Library

Cats + Zoonotic Diseases

  • Vaccines are necessary to reduce infectious disease-caused illnesses in cats. They work by stimulating the body's immune system to recognize and fight a particular microorganism such as a virus, bacteria, or other infectious organism. The vaccine helps the body prevent infection or lessen the severity of the infection, and promotes rapid recovery.

  • Whipworms are intestinal parasites measuring about 1/4 inch (6 mm) in length. They live in the intestinal tract of cats where they can cause severe irritation. Whipworm infection results in watery diarrhea, weight loss, and general debilitation. Fecal testing will not detect every infection. Whipworm infection in cats is rare in North America but cases appear to be rising.

  • A zoonosis is a disease or infection that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Although cats only pose a mild risk of causing disease in humans, those with immunosuppressive conditions such as HIV or those receiving chemotherapy are at higher risk of becoming ill from these infections. The most common and significant infections that humans can get from their cats include rabies, cat scratch disease, toxoplasmosis, and ringworm. Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) are not zoonotic. Hygiene plays an important role in preventing the spread of these diseases, as well as preventive medicine for your cat, including regular deworming and external parasite preventives. Keep your cat indoors to minimize exposure to zoonotic diseases.



Pet Health Checker
Use our Pet Health Checker tool to help you decide if your pet's symptoms require immediate attention or if you should continue to monitor those symptoms at home.



Location Hours
Monday8:00am – 5:00pm
Tuesday8:00am – 8:00pm
Wednesday8:00am – 5:00pm
Thursday8:00am – 8:00pm
Friday8:00am – 2:00pm
Saturday8:00am – 2:00pm
SundayClosed



Pet Health Library
We share the same goal – ensuring your animal companion is healthy and happy!