How else can you get sick from pets?
Even if a pet is not sick, it may still harbor organisms that can infect humans. The bacteria that cause cat scratch disease, for example, can be passed from an infected cat with no signs of illness through a bite or scratch. Leptosporosis, a less common but more serious bacterial disease, can be passed from dog urine into human mucous membranes. It’s also possible to get ringworm, a fungal disease (not a worm) if you have contact with the skin of an infected dog or cat. And toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease, can be transmitted from cats through feces.