Health Care for Handling Feral Cats

Salmonella
Salmonella is another food-borne pathogen with causes and syptoms similar to
Campylobacter. The main source of contamination is undercooked or raw eggs.
Though less common, Salmonella can be contracted in the same manner as
Campylobacter. Call your physician if you experience diarrheal disease after contacting
diarrheal cats.

Note: The Campylobacter and Salmonella sections were not part of the original ACA
Factsheet. They were provided to the FCC after a great deal of research by Martha
Swartz.

Fungal diseases
Ringworm
Ringworm is most commonly transmitted by domestic cats. While examining
anesthetized feral cats for wounds, any suspicious lesions can be checked for this
fungus. When handling a cat suspected of having this fungus, you should wear gloves.

Parasites:
Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasma dondii is an intestinal parasite that is a human health concern primarily for
pregnant women. The main source of contamination to humans is eating or handling
undercooked or raw meat. However, an infected cat may pass the oocyst of
Toxoplasma in feces. Therefore, pregnant women should avoid handling cat feces from
domestic or feral cats and may want to avoid handling feral cats as they may be a
source of fecal contamination.

Conclusion
Although there are potential hazards for acquiring some diseases from feral cats the
incidence is rare, and if common sense and good hygiene are combined when working
with colonies, transmission of infectious diseases from colonies to humans can be
minimized. Contact with other humans is more likely to be a source of contracting
infectious diseases.


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Prevention Tips
To minimize health hazards when dealing with feral cat colonies:
Clean up left-over food
Spray for flea infestations
Clean up cat feces areas
Sterilize colonies to reduce populations
Vaccinate colony members against rabies