help solve the problem) but if it doesn't, to give it a little while and then look into the cat issue. I told him I'd talk to the vet.
What do you guys think? Is he full of balarney? I know there is some truth to animals passing things to humans-but I can't figure out where the exposure comes into play unless it's something from Chicken to the cats to us.