Cancer Patients & Cats— What's The Risk?
- Anyone battling cancer should be aware that cats have been linked to a parasitic infection called Toxoplasmosis, caused by a single-celled organism, Toxoplasma gondii, which affects approximately 60 million people across the U.S.
- So for anyone wondering whether cancer patients should avoid cats— the answer is no, but safety precautions should be followed, like changing litter boxes daily and washing your hands if you may have gotten in contact with cat feces, which can carry the bacteria that leads to Toxoplasmosis.
- “The parasite occurs worldwide and can last for long periods of time (up to a lifetime) in human bodies (and other animals),” the CDC says. “People who are pregnant or people who are immunocompromised (have a weakened immune system) can take steps to reduce their risk of infection due to Toxoplasma infection causing more serious health problems.”
- The CDC recommends anyone at risk who have, or are often near, cats to change their litter box once a day and wear gloves when touching soil or anyone with cat feces on it. It’s also recommended to wash your hands with soap and water after coming in contact with something that may contain cat feces.
- Finding joy in family pets as a means to cope with grief, or even to cope with your cancer battle is a fairly common practice, just be sure to take precaution and know the risks if you’re immunocompromised.
However, you may not know that cats have been linked to a parasitic infection called Toxoplasmosis, caused by a single-celled organism, Toxoplasma gondii, which affects approximately 60 million people across the U.S.
Read More“Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. In the United States, we see it mostly in patients who have cats, especially those whose pets spend time outdoors,” Dr. Garnes told MD Anderson Cancer Center.
“You come into contact with it when you clean out their litter boxes. In Europe, doctors also see it in people who eat undercooked meat.”
She continued, “But Toxoplasma gondii is the same parasite that obstetricians warn pregnant women about. So, immunocompromised people shouldn’t be cleaning out their cats’ litter boxes, either. Leave that task to somebody else.”
Toxoplasmosis can also be described as an opportunistic infection. HIVinfo.NIH.gov explains opportunistic infections as “infections that occur more often or are more severe in people with weakened immune systems than in people with healthy immune systems.”
These type of infections—including parasitic infections, mold infections, shingles, herpes, thrush, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP)—can be treated with antibiotics, antiviral, antifungal, or antiparasitic medications.
As for how to prevent such infections, Dr. Garnes says, “Some opportunistic infections can be prevented. If we know you’re going to be on high-dose steroids for a long time, for instance, we may prescribe a broad-spectrum antibiotic such as trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim) to protect you from PJP.
“We also give a lot of our patients antiviral medications to prevent herpes outbreaks. And, we give antifungal medications to some of our highest-risk patients because those infections can be so difficult to treat.
She concluded, “But we use many of the same tools to treat fungal infections as we do to prevent them. That can make treating them much harder. So, we normally don’t try to prevent something like thrush. Not everyone develops it, and it’s usually easy to treat. So, we typically just treat that as it happens.”
Understanding Toxoplasmosis & What Precautions To Take If You Have Cats
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) toxoplasmosis is an infection that arises from a single-celled parasite known as Toxoplasma gondii, which is the leading cause of death from foodborne illness across the U.S.
“The parasite occurs worldwide and can last for long periods of time (up to a lifetime) in human bodies (and other animals),” the CDC says. “People who are pregnant or people who are immunocompromised (have a weakened immune system) can take steps to reduce their risk of infection due to Toxoplasma infection causing more serious health problems.”
Although the infection can be picked up by anyone, those who need to take more precaution are:
- pregnant women
- anyone with a weakened immune system (immunocompromised)
- people with a heightened risk of developing severe toxoplasmosis—such as infants born to mom who recently contracted, people with HIV, undergoing a specific type of chemotherapy, or anyone who had a recent organ transplant
The CDC explains further, “Over 40 million people are infected with the parasite in the United States. Most people with healthy immune systems who get toxoplasmosis do not have symptoms. Those with symptoms may experience flu-like symptoms, swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches, and pains. Severe toxoplasmosis causes damage to the brain, eyes, or other organs.”
This infection can derive from eating undercooked meat, shellfish, or unwashed fresh produce that has been contaminated with the bacteria or mistakenly consuming the bacteria via cat feces or contaminated soil.
It’s also possible to get this bacteria passed down from a mom to a child, and very rarely, via an infected blood transfusion or organ transplant.
The CDC recommend the following ways to take precaution:
- use a food thermometer when cooking
- keep meat frozen at sub-zero (0° F) temperatures prior to cooking
- wash fruits and vegetables before consuming
- Avoid unpasteurized goat’s milk, raw oysters, mussels, or claims.
- Clean areas where food is handled
- Wear gloves while touching soil or cat litter
- Wash hands with soap and water anytime you touch something possibly contained with cat feces.
- Change your cat’s litter box every day
Other Disease Spread By Cats
The CDC also notes the following as other disease that can be spread by cats:
- Campylobacter infection (a bacterial infection often found in contaminated food and water)
- Cat scratch disease (a bacterial infection transmitted through an infected cat’s bite or scratches)
- Cat tapeworm (long, flat parasites)
- Cryptosporidiosis (a diarrheal infection)
- Giardia infection (common intestinal illness)
- Hookworm (parasitic worms that live in the small intestine)
- MRSA (infection caused by a type of staph bacteria)
- Plague (an infectious disease)
- Rabies (a fatal viral disease that affects the central nervous system)
- Ringworm (a fungal infection of the skin, hair, or nails)
- Roundworms (parasites that cause infections)
- Salmonella infection (bacterial infection caused by the Salmonella bacteria)
- Sporotrichosis (a fungal infection)
- Tickborne diseases (diseases humans get via an infected tick bite)
- Tularemia ( a rare, serious bacterial infection)
How Pets Can Help People Amid Health Challenges
Despite cats being connected to a parasitic infection that humans can contract, it’s important to understand that pets offer anyone battling cancer an incredible amount of support.
SurvivorNet gathered some resources on pet therapy, and how it can be beneficial for people grieving, people going through treatment, and the pets themselves!
RELATED: 8-Year-Old Cancer Survivor Trained Dog Best Friend in Treatment
Richard Marks, who has bone marrow cancer and was getting chemotherapy at Mount Sinai five days a week at the time, previously told SurvivorNet that spending time with some dogs can really relieve your mind of struggles.
Dr. Dana Chase encourages those facing cancer to find moments of joy during treatment
“When I’m doing chemotherapy, I’m waiting and times going by. Maybe I’m worrying about my numbers or how treatment is going. And all of the sudden a cute little dog goes by, then I’m not thinking about those things,” Marks explained. “I’m only thinking about that dog.”
PET THERAPY: How A Pooch Helped During Chemo
Marks underwent pet therapy with the help of The Good Dog Foundation, an organization that promotes recovery from trauma and stress using animal-assisted therapy services.
In Marks’ case, he spent his chemotherapy days with a rescue dog named Bowie. Sarah Conroy, Bowie’s owner, became certified to visit hospitals with her pooch through the Good Dog Foundations. She told SurvivorNet that Bowie loves visiting his friends in the hospital, but for him, “It’s more about getting pet messages.”
Pets Matter: Survivors and Their Loved Ones Who Have Found Comfort
- Pet Therapy Can Really Help During Cancer Treatment: “It Takes Me Out of My World”
- Cancer Warrior Sharon Osbourne Takes Pet Therapy One Step Further With Adorable Behind the Scenes Footage of Her Pooches
- Selma Blair Doesn’t Know What She’d Do Without Sweet Service Dog Scout: The Benefit of Pets While Battling Health Challenges
- Meet Orla, The Dog That Helped 42-Year-Old Kate Middleton Make It Through Cancer—The Power of Pet Therapy
- A Wonder Horse Called ‘Mr Nibbles’ Is Actress Selma Blair’s Therapy As She Lives With Multiple Sclerosis
- “All My Children” Star Cameron Mathison Says Pet Therapy Helps Him Heal After His Surgery For Kidney Cancer
Meanwhile, Alison Snow, who worked with cancer support services at Mount Sinai, told SurvivorNet that there is research to show that animal visits to hospitals can be extremely beneficial to people battling cancer, as well as other ailments.
“You can hear the excitement in the air when the dog is around and there is research to show that having animal-assisted visits is helpful to patients going through cancer in terms of lowering blood pressure, reducing anxiety, decreasing depression, and overall, helping patients feel less isolated,” Snow said.
What Are the Benefits of Pet Therapy?
Animals and Healing
Animals can undoubtedly improve our quality of life, and that can especially be true for people living with cancer. We often need to keep going, and there have been studies showing the power of passion affecting the outcome of your disease.
Jane Kopelman, who heads Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s canine program, Caring Canines, discussed some of the benefits of pet therapy in a previous interview with SurvivorNet.
“What most patients say, and studies have proven, is that the dogs reduce anxiety, reduce depression, and they give people a sense of hope–they often motivate people,” Kopelman said. “Patients have said that they were so eager to have the dogs come that it motivated them to get up.”
The dogs can visit patients who are in the hospital after undergoing surgery and also visit outpatient locations where patients may be undergoing treatment like chemotherapy.
If you’re interested in pursuing a cancer therapy dog, speak with your doctor about the following steps, or an oncological social worker or organizations to connect with that train these types of dogs. Note that waiting lists for service dogs are often long and their training period is a lengthy process, as well, so time is of the essence if you wish to get a service dog.
However, if you have animals at home that you love and adore, like cats, for example, all types of animal therapy can help amid adversity. It’s important to continue doing what you love and spending time with loved ones, including your pets, while battling a disease.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
