Do You Wash Your Hands After Touching Your Cat?

Nope, I wash my hands before and after feeding them, after cleaning the litter etc but I am always petting them so would have some major skin problems if I washed my hands that much.

Fwan, I have licked them before too, if they keep licking me I lick them back and they go off somewhere to clean themselves, I also let them kiss me on the lips... yeah I have problems

No, I don't wash my hands after touching my cats, just like I don't wash my hands after touch my hair. I don't lick my cats, but I do kiss them.

I do tend to wash my hands after touching someone else's cats, or at least if I touch someone else's cats, I'll wash my hands before I touch my own cats, because I don't want to pass any germs along.

Originally Posted by AbbysMom

Yes, I do, every single time. I am allergic to cats and would be in big trouble if I didn't

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Same here....allergies.
I wash my hands and sometime my face after petting & kissing my kitties.

Originally Posted by Rachey

I only do if ive been playing with them, then i prepare food, but then i always wash my hands when i prepare food anyway.

But generally i dont bother, my cats are clean!

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I voted the "no, why would I?" but I agree with the above comment. Even if I hadn't been handling my cats I would wash my hands before preparing food, especially if it was for someone other than myself.

My cats are clean.

Never considered it. I would have to be washing my hands every few minutes.

No - Why would I do that? I would have very dry hands!

Only after cleaning the litterbox and petting fosters who haven't been tested yet.

I too have allegies and should always wash but I usually am closer to sanitizer or a baby wipe so I do ... I have a seperate immune disorder so I ALWAYS throughly wash after play time , before and after meal times for them and anytime one got too happy

I wash my hands before handling food, but I would do that whether or not cats were in the house.

I don't wash my hands just for the sole reason of having touched my cat.

Nope! If I did that I'd spend all day washing my hands! If I'm handling their food or litter, I wash my hands after that, and if I'm making dinner and pat them while making dinner I'll wash my hands before going back to it, but otherwise I don't care!

Originally Posted by fwan

I knwo this might sound weird, but i sometimes lick teufels head or kaylees head

so no i dont wash my hands after ive petted them.

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Me too! I love licking kitties.

Originally Posted by fwan

I knwo this might sound weird, but i sometimes lick teufels head or kaylees head

so no i dont wash my hands after ive petted them.

On the other hand though, I DO WASH MY HANDS AFTER IVE PETTED A DOG! eww my hands always feel so dirty!

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lol, I chew on their ears with my lips, they loooove it.

I feel dirty after touching dogs, too...lol, how weird.

Originally Posted by fwan

I knwo this might sound weird, but i sometimes lick teufels head or kaylees head

so no i dont wash my hands after ive petted them.

On the other hand though, I DO WASH MY HANDS AFTER IVE PETTED A DOG! eww my hands always feel so dirty!

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i kiss mine on the mouth and play-bite their necks.

i would wash my hands if i was "preparing" food. but if pet my cat and then get a bowl of cereal, or a piece of candy, then i dont. grammie freaks out heh.

No, I don't wash my hands after playing with the kitties or touching them! I'd have no skin left if I did! I do wash them if I go to rub my eyes though - allergies here too! And always after I've cleaned the litter box, and always before I handle food! Dogs on the other hand - I have to wash my hands after I pet a dog! And yes, I kiss my kitties but I don't lick them or chew on them or any of the other things people have mentioned!

I always was my hands before/during cooking, and after cleaning a litter box or cage. But other than that, unless I actually get poop on me or something, I don't wash my hands. I pretty much just wash my hands when they are dirty. I'm almost never sick, my kid is almost never sick, my husband is almost never sick, and our animals are almost never sick.

I don't mind eating after the animals, either. Onenight I sat a plate of spaghetti on the couch while I went to see what the dogs that were outside were barking about, and my Shih Tzu ran through my plate. No biggie, I ate it. Hubby thought that was a little odd but knows me!

no why would I do that? only if I am going eat or make something. I don't even wash my hands after touching my dogs unless one of them slobbers on me

Originally Posted by mamacat

Nope. Although my cats often bathe right after I touch them.

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I grew up with a cat like that! I guess I still believe Friskey...that a cat should bathe herself after being pet by kids. Mom never made us wash our hands after petting Friskey, though!

I am a reasonably clean person, and don't want germs. But my cats are clean. I never wash my hands just for petting a cat. I do wash between my cats and unvaccinated/untested fosters, though, and it takes a lot of effort since they all seem so clean!

I always wash my hands after petting/gromming my animals if i'm getting ready to eat or cook anything. I also wash them after cleaning out litter pans, or if i'm at the shelter and going from cage to cage ....And even if i haven't petted an animal i still wash them before eating or cooking, it's just good hygeine- and kills germs, especially during flu season . I also like those little B&BW bottles of moisturizing hand sanatizers for the car

I voted "no, why would I do that?"

I wash thoroughly after litterbox duty, and if I'm preparing a meal for someone else (although if I'm just throwing together a sandwich for myself I might not).

I would wash up after handling a stray or unfamiliar cat due to not wanting to pass germs along to my boys, and like others have said, I wash my hands after petting a dog. The only exception to that is when I visit my family and pet their dog, Kody.

I have a turtle, and need to wash my hands every time I am handling her, her food, or anything in/on her tank. But with Marishka, I don't wash my hands everytime I handle her, but there's the obvious times, if I am going to work with food, after working on litterbox etc, and occasionally when walking by the sink I was my hands for good measure; so I counted that as 'when I remember' (but I think we all do).
I am in healthcare (handling blood or something like urine and working with variety of patients is an every day thing since I am in a lab at school), so it is common for me to wash my hands 10 times in an hour. While there is the normal flora that keeps us healthy, I am just the teeniest bit compulsive at home, since I have to be when out in the lab.