It’s been quite a talked about subject this week – catching TB from your cat.
Flickr – Stavros Markopoulos
There have been a few cases of cats carrying the bovine TB infection which can transmit to humans. Now all of a sudden there’s talk of putting down any infected pets. What?
Robin Hargreaves, president of the British Veterinary Association, is the one who has given the warning that the number of cat-caused TB in humans will rise. That may be so, but these warnings are going to spark a severe rash of scared and ill-informed people disowning their beloved pets.
TB is a scary thing. While I’m too young to have any resonance with the multitude of deaths and severe cases my mother witnessed in the 50s, I know that there’s still a pang of panic through most people when they hear “TB”.
Flickr – Chriss Haight Pagani
For those of you who don’t know, TB is tuberculosis, which primarily affects the lungs, but can spread and in severe cases, untreated, can be fatal. So knowing this, it’s no wonder that people will start to panic.
Cats are contracting TB from fighting with badgers or eating rodents infected with TB. Despite protests there have been masses of badger culls across the UK to stop the spread of TB to cattle to save livestock. What now, a cat cull? Besides, the badger cull wasn’t effective at all.
If you have an outdoor cat it’s impossible for you to keep them away from rodents or badgers – and I’m a firm believer that outdoor cats are happier, healthier cats. They’re susceptible to anything out in nature and that’s a risk you take when you adopt a cat.
While you may only ever suffer from muddy paw prints across your white carpet, or hayfever from the sticky plants they bring back indoors tangled in their coats – you are letting them out in nature and nature will follow them home. Now you’ve been made aware there’s a risk (which there always has been) you shouldn’t suddenly disown your cat.
Flickr – Universal Pops
Regardless of the risk to my health I could never give up my own pets – they’re a family member – and I’m very sure there’s many people who feel the same. What I hope I don’t see over the next few months is an influx of abandoned cats to shelters or a rise in cats being put down, simply because a small piece of news has people running scared.
Personally, I’m quite annoyed there has been so much high-scale coverage of the few reported cases. Because of humanity’s history with TB we’re automatically scared and on guard, but what cost does spreading fear have?
Imagine if TB managed to spread to dogs too – what then? When does it stop?
Read the coverage of the issue by the Daily Mail here and here.
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