I'm mildly allergic to cats, so for the most part although I don't wash my hands after petting them, if my eyes are itchy I will go and wash up -- otherwise I tend to rub my eyes, and that just makes everything worse ('cause itchy, watery eyes are such a sexy look!). Of course I wash my hands after cleaning the litterbox or before I prepare dinner (although I pet the cats while I'm eating and let them sniff my food), but I really don't worry about germs and I refuse to use antibacterial soaps or sprays. In a bad year I'll have maybe one cold, so obviously I'm doing something right ... Oh, I do wash out any bites or scratches the cats give me (not that this happens often); if I don't the cuts always get puffy and itchy. I'm a clean person, my cats are generally clean, and I just don't worry about it.