Can I bring a disease home to my cat from the animal shelter?

I'm going to start volunteering for a animal rescue organization and I'm worried that I could bring something home to my cat. Is this possible and is there a way to prevent this from happening?

Julie

Rabies and distemper are airborne (this was news to me just a week ago), so it's possible... not likely, though... airborne is one thing, surviving on you (the host) long enough for you to give it to your pet at home is another.

You can also bring home Ringworm. I've done this, but it was not really too big of a deal to get rid of. I would suggest that when you come home, change clothes, wash them immediatly and take a shower. This is what I do.

Try not to let it deter you too much. It's very unlikely that you'll bring anything home. I've been volunteering for a long time and I brought home Ringworm ONCE, and I don't ALWAYS wash up before seeing my kitties.

I volunteer at a shelter and am not terribly concerned about it. A lot depends on how much interaction you have with the cats. If you are pulling them from their cages and handling them regularly, you might want to take some precautions when you get home. Do a full scrub (like a surgeon before surgery), and if necessary, change your clothes when you get home.

I'm not as concerned with diseases like FeLV, FIV, rabies, internal parasites as I am with external skin problems such as ringworm or other skin parasites. We had a rare scaby type bug on the shelter cats once that caused me to change clothes and shower before I would interact with my cats once I got home.

I volunteered at a shelter for about a year, and had no problems. Like the others have said, just following simple hygeine should mostly eliminate the chances of a problem.

It's always possible, of course, but not probable.

I respectfully disagree that ringworm is no big deal to get rid of. Once it takes hold, it can last for a long time- stubborn organism that it is.

I would say that if you wear a pair of coveralls over your work clothes when you are at the shelter, or have specific shelter clothes (including shoes) and shed those before you have contact with your own cats- and also shower before even saying hello to your resident cats, you shouldn't have a problem. You will be upsetting your crew though by bringing home mulitiple scents of strange cats, so don't be surprised if your cats begin to fight among themselves as they try and figure this out.

Originally Posted by Argo&Julie

I'm going to start volunteering for a animal rescue organization and I'm worried that I could bring something home to my cat. Is this possible and is there a way to prevent this from happening?

Julie

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The most likely thig for you to bring home (and it's still not extremely likely) is ringworm. I avoid worry about that by changing my clothes and shoes in the garage before going back into the house when I get home, and by washing my hands thoroughly before handling my cats. If you do that, chances are very very tiny that you have anything to worry about.

I don't go into the quarantine or iso rooms at the shelter, so I don't worry too much. I don't do anything like changing my clothes, either. A lot of shelter staff and volunteers have animals at home, and I don't think they worry too much about it either. And I don't get paranoid every time someone who might have petted a cat steps into the apartment or anything, so...

If there ever is a problem, we'll just deal with it, but I don't expect to ^^

Originally Posted by hissy

I respectfully disagree that ringworm is no big deal to get rid of. Once it takes hold, it can last for a long time- stubborn organism that it is.

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You are right...I really didn't mean that it's easy to get rid of.

What I meant to say is that it's not a serious thing to treat. It is; however, a major pain in the butt. Last year I had an outbreak in my foster kitties and it was alot of work to treat them all at once.

Karen

When I still lived in Iowa I volunteered at a shelter for awhile and picked up the WORST case of Ringworm ever! My younger brother freaked out until I explained that its not an actual worm...it's a fungus. It gets its name from the shape.

I got the Ringworm from the cats at the shelter.

Hi there....I volunteer with a feral cat clinic and I make sure to wear clothes that I can wash IMMEDIATELY. The clinic only occurs once a month but I make sure that the moment I get home..I stick my clothes in the wash and take a very warm bath (I scrub myself down) before I even allow my cats near me. I also have made sure that my cats are up to date on all shots.

Katie

P.S. Thanks for helping the shelter.

Just to correct the first reply in this thread, Rabies and Distemper are NOT, I repeat NOT airborne. And for perspective, according to the NYC dept of health the last cast of human rabies in NYC was over 50 years ago.

In our shelter, (in NYC) and in other shelters in the NYC area I believe without question the number one transmittable illness (that can vector from cat to human to cat) is viral upper respiratory illnesses (basically colds, or worse, Calici [FCV]). Cats are vaccinated for Calici when they get the 3 in 1 vaccine (FVRCP) but that won't always prevent infection but will usually lessen the symptoms significantly. Cold viruses are very hardy and can easily survive on your clothing and body.

Ringworm as widely discussed above can be transmitted to your cats and to you, and while very hardy in the environment isn't hugely contagious. Diluted bleach (10% solution) is one of the few things that will kill it, but make sure your cat never comes into contact with bleach. Anti-fungal creams that contain 2% micanizole nitrate are a good and safe treatment for ringworm, both for you and for your cat.

Your cats are only at risk of Distemper if they are unvaccinated.

Hopefully your organization requires you to use different latex gloves for each cage you clean or work with, and if they don't I'd suggest you use them anyway, changing gloves between each cage.

Everyone has their own routine for not bringing home illnesses, based on their own experience, level of concern, and depth of contact with the cats. The work I do at our organization allows me to have only minimal direct contact with our cats, and because of that i only do the following:
- I remove my shoes before entering my home.
- Once inside I go directly to the bathroom without touching my cats and:
- Rinse off the soles of my shoes.
- Remove my shirt and put it in the hamper.
- Scrub my hands and arms well with hot water and soap.
- Sometimes wash my face depending on cat contact prior to coming home.

When I had more contact with the cats I brought a 2nd shirt to the shelter and changed there, and then bagged the shirt, and would immediately shower once home and put all the clothes in the hamper, often in a plastic bag.