getting sick from your cat?

[hopscotch]

My son brought 'us' a new kitty home and she had a bit of URI. My son became ill about a week later and thought the new kitty was to 'blame'. I said I didn't think it was possible but I'm not really sure. Anyone know the answer to this? Can people catch illnesses or colds from cats?

[**Sapphire**]

URI is a urinary tract infection right hopscotch? If it is, you need to get her to a vet so they can give her some antibiotics, my Lucy got 1 4 months after we got her. She was so miserable, trying to squat everywhere & not "going" because she was empty. The antibiotic that we got worked miracles, after her sleeping the first day after we started giving it to her, she got much better very quickly.

I don't think it's possible to get like a flu type of cold from a cat, but your son could be allergic & the symptoms he's having is more allergy type of symptoms rather than a cold.

Have him go to a pharmacy & talk to the pharmacist about it & see what they would reccomend for him to take. You could also try your vet, tell him/her about your son's symptoms & see what he/she thinks they could be if they are related to having the cat.

[hopscotch]

haha.....i'm not really sure but what I meant by URI is upper respitory infection. hopefully my son isn't catching a urinary tract infection from the cat....:scared1:.....lol.

[persian_kitty]

Colds I think are a possibility...but not sure. I think it might be more than likely allergies as Sapphire said.

[hopscotch]

I'm interested to know the answer to this for sure. That kitty likes to be in your face and ends up sneezing at your nose and mouth. My other cat isn't a cuddler like that so we've never had this question with her.

[LynnM]

From what I've been able to track down, humans are not susceptible to feline URI. See excerpt below:

"How contagious is URI and can your own pets contract it?

"URI is contagious to other cats. Most cats are vaccinated against it (it's part of the standard yearly vaccination program recommended by most vets). However, the vaccine is not 100% protective, so it's a good idea to isolate cats that are showing signs of the disease, and wash hands after handling sick cats. (In general we recommend isolating all new arrivals in your household for 8-10 days after adoption, to give them a chance to settle in and make sure they are not coming down with anything.) URI is not contagious to people or other animals."

http://www.sheltermedicine.com/portal/is_feline_upper_res.shtml

[**Sapphire**]

LOL...I should have thought of Upper Respiratory Infection hopscotch...LOL! :D

Sounds like Lynn gave you some good advice & a nice link to check out hun. :)

Thank you Lynn, you are our resident little "vet" for posts like this, welcome back too, we've missed you. :)