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To all you people who snuggle with your pets at night...

Hypancistrus

Hypancistrus

New member
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/health/2011/01/could_cuddling_in_bed_with_you.html

"The study, which examined illnesses thought to be transmitted by pets in countries around the globe, runs down some pretty creepy examples. A 69-year-old man whose cat licked his hip replacement wound came down with meningitis. And a 9-year-old boy with a cat with fleas got plague. You read that correctly. Plague."

Yet another attempt by the anti's to drive a wedge between pets and owners??? :bang:
 
Well, if that 9 year old is here in NM, I can actually see that one happening, Plague has been around here for a long time now. Thanks to people killing off the Birds of Prey, and every snake they see, about 60-70 years ago. They are now trying to inform people to keep these animals around, and since it is illegal to kill the BoP, they are trying to get people to relocate the snakes instead of killing them, since they are our "last line of defense against plague and Hantavirus."

Though, my wife was watching "The Talk" the other day, and they were adding to the list of things animals give humans, but, instead of being the negative side of it, they were giving all positive aspects.
 
Sounds like a load of crap to me. I'm not completely discounting the idea that one could contract an illness from their pets, because weird things do happen. But, really? Just because you share your bed with them?

Is there really no other possible way the man could have gotten meningitis?
Or if the boy's cat was so flea-infested, why is the only option that he got sick is because he sleeps with the cat? Could he not have gotten bit anywhere else in his home?

There is only a fraction of the information here, and in my opinion, that's just not enough to really have an idea of what this really means.

Honestly, if only two people out of the 62% of co-sleeping cat owners have gotten sick... I think I'm still pretty safe. I even use flea/tick preventative on mine!
 
Yet another attempt by the media to make people fearful. Fear obviously pays....

On the other hand, yet another reason for me NOT to have cats. And I thought it was all because I hate litterboxes :).
 
Irish Eyes (Mrs.Z) said:
Yet another attempt by the media to make people fearful. Fear obviously pays....

On the other hand, yet another reason for me NOT to have cats. And I thought it was all because I hate litterboxes :).
Click to expand...

Well, to me, the issues there weren't the pets but the lack of common sense being applied by the adults involved. Who lets ANYTHING (including other people) lick an OPEN wound??? And a cat so infested with fleas that the fleas started biting the people?? Hello, Frontline anyone??
 
ratsncorns said:
I dont care what the media says, I am still cuddling with my two cats every night, as I have been for the past 11 years :)
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Yeah, the folks that wrote that article would probably break out in hives and expire right in front of us if they saw our bedroom at night.

Lennycorn said:
Damn!!! I get denied again!!!

I'll keep on trying tho. :wavey:

Click to expand...

We know. Your persistence is one of the things we all admire most about you.
 
I read that and couldn't understand why anyone would not use common sense. Why would a flea infested cat be anywhere near a kid, and how many fleas are just roaming around the house.
I will still have all 3 cats and my dog sleep with me every day. I know they are healthy and have no fleas for me to worry about... I just shake my head at the stupidity of some humans.
 
snakemom1961 said:
I read that and couldn't understand why anyone would not use common sense. Why would a flea infested cat be anywhere near a kid, and how many fleas are just roaming around the house.
I will still have all 3 cats and my dog sleep with me every day. I know they are healthy and have no fleas for me to worry about... I just shake my head at the stupidity of some humans.
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We have three dogs sleeping with us. The one is actually curled under the covers against my back almost every night (no snuggle time for us) and we're both fine. I used to let my cat sleep with us back when it was just me, the cat and my Golden Retriever. Now that we have the second cat, Evie, we've barred cats from the bedroom because she licks ears at night and I can't sleep with a cat licking my ear.

In spite of all that... we're still fairly healthy.
 
At least it was gratifying to see that the first few comments were critical of the article. They brought up the same points that any logical reader would immediately think of. How widespread is the "problem"? How does pet disease transfer compare to acquiring diseases from the HUMANS who share your house and / or bed? As with most articles of this type, there is no perspective given to compare this "danger" to all of the other dangers in a normal life - typical, unfortunately.

I have been sleeping with cats and / or dogs for most of my life. AFAIK, any contagious disease I have ever caught has been transmitted from PEOPLE, not animals. So, as usual, I don't have much use for the one sided, fear mongering, animal related articles written by "journalists" such as this one.
 
They should make an article about how unhealthy it is to sleep with babies. I mean, they poop in bed (ew), and slobber everywhere. Babies and young children are bacteria-harboring machines. Seems like everytime I get sick, its because I was around my friends kids.
 
ratsncorns said:
They should make an article about how unhealthy it is to sleep with babies. I mean, they poop in bed (ew), and slobber everywhere. Babies and young children are bacteria-harboring machines. Seems like everytime I get sick, its because I was around my friends kids.
Click to expand...

Excellent point.
 
I have noticed for YEARS that friends who have young kids in day care or grade school seem to be almost CONSTANTLY sick! They are little VECTORS, lol! If families have multiple young children, it is even worse. They take turns being sick. By the time they are finished with everyone recovering from one bout, it is almost time to start another round.

OTOH, we have LOTS of animals - and no kids. And we are virtually never sick. Can't remember the last time I had a cold or other contagious disease. Well, I think I did have a cold around 1998 - when we spent Christmas in Wisconsin with my sister and her FOUR KIDS, lol!

So - should we encourage people to stop having kids, to stop them from going to day care or school until their immune systems are more mature, or maybe just encourage adults to refrain from allowing kids into their bedroom (or inside the house, maybe)? Seems like that would prevent a lot more illness than keeping away from your pets!
 
kathylove said:
So - should we encourage people to stop having kids, to stop them from going to day care or school until their immune systems are more mature, or maybe just encourage adults to refrain from allowing kids into their bedroom (or inside the house, maybe)? Seems like that would prevent a lot more illness than keeping away from your pets!
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Guard your email Kathy-- word gets out that you're "anti-kid" and the hate mail will pour in!!

I get sick several times per year, and inevitably, most of my illnesses come from contact with kids via the school system I work for. I even got Swine Flu as it spread around our school community. :puke02:
 
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