MedlinePlus:
MedlinePlus is a service of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the world's largest medical library, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It's mission is to present high-quality, relevant health and wellness information that is trusted, easy to understand, and free of advertising, in both English and Spanish. Anywhere, anytime, on any device—for free.
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MedlinePlus has categorized their posts with the following categories: Pet Health, and Pets.
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MedlinePlus has tagged posts with the following tags: aggression, animal, bite, bite management, bite prevention, canine, cat, cat scratch disease, dangerous, dog, feline, health, immunocompromised, pet health, pets, and zoonotic diseases.
Their most common tags are: pets, cat, feline, health, and cat scratch disease.
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Cat-scratch disease is caused by the bacteria Bartonella henselae. The disease is spread through contact with an infected cat (a bite or scratch) or exposure to cat fleas. It also can be spread through contact with cat saliva on broken skin or mucosal surfaces like those in the nose, mouth, and eyes.
Wild animals usually avoid people. They might attack, however, if they feel threatened, are sick, or are protecting their young or territory. Attacks by pets are more common. Animal bites rarely are life-threatening, but if they become infected, you can develop serious medical problems.
Some people with weakened immune systems may be advised to give up their pets to avoid getting diseases from the animals. If you have a weak immune system, having a pet can put you at risk for serious illness from diseases that can spread from animals to humans. Learn what you can do to protect yourself and stay healthy.